WaterMark Awareness Initiatives

So over the last couple of months, the ABCB has commenced two new initiatives. Here is some information about these initiatives.

The WaterMark Certification Scheme (the Scheme) ensures certain plumbing and drainage products are fit for purpose and authorised for use. The LOOK for the WaterMark campaign is an important first step in a five-year Awareness Strategy. It aims to improve compliance with the PCA, by promoting the Scheme to, and increasing the understanding of, consumers, building designers and practitioners (who specify or procure plumbing and drainage products), plumbing practitioners and retailers (both online and in-store).

The LOOK campaign will be rolled out as a series of WaterMark promotional material with these key messages:

• WaterMark certified products are marked with the WaterMark trademark, licence number and applicable specification.
• Plumbing work must be undertaken by licensed practitioners who are required to install WaterMark certified products.
• Search the product database to find, or verify, WaterMark certified products.

Firstly, you may start to see promotion of the WaterMark Product Database. This is to explain how to access and use it to check the validity of a WaterMark licence. A new series in the LOOK campaign, promoting other aspects of the Scheme, will follow in a few months to reinforce the key messages and increase the visibility of the WaterMark trademark and general awareness of the Scheme.

The LOOK campaign will be delivered with the help of key building and plumbing stakeholders, including industry associations and the state and territory administrations. It includes new content on the campaign webpage, printed media for stakeholder use with, and distribution to, their staff and customers, and advertising/editorial content for social media and trade magazines. ‘How to use’ information packs will be prepared to provide stakeholders with campaign e-resources and practical ideas on how to use them.

In June, the ABCB undertook a joint pilot arrangement with the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme for co-branded advertising on eBay and Programmatic channels. Pop-up advertising for the WaterMark and WELS Schemes appeared when people searched for tap, shower, toilet and urinal products on eBay and other on-line stores.

The advertising was undertaken to raise awareness of the two schemes, to encourage consumers of plumbing products to check compliance with both schemes and to provide information through links to each agency’s website. WELS undertook similar advertising for three months in late 2019 and early 2020, with excellent results, and as such chose to continue advertising through June.

The effectiveness of the LOOK for the WaterMark campaign will be monitored to inform the ongoing implementation of the five-year Strategy. We look forward to working with stakeholders to actively promote and raise awareness about the Scheme, including receiving suggestions and other feedback.

The reach and effectiveness of the pilot arrangement with WELS will be reviewed by WELS and the ABCB. This will inform decision making about the direction of similar advertising in the future.