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 | Mar 17, 2022 | clean graffiti
On the topic of recent Clean Graffiti news, 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.
For the actual Clean Graffiti design, the Mecklenburg County team envisioned, created, and presented an image for us to bring to life. The chosen message was meaningful and impactful. The reverse graffiti message contains a hand with a heart crushing a gun with the words “Violence Free Zone,” written below it. The hand & heart combination represents two things that are necessary in order to end gun violence; a strong community and love.
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.
Below are some of the actual spots we placed around the city:
Looking to learn more about this community safety campaign and why Novant, Atrium and the county partnered? Check out this exclusive article featured on MeckNC.gov.
by thesavageway | Jul 20, 2017 | clean graffiti
Summer is here. That means no school, days at the pool, family vacation, and lots of time in the sun. We know you are protecting your skin with plenty of sunscreen, but summer is also a great time to schedule “the other screen you need”… a mammogram. That’s why we partnered with leading healthcare provider, Novant Health, on a multi-city Clean Graffiti campaign promoting mammograms.
Clean Graffiti for Novant Health encourages mammogram screenings this summer. #thesavageway
“I stand for mammograms” creative message for Novant Health in Winston Salem, NC. #thesavageway
Novant Health understands that October is not the only month that breast health is of importance. Women can and should schedule their mammogram when it’s convenient for them – any time of year. This public health campaign is spreading such an important message about breast health. You can check out more about the importance of early breast cancer detection in this article from the American Cancer Society.
For the Clean Graffiti campaign, we travelled to three cities (Winston Salem, Salisbury, Huntersville) and five areas in Charlotte, NC (Uptown, Ballantyne, Southpark, Piper Glen, Arboreteum) to help spread this health initiative. We love the play on sunscreen and the hot southern summers that we have in Charlotte, NC.
Clean Graffiti is a unique element of a media buy for Novant Health because there is a social element that is involved. We try to create messages that will make people stop & smile. As a society, we are bombarded with thousands of images every single day. It’s overwhelming (and easy to tune things out). Our natural form of media is unexpected, eco-friendly and can often encourage people to post to their social media platform. It’s always nice to see people post about a campaign on Instagram, just like @mamfrancis did (see below).
Clean Graffiti helps create social media interaction for clients. (photo @mamfrancis in Instagram) #thesavageway
We are thrilled to work with progressive companies who are able to tie in natural media into their overall company message. Our projects with Novant Health have been fun, educational and a new way for people to hear about this important health screening.
by thesavageway | Mar 23, 2017 | clean graffiti
Novant Health used Clean Graffiti to spread the message of breast health. #thesavageway
We’re taking it back in time with this blog post on one of our favorite Clean Graffiti clients. In fact, we’re taking it all the way back to October 2016. During Breast Cancer Awareness month, we were lucky enough to partner with Novant Health in eight cities on a reverse graffiti campaign that promoted wellness for women.
Throughout the month of October, we visited Manassas and Culpepper, VA, as well as six North Carolina cities. Those cities included Winston-Salem, Thomasville, Kernersville,Salisbury, Huntersville, and the Greater Charlotte area including Uptown, Matthews, Ballantyne and University. The campaign we created revolved around two different pieces of creative; “Mammograms….15 minutes can save your life,” and “1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer…Get Checked.” These health tips were a great way to speak to women where they are, their neighborhoods.
As we travelled around the state of North Carolina, we were able to spread this important message of getting a mammogram. Novant Health puts a ton of resources into educating the public on the necessity for mammogram screenings and how to reduce risk. Utilizing Clean Graffiti was a first for this healthcare giant but it allowed this health message to reach parts of the state that do not normally see digital ads or other outdoor advertisements. This is a great way to use natural media, to promote a health initiative where the public will literally walk right over it.
Using Clean Graffiti to promote a health initiative makes Novant Health stand out in the marketplace. #thesavageway
If you, or a lady you love, are in need of a mammogram screening, you do not have to wait until October. Schedule one today, Here is a link with all of the information you need on breast health. There are a multitude of Novant Health Mammogram screening locations, as well as a Mobile Mammogram Unit, so there is definitely no excuse not to get your screening.
We look forward to continuing this partnership and helping to spread this amazing message to even more areas of the state with Clean Graffiti. Stay tuned. 😉
by thesavageway | Oct 26, 2015 | clean graffiti
Using Clean Graffiti for marathons and other running initiatives just makes sense. Companies are able to speak to their target market and give a nudge of encouragement directly to their target market – right underneath their running shoes! Recently, #thesavageway executed some Clean Graffiti for Novant Health’s Thunder Road Marathon to do just that.
Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway for Novant Health’s Thunder Road Marathon #RunCharlotte
Encouraging messages, including “Race Yourself,” “Life is a Marathon, Not a Sprint,” and “Keep Your Head Up,” were placed along the marathon route in order to encourage participants during the training period as well as race day!
“Thunder Road really is Charlotte’s marathon,” said Hannah Maschoff, Rock Star Designer at Moonlight Creative Group (the marketing agency behind Thunder Road). “And while we couldn’t be alongside every runner while they’re training, we wanted to use the streets as a way to remind runners the city of Charlotte is (literally) cheering them on. Running is often times more mental than physical. Almost anyone can run, it’s making the decision to get out and to keep going that’s hard. Simple reminders like this are great in a magazine are 1,000 times more impactful if they’re delivered when the runner actually needs it!”
Race Yourself Clean Graffiti for Thunder Road Marathon Charlotte. #thesavageway
“Charlotte has an awesome running community that ranges from social to serious,” continued Maschoff. “When building a campaign for Thunder Road, we wanted to find a way to reach these runners doing what the love – running. Clean graffiti was a great tool when our main efforts were grass roots.”
Runner along Charlotte streets with inspirational Clean Graffiti on the sidewalk. #thesavageway
Motivational Clean Graffiti messages on the sidewalk along the Thunder Road Charlotte route. #thesavageway
In fact, Thunder Road Marathon is having a fun social media contest surrounding the Clean Graffiti. Use #RunCharlotte whenever you find an encouraging message and be entered to win some sweet gifts.
From Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon Facebook:
“We can’t be with you on every training run, so we decided to do the next best thing. With help from MoonlightCreative Group and #thesavageway we’ve spread these inspirational pick-me-up’s throughout Charlotte. Snap a #shoeselfie next to one on your next run, post your pic to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #RunCharlotte, and be entered to win a $50 expo gift card for Official Merchandise. Winner will be drawn randomly on November 1.”
Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon uses Clean Graffiti for a social media contest. – #thesavageway
Thunder Road Marathon is in its 11th year in Charlotte and this year it takes place on November 14, 2015. The Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon also features a Half Marathon and 5K. All courses are certified. For more information, visit www.runcharlotte.com.
Now, go for a run, find some Clean Graffiti, post it to social media and tag #RunCharlotte #thesavageway.
