Southeastern Brazil is having its worst drought in eight decades. The country has a history of dreadful droughts but they usually wreak havoc in the northeast region that is always arid.

This one is different. It is causing water shortages for an estimated 13 million people in Brazil’s most populous state and threatening businesses in the country’s economic engine, Sao Paulo. Critical reservoirs there have dwindled to 3 to 5% of storage capacity.

There is no formal water rationing yet but a campaign by Ad Age’s 2014 International Agency of the Year, Africa, is getting people in Brasil to think about water use.

[No water, No wash]

The agency targeted car washing because not washing a car conserves about 500 litres of water, and there are seven million cars in the city of Sao Paulo alone…

…Oh, and it enable the agency to create this ad:

The Nature Conservancy and Africa began the #NaoChoveNaoLavo (NoRainNoWashing) campaign a month ago with social media.

The video released on October 23 seems to have what it takes to amp up the message.

Mitsubishi, also an Africa client, posted a video that alternates racing cars tearing through dusty terrain with shots of shiny trophies in various sizes and shapes. Title cards explain, “Getting your car dirty has already won you a lot of trophies. Now the prize is even bigger.” The next shot is of a trophy-like clear glass full of water, followed by the words “During the water crisis, don’t wash your car.”