Brita Media Briefing - Lead in Tap Water

Brita Strategic Issue Management - Product Donation

 Health and Wellness

Brita Media Briefing - Lead in Tap Water

View highlights of prime-time network coverage and mayor's press conference - 5 mins.

Baxter Group positions Brita as a source for information on water quality for national media.  Specifically, the focus was on  the dangers of lead in tap water for children.

Summary

Brita hosted a moderated panel discussion on lead in water titled "Childhood Lead Poisoning", targeting the top national media in New York City. The luncheon event was held at the W Hotel in NY.

The purpose of the event was to highlight low-level lead poisoning, specifically from tap water. An additional goal was to position filtered water as a necessary and economical solution for any family, particularly those with young children and pregnant or nursing mothers.
 

Panelists

Baxter Group identified and secured the participation of three of the most credible medical and research experts in the country, each of whom was able to expound on current research findings.

- Richard Maas, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Science at University of North Carolina at Asheville and Co-Director of the University's Environmental Quality Institute
 
- Bruce Lanphear, M.D., M.P.H., The Sloan Professor of Children's Environmental Health in the Departments of Pediatrics and of Environmental Health, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center at the University of Cincinnati
 
- Theodore Lidsky, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience, The City University of New York, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School and Co-Director of the University's Neurofunctional Assessment Unit
 

Media Results

Baxter Group designed and printed an invitation for media inviting them to learn about the latest research regarding lead exposure and its impact on children. Baxter Group managed all facets of the event from initial concept to onsite management and moderation of the panel.
 
A dozen high-profile media attended the event including reporters and editors from American Baby, Big Apple Parent, Child, Education Update, Fitness, Good Housekeeping, Health, Organic Style, Parenting Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, BabyTalk and Environmental Nutrition.
 
Follow-up with reporters showed that they all thought that it was an extremely beneficial and timely event. A reporter from Health magazine said, "Fabulous event. It was an unusually informative seminar."
 

This event generated a fantastic amount of media coverage. Articles mentioned Brita specifically and positioned filtered water as a convenient, economical solution for any household concerned about lead in tap water.  Media highlights include:

- CBS Early Show

- Health Magazine
- Woman’s Health & Fitness
- Fitness
- Vegetarian Times
- First for Women
- Newsweek
- Long Island Parents & Children
- Big Apple Parent
- Education Update
 

Brita Strategic Issue Management - Product Donation

View highlights of lead panel discussion - 5 mins.

Baxter Group positioned Brita as key resource for issue resolution as lead in Washington DC's tap water surfaced as a serious problem.  Brita's product donation set a precedent for community outreach programs, delivered an incredible array of prime-time network coverage, heightened Brita's image and brand awareness, and delivered a dramatic increase in sales figures.

Summary

On January 31, 2004, The Washington Post printed a story exposing significantly elevated lead levels in the tap water in thousands of homes in Washington, D.C. This article was the first in a series accusing the local water authority (DCWASA) of knowingly covering up information and test results about dangerous lead levels. One week later, a story on water filters ran in The Washington Post with a quote from a local hardware store employee saying that he wouldn't rely on Brita pitchers to remove lead.

Baxter Group immediately secured placement of a letter to the editor from Brita President Scott Weiss correcting the mis-information and assuring readers that Brita filters are NSF certified to remove lead from tap water. Simultaneously, Baxter Group secured placement of a feature story on Brita filters in the Home Section of the Washington Post along with information about contaminate removal capabilities, pricing and availability.
 
Baxter Group continued to keep a watchful eye on the DCWASA situation while reaching out to local and national media with information about the benefits of filtered water. Soon after, DCWASA announced that it would provide 10,000 filtration pitchers to pregnant women and families with young children at no cost. Baxter Group reacted immediately by drafting and presenting a strong recommendation for Brita to donate the full number of pitchers. Upon approval, Baxter Group contacted DCWASA and worked directly with their executives to secure the donation and logistics. Baxter Group then organized a nationally televised press conference to announce the donation with Brita President Scott Weiss, and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams.
 

Media Results

 
As a result of Baxter Group efforts, and media coverage was vast (over 200 million impressions) and sales of Brita filters rose dramatically.  Media highlights included:

- The Washington Post (13 placements)

- Associated Press
- The Washington Times
- The Miami Herald
- Reuters
- CNN
- ABC
- NBC
- CBS
- FOX