AfroReggae and JWT Brazil give power to the pee

You may know Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival for being Brazil’s famous festival and host to dazzling costumes, floats and entertainment. You may know it less for being the country’s worst public sanitation nightmare. Considered the world’s largest carnival, the event draws two million people each day to the streets of Rio to laugh, to dance, to revel, and to pee.

Each year, Carnival enthusiasts end up using the streets of Rio de Janeiro as a bathroom, leaving behind an unslightly and smelly mess. The situation is so serious that, since last year, authorities have begun to detain people found urinating in public and have invested heavily in public awareness campaigns.

JWT Brazil and NGO AfroReggae teamed up this year to do something about it. The result is the “Electric Pee” project—a unique urinal designed to generate electric energy from urine. Using a process similar to a hydroelectric power plant, which uses flowing water to generate energy, the energy created from each use will help generate power for AfroReggae’s float at Carnival.

The project is aimed at encouraging people to stop using the streets of Rio as a bathroom, offering a great incentive. The idea combines innovation and citizenship to raise awareness of an important cause. “We thought we’d turn a sore subject, which generated much controversy, into something lighter and fun. We will reward those who can hold it in a little longer and pee in the right place with lots of music,” added Ricardo John, CCO of JWT Brazil.

The result? Cleaner streets and more entertainment for everyone involved!

Photo by: William Kitzinger

 Visit the AfroReggae Facebook page for more info.

 

Creative Credits

Title: Xixi Elétrico

Client: AfroReggae

Copywriter: Erick Mendonça, Lucas Tristão

Art Director: Brunno Cortez, Robison Mattei

CCO: Ricardo John

Creative Director: Erick Rosa, Ricardo John

Head Of Art: Fabio Simões

Planning: Fernand Alphen

Account: Stefano Paduan

Advertiser Supervisor: José Junior, Roberta Brunharo, Fernando Medeiros

RTV: Fafá Oliveira

Production Company: Bando

Producers: Rodrigo Alberini, Flavio Schaefer

Technology: Biz&Sys