Americans more and more have started adopting other beverages to quench their thirst, not necessarily hydrate themselves. Against heavy advertising and luring promises of taste, flavor and freshness we had to find an interesting and engaging way to remind people that water is their best option for hydration and being healthy. Drink Up’s goal was to encourage Americans to drink more water for a healthier lifestyle but at the same time not be a preachy.

We made a water fountain that actually kept people wanting to keep drinking. Using a combination of Raspberry Pi, MakeyMakey, Arduino Micro-controller, a custom digital software and of course, a human, we created Hydro-Touch Technology to transform the act of drinking water into an electrical circuit and power source of goodness. So, the more water you drink, the more you are entertained with prerecorded audio messages reminding them of the power and goodness of water.

The fountain was deployed with minimal branding in high traffic areas of New York City. As someone drank from the water and the fountain talked, it drew attention from other people. In some instances, people called others to come see the fountain. And the way the technology worked, only if they drank more water were they entertained via pre-recorded content in the fountain. We needed the fountain to look like an ordinary fountain so that it did not look like an advertising stunt but was more a surprise for people when they interacted with it.

Not only did the fountain impress thousands who interacted with it and made drinking water memorable, it also made headlines:

"Michelle Obama praises creepy talking water fountain."

"Proper hydration encouraged via talking fountain."

"Drink up campaign not only boosts sales of bottle water but entertains New Yorkers with a talking fountain."

According to Nielsen Catalina Solutions, the successful online campaign by Drink Up triggered 3% lift in sales of bottled water, which equates to almost $1 million.

Drink Up has received requests to partner with events, universities, councils and fountain manufacturers to make and install more the fountains across America.