The shower is a sacred place. It’s where we are the best versions of ourselves. Where we have all our wittiest comebacks, where we stride boldly in the direction of our dreams, and joyfully sing with a total lack of self awareness. 

Unfortunately, it’s just taking up a bit too much water. 

Yarra Valley Water hopes to change this with its new Shower Shorter. Save Water campaign. The new ads, developed in partnership with Think HQ, are a reminder of activities that don’t have to be restrained to the shower. 

In a series of short videos, 3D characters can be seen singing, meditating, and daydreaming while sudsed up, basking in the warm water. The characters are then gently nudged in the right direction. Yarra Valley Water instructs them to take their shower habits to the stage, yoga mat, and couch, respectively. 

“When we indulge in some extended ‘me time’ under the running water, we waste a precious resource,” said Andy Lima, head of creative at Think HQ Group. “Our campaign plays on those bathroom time distractions, reminding people to save them for when water isn’t literally going down the drain.” 

The campaign attempts to shed a light on our indulgent bathing rituals – and the water usage that goes along with them. Showers in Melbourne are averaging about seven minutes. Yarra Valley Water wants to bring that number back down to four, although you don’t have to worry about bringing a bucket in with you to capture the runoff. Not yet, anyways. 

By shortening your shower to just four minutes, you can save 24 litres of water. That adds up to $200 per year. 

Ryan Jamieson,Yarra Valley Water senior campaign specialist, said: “The campaign aims to educate customers on the impacts showers have on household water consumption. As the months get cooler, our time in the shower tends to get longer.”

Showers can take up to 31 percent of a household’s water usage, more than most people realise. 

“It’s an important reminder to our customers,” Jamieson concluded, “that small changes such as shortening your shower can make a big difference individually and collectively.”

The campaign will run across digital and social channels, along with OOH activations within Yarra Valley Water’s operational area.