The Super Bowl is as famed for its ads as for the game itself, but not every advertiser is using this pricey time slot to sell a product — at least not directly.
Colgate is running an ad on the both the Canadian and U.S. Super Bowl broadcasts for the first time with a 30-second spot simply called "Save Water." (Watch above.)
The goal is a simple one — to convince people to turn off the tap while they're brushing their teeth. This small act of water conservation would save 15 litres a day, or about the same amount of water many people in the developing world have access to for an entire week.
But as their #EveryDropCounts hashtag points out, small acts add up. According to Colgate, "if every Canadian who tunes in to watch the big game turned off the faucet for the two minutes they brushed their teeth that evening, over 1.7 billion litres of water would be saved."
For those of you without an elementary school-age child to scold you about wasting water, it's a great reminder of how each of us can help. It actually adapts a 2014 South American ad called "Agua," created in 2014 by Peruvian duo Erick Galván and José Rivera which won a Cannes Lion Award.
Colgate isn't the first company to turn their Super Bowl ad into a PSA. Last year, the NFL itself ran an ad against domestic violence and they're airing a second one this Sunday.
As well, Budweiser is running an anti-drunk driving ad with actress Helen Mirren, and last year Always sponsored an acclaimed anti-sexism ad called "#LikeAGirl."
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