BACKGROUND & IDEA

Did you know that the water industry is responsible for 2% of the world's carbon emissions annually? That puts it on par with the shipping industry for environmental impact. Xylem, the world's leading water technology company, creates solutions to help water utilities decarbonise operations. 

We were faced with the question of how to highlight the real benefits of net zero and decarbonisation, when water utility operators are continually balancing service continuity with climate change impacts, shifting populations and soaring energy prices. 

Our idea was to shine a light on how net-zero strategies can be a silver bullet for business and environmental returns. 

Xylem’s campaign, Net Zero – The Race We All Win, would help utilities move faster in their efforts to reach net zero, and, crucially, position Xylem as the partner of choice for water organisations and water utilities in this journey. 

STRATEGY & EXECUTION

Our centre piece of content for the campaign was a short playbook offering tangible ways for a water utility, regardless of size, to chart a path to net zero.  

All content for the campaign considered the four pillars of high-impact communications stemming from LinkedIn-Edelman B2B Thought Leadership Study. 

• To meet the utility audience where they are, we set out to convey a data-supported, evidence-based vision of how net-zero strategies can run hand in hand with profitability and operational resilience. 

• We highlighted shared learnings and real case studies to show relevance to genuine challenges faced by water utilities. 

• We showcased clear business benefits - how existing best practice already delivered against business needs (building trust). 

• Successful thought leadership capitalises on white space and provides a differentiated positioning. We provided a clear roadmap and in so doing elevated the water sector’s decarbonisation journey as a blueprint for other industries.  

The campaign was disseminated across owned content, earned media, paid social and search, internal communications, and assets for the direct sales team. 

BUSINESS OUTCOME

We reached water organisations and water utility CEOs from around the world, in addition to ESG influencers at the World Economic Forum, European Commission, and COP27. 

The campaign resulted in exceptional engagement from customers, suppliers and partners and the overall programme increased Xylem’s sustainability share of voice 12.5% year-on-year. 

12,000 unique users interacted directly with the campaign, whilst our white paper downloads exceeded its target by almost 500%. In all, our 170+ media placements meant the campaign reached a total audience of just under half a billion.