Colgate's "Turn Off the Water" campaign at Safeway supermarkets in northern California, created by The Mars Agency in Southfield, MI, captured a Silver Effie Award in the Single-Retailer Program: Supermarkets category in the 2017 Effies competition.


In partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Safeway parent company Albertsons Companies, Colgate-Palmolive and The Mars Agency executed a regional integrated shopper marketing program in drought-stricken Northern California to inspire consumers to use water more sparingly by asking them to turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth.


"At Colgate, we're committed to giving the world reasons to smile," says Marie-Agnes Daumas, director of Colgate-Palmolive's Shopper Marketing Center of Excellence, North America. "Integrated shopper marketing programs with a purpose, like this save water program we executed in collaboration with our partners at Albertsons, align closely with our broader corporate commitment. We are honored to be recognized with Albertsons and The Mars Agency for this award."


"The campaign demonstrated Colgate-Palmolive's eagerness to partner with a key retail stakeholder, Albertsons, to address a pressing environmental need and enlist shoppers, retailers and sales in a powerful and unified effort to help make a difference," said Rob Rivenburgh, CEO, North America of The Mars Agency.


The North American Effie Awards annually honor the most effective marketing communications cases in the United States & Canada. Entries endure rigorous rounds of judging and only a small percentage of entering cases emerge as winners. The high number of entries made earning an award this year an even more prestigious honor.