Publicis Seattle Uses Rain-vertising for Bumbershoot Festival

Seattle is known for two things: Rain and music. To promote Seattle’s top music & arts festival, Bumbershoot, Publicis Seattle came up with an innovative OOH project that brings both of these elements to life in an interesting and impactful way – through rain-activated advertising. The agency festooned city sidewalks (and a 75’ x 20’ space directly under the famous Seattle Space Needle) with water-activated paint messages.

Created, designed and produced completely in-house, Publicis Seattle’s production team used a two-part spray paint system – called NeverWet – that is virtually invisible when dry, and comes to the surface when touched by rain. In the video you can see the installations in action, with fresh rainfall bringing the white block lettering to Seattleites’ sightline. Targeted at Bumbershoot enthusiasts, the goal is to make Bumbershoot the most talked about event of the summer. This innovative way of spreading the word is a natural fit for the festival, but even more impressive was coming up with such a unique idea with practically no budget.