by thesavageway | May 21, 2025 | clean graffiti
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.
Clean Graffiti is an amazing advertising vehicle to spread social and community messages like this. Seeing a message on the sidewalk is unexpected and may very well be the message that someone needed! We absolutely love seeing this eco-friendly medium being used to spread positivity and hope to a vulnerable population. Community matters, especially in times of mental crisis.
988 Hotline is a free suicide & crisis lifeline available 24/7. Simply call or text to chat with someone when you are struggling. There is never any judgement, just a listening ear and a person to give your resources. Check out more information here.
As the sidewalk message in Clean Graffiti reads, “It’s NEVER too late.” Check on your people, say “I love you,” and show up for others. And utilize 988 whenever needed.
by thesavageway | Oct 14, 2024 | clean graffiti
Community health messages are such a great use of Clean Graffiti and that is exactly what Proof Alliance NC has done for over a year now. This amazing organization is using unexpected placement (aka the sidewalk) to help spread an extremely important message about not drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
More About Proof Alliance NC
Proof Alliance NC is the North Carolina arm of the national nonprofit organization, Proof Alliance. They are the national leader in promoting the benefits of alcohol-free pregnancy and supporting those impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Proof Alliance NC strives to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies by providing training, education and resources to professionals who serve individuals of reproductive age, deliver prevention messaging and resources to individuals who can become pregnant. Their work also provides resources for professionals who provide supports to families and individuals impacted by FASD.
The Clean Graffiti Campaign
The Savage Way has had the honor of working with Proof Alliance NC on multiple Clean Graffiti campaigns across the state. We placed a message that says, “Alcohol & Pregnancy Don’t Mix. We Have The Proof,” in both big cities like Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem, to smaller towns and beach cities where outdoor advertising is typically not really an option. Our eco-friendly sidewalk messages are such a great alternative to capture the attention of people walking to a bar / restaurant, waiting at a bus stop or walking to the park.
We love when we have a chance to use our medium for public health and community messages. Too often we are bombarded by billboards, radio ads, social media ads, tv, etc. and we totally miss the message. The beauty of Clean Graffiti (aka reverse graffiti) is that the sidewalk is not a place you typically see a message. It’s created used only high pressure water so it is an eco-friendly outdoor messaging tactic. Proof Alliance has been an exceptional client when it comes to trusting the medium and the impact that it can have on a targeted audience. We look forward to a continued partnership with the Proof Alliance NC team.
by thesavageway | Aug 6, 2024 | clean graffiti
This summer, we placed a fun & interactive Clean Graffiti campaign across Charlotte, NC for Smart Start of Mecklenburg County. The intention was to create a children’s game for families to have access to at no-cost. We placed 20 pressure-washed pieces of art in 17 neighborhoods! The results have been so much fun and we love to see kids interacting with the sidewalk games.
The campaign is sprinkled throughout the city in high foot-traffic areas near parks and bus stops. Neighborhoods include Enderly Park, Wesley Heights, 1st Ward, 4th Ward, Madison Park, Dilworth, Sedgefield, Cherry, Elizabeth, Plaza Midwood, Commonwealth Park, Sheffield Park, Plaza-Shamrock, NoDa, Villa Heights, Belmont, and Double Oaks. This effort brings awareness to the amazing services that Smart Start of Mecklenburg County offers our age 0-5 preschool children. Here is a cute video posted to the @SmartStartMeck Instagram page showing the game in action.
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County has a mission to “mobilize resources, forge partnerships, and support families to improve early childhood health, education and development, and ensure children are prepared for kindergarten.” It’s an awesome organization who make it their business to help children thrive before five. They have four internal programs in addition to funding more than 20 other programs in the community that focus on early care and education, family support, health, and literacy. They will invest over $35 million in early childhood programs throughout the community this year. We love any opportunity to pour into young kids and giving them a positive, growth mindset and get them ready for school.
Clean Graffiti, aka reverse graffiti, is an eco-friendly advertising medium that utilizes the sidewalk to spread a message to the community. Whether you are a small business owner, a large corporation or community initiative, Clean Graffiti is a fantastic way to bring a talk-ability (and fun element) to your marketing / advertising message.
by thesavageway | Jun 18, 2024 | clean graffiti
Killingsworth Environmental, the pest control company, used Clean Graffiti to creatively capture the attention of pedestrians in Charlotte, NC. In two separate campaigns, we were able to get clever about pest issues in our city. With eye-catching creative and the use of vanity URLs (CLTRats.com and CLTBugs.com), Killingsworth captured the audience and quickly directed them to a website that lays out an action item.
Two Campaigns
“What’s the deal with all the rats?!” (We can’t help but hear this in the voice of Jerry Seinfeld). But seriously, Charlotte has seen an increase in the rat population. Killingsworth is working hard to fix that issue with their new eco-friendly rodent clean up system called SMART. When the client reached out, we knew that this would be such a natural fit with the Killingsworth brand.
CLTBugs.com was the second campaign and again we had an eye-catching, creative message with a short and memorable URL. The goal was to drive people to a website to sign up for pest control services. “THEY’RE HERE…” with a bunch of bugs “crawling” on the sidewalk definitely grabs a pedestrian’s attention.
Why it Works
Clean Graffiti is a great addition to an overall marketing plan. Killingsworth is an established company (founded in 1993). They have market familiarity and they advertise in other spaces. Using a guerilla marketing tactic is a fun extension of the usual advertising initiatives. With Clean Graffiti, our client can reach their audience in a totally new space, the sidewalk, and leave a lasting impression with a clever message. When you see “What’s the deal with all the rats?” it makes you pause, analyze the question and go to CLTRats.com to learn more. It’s intriguing, clever and eco-friendly to boot.
We love the originality of these stencils and really appreciate how the Killingsworth team was open to the out-of-the-box nature of our advertising medium. Honored to get this awesome message from our client:
“To speak to the effectiveness of the campaign, I happened to mention rats this Wednesday while at Rhino Market and one of the staff members stopped me to ask if I had seen the “rat problem website on the sidewalks”. We appreciate your extra effort in making this campaign a success, especially last minute. It’s made CLTRats.com one of our most popular landing pages. (It ended the year as our second most popular page behind the homepage). Most importantly, it’s helped us make Charlotte a healthier place for everyone. We continue to see results from this campaign and look forward to working together more this year.” – Tessa Shoe, Marketing Manager of Killingsworth.
To learn more about Killingsworth and their services, head to their website.
by thesavageway | Apr 24, 2024 | clean graffiti
Ever since our hometown (Charlotte, NC) got a Major League Soccer team (shout out Charlotte FC), we have all been feeling the soccer hype. So, when we got a call from a large agency that works with United Stated Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer), we knew were going for goal.
We worked with You Are Here Agency, a sponsorship and activation agency, on a Clean Graffiti campaign for the U.S. Soccer & The U.S. Women’s National Team’s “SheBelieves Cup” in Atlanta, GA. This tournament hosting international teams was a major moment for women’s soccer, and YAH Agency wanted to bring more attention to the upcoming game. That is where Clean Graffiti came in as the perfect advertising companion.
We ran a campaign throughout the city of Atlanta that helped drive traffic to the SheBelieves Cup website. The spots were placed in popular walking areas throughout busy neighborhoods. With a goal of general awareness, along with ticket sales, our eco-friendly sidewalk advertising became a great way to grab the attention of potential customers in an unexpected way.
More about SheBelieves:
“Inspired by the U.S. Women’s National Team, SheBelieves is a movement to encourage young women and girls to reach their dreams, athletic or otherwise. The campaign was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup and has evolved into a special bond between U.S. Soccer and its fans, taking a powerful message of empowerment and that of believing in yourself into communities across the nation.”
The 2024 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, featured the USWNT, Brazil, Canada and Japan. The USA defeated Japan in a semifinal 2-1, and captured its fifth consecutive and seventh overall SheBelieves Cup title, defeating Canada 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout following a 2-2 draw through regulation. (source from U.S. Soccer website)
We absolutely love what this organization stands for. We need more empowerment, utilization of resources and encouragement for women and young girls. And we are honored to be able to have contributed to the marketing of this event with our Clean Graffiti (aka reverse graffiti).
