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October 8, 2019 Poop Smart campaign wins prestigious Diamond Award The City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) recently recognized Skagit County’s Poop Smart campaign with the prestigious Diamond Award for representing the best in government communications. Only three of more than 700 entries received the Diamond Award. In addition to the Diamond Award, the campaign also received the Savvy Award in the Marketing and Tools - Best Use of Humor category of the competition. “We are so pleased to be recognized on a national stage for our Poop Smart campaign,” said Karen DuBose, Skagit County’s Pollution Identification and Correction Coordinator. “It seems that bathroom humor is a great way to make No. 2 the No. 1 concern when it comes to keeping Skagit County water clean.” The county’s Clean Water Program launched the Poop Smart campaign in April 2017. It is a collaborative effort between Skagit County’s Pollution Identification and Correction Program and PRR, a Seattle-based communications and marketing company. The goal of the campaign is to reduce levels of harmful fecal coliform bacteria in Skagit County’s surface waters, especially in the Samish River basin, by raising awareness of proper poop-related choices. The campaign was funded by EPA’s National Estuary Program. Diana Steeble, Principal at PRR, commented, “To build an effective behavior change campaign, we probed each target audience’s barriers and motivations to doing the right thing, then developed an approach: No lectures. Respect for residents’ limited time and money. Appreciation that every person and animal matters. And, most of all, humor! Thankfully, Skagit County recognizes the value of poop jokes to get folks’ attention and make learning fun. They gave us that latitude to create Poop Smart.” 3CMA is a network of local government communicators from around the country, and was founded on the philosophy that communications and marketing are essential to helping governments engage and build stronger relationships with their residents. The 3CMA Savvy Awards are judged by a national panel of local government professionals and persons from the professional, consulting and academic communities who are highly knowledgeable in marketing and communications best practices. Visit www.poopsmart.org to learn more about the award-winning campaign. Find more information about Skagit County’s Pollution Identification and Correction Program at skagitcounty.net/cleanwater. For questions or more details, please contact Karen DuBose at kdubose@co.skagit.wa.us or 360-416-1400.
Left to right: Bronlea Mishler of Bronlea M Consulting; |
