First Nations Drinking Water

In 2021, the courts approved a settlement between Canada and First Nations subject to drinking water advisories that lasted at least one year between November 1995 and June 2021. As the settlement Administrator, Deloitte contracted Argyle for our settlement communications expertise for the First Nations Drinking Water (FNDW) settlement. We aimed to inform Class Members about the settlement and claims process, direct them to the settlement website to find additional resources, and amplify clear, factual information in a culturally appropriate manner.

For the launch of the claims period, Argyle developed a comprehensive campaign to inform communities and affected community members that the claim period was now open. Our creative team developed assets for digital, print, radio, television and out-of-home advertising. We used plain language to convey where potential claimants could go to learn more and submit their claim. The logo, which anchored all creative, includes four stones in various sizes, portraying the idea of stones being skipped on the water and the ripple effects they make. Four stones were chosen as four is a sacred number in First Nations culture (four directions, four seasons, etc.). The stones fill the empty space within a water droplet, highlighting the steps to be taken with the settlement. Each stone skipped has accompanying stylized water splashes, creating a sense of upward movement. In the video, the ripples in the logo are animated, with each ripple revealing a new scene. For the videos, we filmed at a First Nation community in Manitoba, capturing beautiful scenes of a family to feature in our campaign. These images allowed claimants to see themselves in the campaign, encouraging community members to apply.

The first campaign ran from March to June 2022, with the following results:
Print advertisements in newspapers across the country reached a combined audience of 1.5+ Million. 
Digital ads achieved 39,767,295 impressions and drove 127,023 clicks to the website, reaching over 970,241 people.
Google Display was the largest source of clicks among digital tactics, delivering 30,408,608 impressions and 68,473 clicks to the website.