Getting people to look after Sydney’s water system is a bit of a battle. Pouring anything down the sink and toilet is a habit Sydneysiders have to lose Sydney Water so Tag, a dentsu company, has launched Pipe Dramas, a behaviour change campaign that uses the growing popularity of microdrama content.

Pipe Dramas reimagines public education through a series of soap opera-inspired episodes, using entertainment to make wastewater messaging more memorable, engaging and culturally relevant. The campaign, created to engage customers across Greater Sydney, transforms common disposal mistakes into exaggerated storylines featuring dramatic characters, unexpected twists and the distinctive dubbing style associated with international soap operas.

Adam Ibrahim, head of creative, JAPAC at Tag, commented, “To help Sydney understand the dramatic impacts of poor wastewater behaviour, we turned to the genre that does drama better than any other: the daytime soap opera. Working with director Josh Logue, we wanted every element of production to exist in a heightened, reinvented retro world, from performances and production design through to the musical score and off-beat editing. Every creative choice was made to entertain audiences while illuminating a key message.”

The full campaign covers TV, online video, radio, digital, social and out-of-home channels, to reach a broad audience across Greater Sydney. To ensure accessibility for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, content has also been localised in Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi and Korean across radio and digital executions.

The platform line, Let’s Avoid Pipe Dramas, serves as both a creative device and a community call-to-action, encouraging residents across Greater Sydney to adopt better sink and flushing habits.

Elise Barker, head of brand, media & marketing at Sydney Water, “Sydney Water spends almost $24 million each year clearing more than 12,000 wastewater blockages, which is why helping customers prevent them in the first place is so important. Behaviour change campaigns for Sydney Water need to do more than deliver information. They need to capture attention and make messages memorable enough to influence everyday habits that impact Sydney’s water infrastructure. By drawing audiences into the drama, Pipe Dramas helps customers understand, remember and adopt the sink and flushing behaviours Sydney Water encourages.”

Credits 
Client: Sydney Water Agency – Tag
Creative Director: Adam Ibrahim
Client Services Director: Claire Hoyles
Executive Producer: Mark Graham
Project Director: Karla Kempson
Art Director: Halan Susak
Design: Clarissa Reid & Rachel Fobert
Strategy: Lily Godkin
Social: Inez Bye

Director: Josh Logue
Producer: Zac Warneford
DOP: Peter Eastgate
Production Designer: Cloe Jouin
Wardrobe: Roma D’Arrietta
Casting: Wayward Casting
Stills: Dave Collins

Post House (Offline): The Post Lounge
Editor: Matt Bennett  

Post (Grade & Online): Lucas Vazquez
Colourist: Marcus Friedlander
Online: Matt Campbell
Sound: Electric Sheep Music

Generative AI & FX: Fourthe
Generative AI & FX Directors: Digby Hogan & Jay Topping
Executive Producer: Nick Kelly