NMOSE News:
SANTA FE — A multimedia campaign designed to build public understanding of the state’s water resources has reached New Mexicans 24 million times since its 2023 launch, and earned two top honors for the effort.
Main Stream New Mexico, developed for the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) by MediaDesk, a New Mexico-based creative agency, took home both an Award of Excellence and an Award of Distinction in the Campaign: Government or Municipal category at the32nd Annual Communicator Awards, which drew more than 3,000 entries worldwide.
“Water resource sustainability is the most important conversation New Mexico is having right now, and many hard decisions in front of us depend on a public that understands the system we are working with,” said Andrew Erdmann, ISC water planning bureau chief. “To have that work recognized by an international jury of leaders is a powerful affirmation of the work we are doing to communicate about our work to protect and conserve water in New Mexico.”
The campaign’s reach since its December 2023 launch reflects the breadth of this effort: 4.4 million views on its animated YouTube series, 19.4 million advertising impressions and 152,000 clicks across 1,346 placements in social media, newspapers, radio, and streaming, 137,000 visitors and 201,000 page views on the campaign website, and 14 earned-media stories about Main Stream and regional water planning across the state.
The campaign website (mainstreamnm.org) won the Award of Excellence. The multimedia elements of the campaign, which included a series of written interviews with state water managers and experts, photography, and an animated video series, earned an Award of Distinction.
“We built Main Stream to meet New Mexicans where they already are, on YouTube, on the radio, in the local paper, and on their phones, and 24 million touchpoints later, the numbers say it is working,” said Chase Barnes, communications strategist and Main Stream campaign lead at MediaDesk. “Two top honors in a single category, against more than 3,000 entries from around the world, says the work travels far beyond New Mexico.”
This year’s Communicator Awards were judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, a panel of over 1,100 industry leaders. The 32nd Annual Jury included professionals from Netflix, National Geographic Society, and the NAACP, among others.