by thesavageway | Mar 5, 2026 | clean graffiti
Quick Summary:
- Companies across the country are using Clean Graffiti for healthcare initiative awareness.
- Clean Graffiti offers an affordable outdoor signage option in major cities where outdoor is either expensive or are limited in advertising opportunities.
- Details about campaigns with Novant Health, Atrium Health, OrthoCarolina, MetroHealth and Cleveland, OH Hospitals, Talkspace and the National Suicide Prevention 988 Hotline
Companies across the country are using Clean Graffiti for healthcare initiative awareness. Also known as “Reverse Graffiti,” Clean Graffiti brings brand awareness to important health messages. Companies/Organizations such as Novant Health, Atrium Health, OrthoCarolina, MetroHealth and Cleveland, OH Hospitals, Talkspace and the National Suicide Prevention 988 Hotline all used Clean Graffiti as a part of their marketing mix. These companies wanted to reach their target market in a completely new way.
Clean Graffiti offers an affordable outdoor signage option in major cities where outdoor is either expensive or are limited in advertising opportunities. Clean Graffiti is the perfect addition to a traditional media buy because we are able to directly target the customer with an untapped resource – the sidewalk. And best of all, it’s just water – no paint, no chemicals, just water.
WHO USES CLEAN GRAFFITI IN HEALTHCARE:
- Community Health & Outreach
- Behavioral Health / Psychology
- Communications & Community Engagement
- Violence Prevention & Safety Initiatives
- Breast Health Centers
- Primary Care & Preventative Medicine
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Public Health Initiatives
HOW IT WORKS:
The Savage Way team makes a contrast on the sidewalk by using high pressure water on top of a stencil. We leave behind a clean message on a dirty sidewalk using just water. Seriously it’s just water – no paint, no acid, no bleach, no epoxy…. just making a contrast in dirt. Does not damage sidewalks or infrastructure and naturally fades over time
EXAMPLES OF USE:
Atrium Health: The Savage Way has collaborated with the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, Novant Health & Atrium Health to take action towards the prevention of gun violence. Our team was excited when we were presented with the opportunity to help bring a stop to gun violence in Mecklenburg County, and instantly wanted to be a part of the activism.
Not only is our Clean Graffiti eco-friendly, but it is also eye-catching and sheds a new light on how to creatively advertise for companies, community initiative, events and much more. We located target bus stops and schools within Mecklenburg County where gun violence is an ongoing issue. Our team placed 20 spots around West Charlotte & Northwestern Charlotte neighborhoods that had high foot-traffic and bystander interaction.
Novant Health: This initiative was created as part of Novant Health’s Breast Cancer and Mammogram Awareness Marketing Campaign. We worked directly with the internal marketing team to create over 200 sidewalk messages in tandem with their external efforts. Clean Graffiti was utilized to specifically target high-foot traffic areas in multiple cities where there is a Novant Health location. We placed these sidewalk ads in the North Carolina locations of Uptown Charlotte and surrounding neighborhoods, Ballantyne, Huntersville, University, Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Thomasville, Salisbury. We also hit the Virginia locations of Manassas and Culpepper. We focused on high visibility areas like pedestrian intersections, park entrances and near walking paths to restaurants. This eco-friendly medium was a great way to build awareness for Mammograms and breast health in the targeted areas.
OrthoCarolina: Over the years we have created a variety of campaigns for OrthoCarolina, the largest private network of doctors around. From positive running messages to free workouts, OrthoCarolina has always had community top of mind. However, our personal favorite campaign was the “Watch Your Step” initiative where we placed safety messages near broken or cracked sidewalks… all powered by OrthoCarolina.
MetroHealth and Cleveland, OH Hospitals: We worked with the staff at MetroHealth & University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH to create a campaign around the “Pop It To Block It” marketing campaign. It was a brilliant way to bring community awareness to the availability of Prep pills for HIV prevention.
Talkspace: Talkspace is an online mental health platform that makes it easy to talk to connect with a licensed therapist in a convenient & secure way from the comfort of your phone – whenever, wherever. They have simplified the approach to mental health, and we are here for it.
Together, we partnered on a Clean Graffiti campaign in two major US cities, Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. “Healing is a journey, every step counts.” @Talkspace. This simple, direct message on the sidewalk communicates to the public that mental health should be a priority and that anything that you are doing to heal is a step in a positive direction.
National Suicide Prevention 988 Hotline: We are honored to continue work with Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on this important Clean Graffiti campaign for the 988 Hotline for Suicide Prevention & Crisis Line. What a great way to remind people throughout the city that there is hope out there.
By simply calling or texting “988,” anyone can get help with social or family situations, depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, alcohol or drug use. You can also call if you just need someone to talk to. Mecklenburg County has resources available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s free, private, one-on-one help. We were able to sprinkle these health & community messages throughout the county. It is so important that everyone knows that this resource is available regardless or your location or economic status.
We love seeing Healthcare organizations embrace alternative marketing ideas. Clean Graffiti offers an awesome way to get their very important information dispersed to the public. We look forward to many more campaigns like these.
by thesavageway | Aug 1, 2023 | clean graffiti
Hello! This is Paula Bartlett, one of the owners of The Savage Way. I write these blogs but today wanted to share the story of how we brought Clean Graffiti to life from my perspective. Enjoy.
We get asked daily, “What exactly is Clean Graffiti?” Ten years in and we’re still fortunate enough to explain this disruptive outdoor advertising medium to people. And it’s just as exciting every time! However, I don’t think we’ve ever shared how Clean Graffiti came about for us. So here is the story of how we brought Clean Graffiti to life.
Prior to The Savage Way, Torrie worked in the marketing and advertising industry. She spent 10 years in media buying for a few different employers. She was responsible for managing budgets and getting as much unique exposure for her clients as possible. So her brain was always thinking in ads; looking at billboards, magazine ads, bus ads, etc. Well one day she was pressure washing the driveway at her parent’s house and free-handed the name “Savage.” (pressure washing the dirt away to leave the “cleaned” letters showing). Immediately her brain thought, “That would be a great ad, but it would have to be crisp and follow brand standards.”
She did what we all do when we have an idea and Googled it, sure enough, there was an artist in Europe (Paul Curtis aka Moose) who was pressure washing art onto old, dirty walls. The results were beautiful. Using mother nature to create art was a revolutionary idea to her. Fast forward a few years, The Savage Way started. At the time we were a marketing agency helping clients with social media, business openings, community engagement, etc. Torrie casually mentioned this sidewalk advertising idea to me one day and I said, “What are we doing?! This is incredible. Let’s do that!” Immediately we started researching and trying to see how we could bring this idea to life. I remember countless late nights in Torrie’s loft in the NoDa neighborhood in Charlotte, NC where we would just dream and talk about how we would do this out-of-the-box idea.
But before we could even work out all the details, an opportunity knocked on our door. We were introduced to a marketing legend in Charlotte, Blair Primis. He was the VP of Marketing for a privately owned orthopedic surgeons office. Blair was open to new ideas and always looking for ways to make his brand stand out. And I’ll never forget sitting down with him to pitch some ideas and seeing the light in his eyes and smile on his face when we told him our idea. “Genius,” he said. “I want the biggest option you’ve got.” WHAT?! To have someone believe in your idea when you haven’t even physically done a campaign yet… it was the exact boost that we needed.
We left that meeting saying give us a few months to figure this thing out and we will be ready to go. Torrie and I worked with such passion and excitement to bring this idea to fruition. When the day came to see our stencil (the first iteration) being pressure washed onto the sidewalk, we did a little happy dance. This was real. Clean Graffiti was a thing. A major brand was paying us to advertise on this untapped asset that Mother Nature created. It was all so thrilling.
No one tells you how tricky it is to start a business that is disruptive to the space. No one was doing what we were doing and it was a lot of trial and error to land where we did. To say we were green was an understatement. We went through so many iterations of the stencil, how we selected spots, how many spots to offer, and how to price this service no one knew they wanted. But selling this to clients was something that Torrie did have experience in. Her decade of media buying allowed us to know what a client would be looking for. It gave us insight into crafting these packages that could compete with billboard buys and other outdoor advertising opportunities.
So we kept going and focused on selling Clean Graffiti to clients. Along the way we have carved our own path and had the chance to really grow this industry. One of our European counterparts, Jim Bowes, happened to be in Nashville, TN early on and made a road trip from Charlotte, NC to chat with him on his experiences doing “Reverse Graffiti” (what he called it). It was so fun to talk shop with someone who got it and was dealing with similar hurdles. Read more about it in our blog from 2014. I never thought in a million years that Torrie and I would be strategically cleaning sidewalks for a living. Haha – it makes us laugh every time that we see dirty concrete, “Oh, thats a fantastic canvas!”
That was over ten years ago. Since then, we’ve completed work in 70+ cities across the US including Los Angeles, CA, Portland, OR, Vancouver, WA, New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, Austin, TX, Houston, TX, and countless other cities and towns across the country. We’ve worked with companies/brands like Diet Coke, The Rolling Stones, Carolina Panthers, Truist Bank, The ACC Tournament, Novant Health, county & state agencies and so many more.
Now you may be asking why do our clients use Clean Graffiti? There are a myriad of reasons, but a few to note:
- Unexpected: In our overstimulated world, seeing a message on the ground is novel and captures attention.
- Longevity: Spots can last from one month to over 6 months, depending on the type of dirt, weather, traffic, etc.
- Creative: Using dirt to create a brand message is so far out of the norm that it doesn’t fit in a box.
- It’s Just Water: Our medium is eco-friendly in that is is made just using water – no paint, acid, bleach or etching.
- Temporary: Clients love it for an event-driven ad campaign where we remove the spots after the event date.
- Impactful: The sidewalk is an untapped resource that allows for brand awareness, inspiration or event-driven info where it’s never been before.
We always love telling the story of how we brought Clean Graffiti to life. We believe in this medium and know that our innovation is sparking creative ideas and sending out inspiration all of the time. We’re ready when you are to clean some sidewalks!
by thesavageway | Jul 24, 2023 | clean graffiti
We love all of the creative uses of Clean Graffiti that we can offer our clients. From general brand awareness campaigns to feel-good inspirational messages on the sidewalk, the possibilities are vast with this medium. We wanted to showcase a few of our favorite creative uses from over the years. Maybe this will inspire your next campaign with us.
For those that don’t know, Clean Graffiti is an advertising and messaging medium that The Savage Way has been offering for over 10 years now. We’ve been in 70+ markets across America and we continue to be the leaders in the U.S. in this space. Also known as Reverse Graffiti, Clean Graffiti is created using a stencil, pressure washer and naturally dirty sidewalks. We use high-pressure water to clean a message onto the sidewalk. We are not painting, spraying any chemicals or altering the integrity of the sidewalk in any way. It’s just water. 🙂 Check out some frequently asked questions here.
Now on to the creative uses of Clean Graffiti that we have loved over the years.
Tend Dentistry: New York City: The folks at Tend Dentistry in the Flatiron District in Manhattan came to us with this cheeky play-on-words that we could make into Clean Graffiti. The fact that we are both just cleaning away dirt (aka plaque) was just perfect. Love when brands can get playful and fun with their advertising.
OrthoCarolina: Multi-cities in North Carolina: OrthoCarolina had been a client of ours for a while and we had done tons of branding campaigns together (check out past project blogs for more details). However, as a group of private orthopedic surgeons who specialize in fixing broken bones, we thought of this clever “Watch Your Step” Clean Graffiti campaign. The idea was while we were out executing campaigns and we saw dangerous, broken sidewalks, we would put down this safety message for pedestrians or cyclists brought to you by OrthoCarolina. Just a subtle reminder that *if* you did need a bone specialist, you would know who to call.
(Left) Greenpeace #IStand4Solar in Charlotte, NC: The global non-profit, Greenpeace, asked us to create an impactful Clean Graffiti campaign for the Charlotte market. We wanted to do something that was not only a directive (stand here and notice) but told the passerby to use on social media (using the #). We saw great interaction with the Clean Graffiti which led users to learn more about the Greenpeace mission – to use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
(Right): NC Department of Transportation, Watch For Me Campaign in small beach towns in NC: This was a campaign that we ran for several years that focused on pedestrian and cyclist safety, Watch For Me NC. We put these down across coastal beach towns that saw a huge influx of tourists in the summer months. The NCDOT gave us specific data that pinpointed where vehicles crashed with pedestrians that either ended in an accident or fatality. There are such limited advertising opportunities in these small, rural towns, so Clean Graffiti was not only a viable option, but it was welcomed as an opportunity to actually make meaningful communication with the community.
(Left) Not Just Coffee, Charlotte, NC: Not Just Coffee is a locally-owned coffee shop that came up the same time that The Savage Way did. We are friends with the owners and we pitched them the idea of Clean Graffiti with a play-on-words with their name. We know that everyone LOVES coffee and social media posts with anything coffee related always got great engagement, but NJC was so invested in the community that they were more than just a place to grab coffee. We came up with “Love People, Not Just Coffee.” Genius. We partnered with local artist, Matt Hooker, to help with the creative and this beautiful message was born!
(Right): #ExploreYour704 NoDa Brewing, OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, NC: #ExploreYour704 was an intricate idea that we came up with that included a Clean Graffiti “Scavenger Hunt,” huge mural on the side of a brewery, multiple vendors and a big launch party that encouraged walking. To say this was an unusual case study is an understatement. In fact, doing a Clean Graffiti scavenger hunt is not something we even offer, but we are obsessed with how we used dirty sidewalks to create a movement game, celebrate the city we live in and bring awareness to our clients at the same time. Read more about it in the blog.
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So that’s a quick snapshot of some of the creative uses of Clean Graffiti over the years. Check out our instagram for more examples. We look forward to creating more marketing magic using our eco-friendly advertising alternative.
by thesavageway | Feb 9, 2022 | clean graffiti, moss art
HELLO! WE ARE THE SAVAGE WAY.
We wanted to take a moment to reintroduce ourselves. We’re The Savage Way – a woman owned & led team of artists, marketers and creatives. We have been busy over the past few years and wanted to share some updates.
2021 COMPANY FAST FACTS
- Moved our studio to a 4,500 sqft warehouse in Charlotte, NC
- Rebranded & relaunched thesavageway.com
- Entered 7 new markets for Clean Graffiti including LA, Austin & Cleveland
- Began creating large scale Fern Frames for residential and corporate clients
- Launched our Moss Art Online Shop
- First Art show at The Brooklyn Collective
- Welcomed 7 new team members
For those of you new here, we exclusively do two things – Moss Art and Clean Graffiti.
MORE ABOUT CLEAN GRAFFITI
Clean Graffiti, aka reverse graffiti, is an outdoor advertising campaign that is innovative, eco-friendly and a great way to capture the attention of your target market where they walk – the sidewalk. And best of all, it’s created using just water – no paint, no chemicals, just water. Our advanced stencil technology allows us to maintain brand standards for some of the biggest brands – The Rolling Stones, NFLs Carolina Panthers, major healthcare companies and more.
2021 CLIENTS
Our clients took us across the country for these eco-friendly advertising campaigns including Los Angeles, CA, Austin, TX and Cleveland, OH!
- Talkspace in Austin & Los Angeles
- Rolling Stones / Tepper Sports & Entertainment
- Multifamily Apartments: Northwood Ravin (multi-city), Cortland Apartments in Texas
- Cacti Launch for Anheuser-Busch
- Public Health: Anti-Gun violence campaign with Meck County/Novant Health/Atrium Health, HIV Prevention for MetroHealth in Cleveland, OH
- Carolina Panthers
- Pendleton Whiskey / French West Vaughn
- Non Profits: Hue House / Digital Navigators, Pat’s Place, Isabella Santos Foundation
- High Point Furniture Market Major NC Event
- Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit
- Local Businesses: Planet Fitness, Skydive Carolina, Plumped CLT, Carolina Pharmacy
- And many more
NO MAINTENANCE MOSS ART
Our moss offerings have evolved from reindeer moss logos to now creating large scale installations, interior design elements, sound-absorbing panels, incorporating neon signs, etc. We work hand-in-hand with Architects, General Contractors, Millworkers and Business Owners to bring the vision to life. Moving to our new studio has increased our capacity 10 fold and we are excited to be taking on more and more projects at large scale.
2021 CLIENTS
- Architecture Firms: BB+M Architecture, Perkins Eastman
- Designers: Southpark Interiors, Free Space Design, Design Bar, Cline Design, Urban Design Partners, Liquid Design
- Contractors/Sign Companies: Onsite Millworking, Southwood, Warco Construction
- Multifamily: Northwood Ravin, Wood Partners, Alta Wren, Alta Davis, Greystar Apartments
- Other Businesses: Bank of America Corporate HQs, Carolina Sports Clinic, Clariant Corporation, UNC Charlote
- Private Collectors
- Pop Art Collaborations with Jen Hill, Cheeks
- And many more
OH YEAH, WE LAUNCHED AN ONLINE SHOP!
Lastly, we launched our online residential Moss Shop in December 2021. We have been asked for years by customers, fans and friends to offer a residential line of Moss Art and we finally did! You can now buy 8 different and unique Moss Art products for your home – from a Mood bowl or colorful Hamsa to merchandise. Check out everything at shop.thesavageway.com. We will be dropping new collections and artwork periodically, so be sure to sign up for our email blast to stay in the know.
As The Savage Way continues to grow in both our Moss Art and Clean Graffiti offerings, we just want to take a moment of gratitude. We are so excited about this company we have created, the amazing women we have on the team and the fact that we get to play in Mother Nature all day. Seriously, it is a dream we’ve cultivated over the years and we are so proud. So here’s to good dirt, lots of moss and tons of laughter in the year ahead. Hit us up with any questions.
by thesavageway | Jul 10, 2015 | clean graffiti
When we happen upon a company that is doing different things in the marketing world, we stop and look. In the case of OrthoCarolina, we stop and admire. It is hard to go around any corner in Charlotte and not see something that has been cleverly calculated and effectively executed by the OC team.
If you don’t know, OrthoCarolina is “one of the nation’s leading independent academic orthopedics practices serving North Carolina and the Southeast since 1922. They provide comprehensive musculoskeletal care including operative and non-operative care, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative therapy. Widely known for musculoskeletal research and training, their physicians have specialized expertise in foot & ankle, hip & knee, shoulder & elbow, spine, sports medicine, hand, pediatric orthopedics, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. They have over 130 surgeons amongst 25 plus locations to conveniently serve our patients.”
The creative mind behind the clever marketing of OrthoCarolina is Blair Primis, Vice President of Marketing. Blair is a rare breed in the marketing world. He sees beyond the traditional and he is constantly blurring the lines of what a doctor’s office “should be.” You can see this nontraditional approach to the marketing of OrthoCarolina all over Crown Town, but specifically in their unique sponsorships & outdoor advertising campaigns.
- Sponsor of the NoDa Grand Prix – with signage at the location of the highest crashes.
- Purchased multiple Billboards in collaboration with Adams Outdoors Advertising (titled Broken) Watch this cool video.
- Sponsoring a Cruise Cart that provides FREE rides to Charlotteans on behalf of OrthoCarolina.
- Main supporter of the ever popular (and growing) NoDa Run Club – Clean Graffiti was used to help denote the route.
- Wraps any and every truck that he can – ever wonder what OrthoCarolina was delivering to the gas station? 🙂
OrthoCarolina sponsoring the NoDa Grand Prix. (photo credit NoDa Grand Prix)
“Broken” billboard campaign that OrthoCarolina did with Adams Outdoor Advertising.
OrthoCarolina sponsored Cruise Cart – giving a FREE ride by simply waving one down!
Clean Graffiti Campaign for the NoDa Brewing Run Club, which OrthoCarolina is the main sponsor.
Random trucks all over Charlotte are wrapped in the OrthoCarolina logo.
Here at #thesavageway, we’ve had the pleasure of knowing Blair for almost three years. He was the first one to see our idea of cleaning sidewalks (aka Clean Graffiti) and say YES, let’s make this happen! Clean Graffiti (a Clean Message on a Dirty Sidewalk) provided OrthoCarolina with a new opportunity that “pushes the line.” (Also, Blair’s motto). We’ve been able to hit the streets (pun intended) with a direct line to their potential market: runners, walkers, bikers, etc.
Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway for OrthoCarolina and the UNC Charlotte Inaugural Football Season.
Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway for OrthoCarolina and their 10K Classic.
OrthoCarolina is the Official Team Physicians of the Charlotte 49ers. Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway.
One of the cool things about Blair and our work with OrthoCarolina is the brainstorming process. We will come to the table with a slew of ideas, from huge-we-never-think-it-will-actually-happen ideas to simple brand recognition campaigns, and every single time Blair pushes us to the next level. He challenges what we think about our boundaries and pushes us to think even BIGGER!
Some of our favorite #thesavageway/OC Clean Graffiti campaigns over the past few years include “Running Messages” and “Watch Your Step.”
Watch Your Step Clean Graffiti campaign by #thesavageway for OrthoCarolina.
Inspirational Running Messages along popular running paths – Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway for OrthoCarolina.
Our latest campaign was for the Winston Salem and Kernersville market. Naturally, we wanted to take Clean Graffiti to the next level for Blair, so we commissioned a local artist, Matt Hooker of Hooker Media, to help us design something unique and original.
Behind Every Great Athlete is OrthoCarolina. This #thesavageway Clean Graffiti campaign in collaboration with local artist Matt Hooker.
OrthoCarolina is great at what they do – fixing broken bones. But they are also great at something that should be a priority for other companies – building community. Blair has done a superb job of building community by hiring local, small companies (like us), supporting charity events, helping organizations grow and being honest along the way.
We are grateful that we’ve been an OrthoCarolina partner for the past (almost) three years and we look forward to the fun, crazy, awesome things that Blair will have up his sleeve in the future.
Getting to know the man behind OrthoCarolina Marketing. #thesavageway hanging out with Blair Primis at Salud Beer Shop in 2013.
