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 | Apr 19, 2020 | clean graffiti
Our latest reverse graffiti campaign for iHeartMedia in collaboration with Greenworks went down around the South End neighborhood of Charlotte, NC. The goal is to help spread the word about Earth Day – April 22, 2020.
Since most people are walking their neighborhoods right now due to shelter-in-place orders across the county, it was a good time to put down a nice reminder on the sidewalk. Keep your eye out for the “Make the world a better place” Clean Graffiti and you could win $500 to Lowe’s Home Improvement.

This eco-friendly Clean Graffiti message was created using only water and a stencil.

Find this image, post to your Instagram and be entered to win a $500 Lowes Gift Card. Powered by 106.5 The End & Greenworks

Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway in Charlotte, NC.
CONTEST DETAILS
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a $500 Lowe’s gift card from Greenworks Tools!
Starting April 1st, while you are out getting exercise or walking your dog, look for the “Make the world a better place” Clean Graffiti on the sidewalks around South End in Charlotte in honor of Earth Day, April 22nd. Post one of the sidewalk photos to your Instagram with #greenworks and #sweepstakesentry for a chance to win a $500 Lowe’s gift card!
Good luck and happy Earth Day from @GreenworksTools
by thesavageway | Dec 19, 2019 | clean graffiti
We recently returned from a four-city Clean Graffiti tour on behalf of Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. We were busy putting down our eco-friendly outdoor advertising medium in Baltimore, MD, Memphis, TN, Greensboro, NC and Charlotte, NC.

Coca-Cola Consolidated used Clean Graffiti to spread brand awareness.
In these four cities we helped with brand awareness surrounding the Diet Coke brand. The message went down in popular neighborhoods, on highly traffic foot paths, near grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations. Basically anywhere you can purchase a Coke product.

Memphis, TN saw its first Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway. We loved helping to spread some brand awareness for Diet Coke.

Now that’s some fun product placement! Clean Graffiti found in Memphis, TN.

“I heart Diet Coke” in Greensboro, NC near the popular blue sculpture.

Clean Graffiti (aka eco-friendly street art) in Baltimore, MD.
Coca-Cola chose to use some of their marketing dollars in a green and sustainable way – and we’re definitely here for that! Clean Graffiti is created using a specialized stencil and a pressure washer. That’s it….. it’s just water. We love when huge corporations see the value in our outdoor advertising medium. Not only does it help elevate the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility, but it also shows innovation and creativity to use dirt as an asset.
We are excited to continue to work with brands that understand that there are different media options out there. Our Clean Graffiti lets you directly target where your audience is walking every single day – the sidewalk. It is a subtle, unexpected message that can bring a smile to your customers face.
by thesavageway | May 24, 2019 | clean graffiti
600 Festival Hosts Their Annual Circle K Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte
It’s that time of year again. Speed Street is here, and the crowds are ready. There are an expected 300,000 participants to make their way through the music festival, food trucks, and games in Uptown Charlotte.
Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola has commemorated the May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with spectacular family-oriented events since its inception. This event will be rocking the streets of Charlotte May 23-25, 2019 with live entertainment, access to racing’s brightest stars, giveaways and interactive displays. Corey Smith, Brothers Osborne, and STYX will be the headline talent for this 25th anniversary of Speed Street.
CLEAN GRAFFITI
We had the honor of working with Mary Johnson and Meg Seitz, the powerhouses behind the marketing for this year’s Speed Street, on a Clean Graffiti campaign. We put down a fun “Drive into Summer” message a month prior to this weekend’s event to help drive awareness. We placed these spots in high traffic areas around the popular neighborhoods of Uptown, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, Southend and FreeMoreWest.
The reaction from passersby has been great! We see people post on their Instagram stories all the time with this fun message. And the best part of this creative marketing is that it is just water. Using only a pressure washer and a stencil, we are able to create a contrast in the dirt and leave a clean message behind. Our eco-friendly messaging is a great accompaniment to an event’s marketing mix. You are targeting your audience exactly where they are.. the sidewalk.

Clean Graffiti for Speed Street in Charlotte, NC

Oh hey girls!!! 600 Festival is happening this weekend!

Clean Graffiti for the 2019 600 Festival.

Clean Graffiti in NoDa, Charlotte, NC. Speed Street is taking place this weekend in Uptown.

Marketing right where the customer is walking, the sidewalk.
Have fun at all of the SpeedStreet festivities this weekend. If you happen to find one of our Clean Graffiti spots around town, snap a pic, post to Instagram and tag us! We’d love to see!
by thesavageway | May 14, 2019 | clean graffiti
APCO Worldwide hired #thesavageway to apply some Clean Graffiti for the Germany Week Festival at Daley Plaza
We had the pleasure of traveling to Chicago, IL to complete a Clean Graffiti job for Wunderbar Together and APCO Worldwide. Wunderbar Together is an year-long celebration of the German-American friendship.
A little more about the Wunderbar Together initiative from the campaign website, “Working with over 200 partners, we are showcasing our close bonds in over 1,000 events in all 50 states. We are painting a picture of everything German-American relations stand for, including science, the arts, culture, language, business, and sports. We want to create an exchange of ideas with all Americans, not only in New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, but also in the heart of the country.”
The Germany Week festival in Daley Plaza featured concerts, food stations, sports and film screenings, as well as interactive activities in arts, language, engineering, science, and more! All events were free and open to the public.
We created a highly targeted campaign around the week-long festival location, Daley Plaza, in Downtown Chicago. By placing these eco-friendly, water-based sidewalk messages around the actual event space, we helped to bring awareness to the festival. It was fun to scour the city for dirty sidewalks and select spots that made sense for the client.
Check out some of the photos from this reverse graffiti campaign in Downtown Chicago below.

Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway in Chicago, IL for Germany Week.

These spots were placed near the event location in high foot-traffic areas.

Taking photos of the Wunderbar Together Clean Graffiti for social media.

Chicago, IL is now one of the 59 cities that #thesavageway has completed a Clean Graffiti job.
It is such an amazing feeling to bring our medium to a new city. We want to see our Clean Graffiti across the nation. These eco-friendly messages are such a great way to bring awareness to a brand or an event. They provide a temporary solution for outdoor signage in a big city. And the best part is that they are made with water. That’r right. It’s. Just. Water.
Thanks for being awesome, Chicago! We hope to see you again soon.