BRANDING TAPWATER ABSTRACT// The bottled water industry has come at an enormous expense to the environment. The BC Ministry of Environment is looking for ways to change this polluting habit. This paper examines one solution to this environmental prob- lem. Research shows that people choose bottled water because they believe it is a safe and convenient, quality product. Moreover, the research revealed (people's) misconceptions surrounding the quality of Vancouver's water. A proposed solution to this prob- lem is Project V-Tap, a branding campaign promoting tap water as a safe, convenient, costless alternative. The project is intended to change people’s behaviour by creating a positive message about Vancouver’s drinking water. In turn this will create a more sustainable environment. KEYWORDS// Bottled Water, Tap Water, Vancouver, Sustainabil- ity, Branding, Design for Social Change INTRODUCTION// The twenty-first century is a period of massive consumption, which contributes to the alarming rate of global warming. Today, even our tap water is being bottled and sold back to the public at a profit. Society needs to urgently reconsider its choices as bottled water has significant negative affects the environment. Project V-Tap is a proposal designed to urge people to drink tap water instead of bottled water. This paper discusses the research process regarding Project V-Tap, including its campaign strategy, and the socio-cultural factors that influence brand loyalty. RESEARCH QUESTION// How does one change people's perceptions about drinking tap water? Research Process// In order to find a solution, it is important to thoroughly investigate the problem. The first part of this project was done with Lovisa Nersing, my research partner. We wanted to investigate why people chose bottled water over tap water. Collecting Information// Our first step was to visit the reservoir at Mount Seymour. After getting a guided tour, we learned that Vancouver has one of the best tap waters in the world. We also met with City Counselor Tim Stevenson who explained his eagerness to reduce bottled water consumption. 26 CURRENT Mniaucutt— Interviews// The next step was to interview bottled water consum- ers, mainly tourists. We interviewed the staff of the Tourist Info Center and different hotels about their water policy. The data revealed the following: 1. People want information about tap water when they are in an unfamiliar environment. They rely on friends and the media to guide their decision making. 2. Most believe that the quality of bottled water is superior to tap water. A study made by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 47% of respondents said they drank bottled water because they saw health and safety problems with tap wate (Renewing Commitment to Public Water, 2008, 2). 3. The act of purchasing is reassuring; consumers trust the security of brand names. 4. Personal health is rated higher than preserving the environ- ment. People are unaware of the damage consuming bottled water causes. CO-CREATION// The last step of the research process was to engage with co-creators to learn about how drinking water is perceived. We chose three tourists as our co-creators: Mary Jo from Palm Springs, Erik from Sweden and Jean from Edmon- ton. After signing a release form, they took part in our prepared activity which consisted of a fold out map. A blue sticker was placed in the areas they consumed water and a red sticker in the places they visited throughout their stay. This got them in the right mind-set for our collage session (Fig. 2). The purpose of this exercise was to initiate a dialogue about feelings towards water. Unfortunately, the results were arbitrary and the process was very time consuming. However, Mary Jo mentioned that her water consumption habits have changed during her life and could change again depending on information she received regarding her health. This was an interesting statement which I took into account while brainstorming for ideas. DESIGN FOR SOCIETY// As we started the ideation process, Lovisa and I went our separate ways. I started to reflect about what I had learned through our research. In my opinion, the problem could not be solved by creating a new kind of vessel. The answer was not in a product, but in a message.