The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) is an American non-profit organization that helps provide clean diapers to babies in distress. After learning that one in three U.S. families suffers from diaper need, we reached out to NDBN to offer pro bono branding and design support.

Our goal was to spread awareness with a powerful activation that could be used across transit systems in many cities, revealing the uncomfortable truth behind the problem. By starting a national conversation, we could increase diaper donations, inspire volunteers to take action and influence public policy.

Nobody wants to sit in a dirty diaper. But millions of babies do. We decided it was time to start speaking loudly and clearly about the problem. So we created the “Sit here” activation—a way to force oblivious commuters in high-traffic areas to experience sitting in a dirty diaper. To force them to consider what babies in low-income families go through every day.

Downtown areas in U.S. cities are filled with commuters. People who don’t necessarily have to time to consider the poverty that surrounds them every day. But everyone needs to sit—and nobody wants to sit in shit. We planted our activation on seats in buses across America to reach people who weren’t paying attention. And remind them that nobody wants to sit here.

We forced commuters on crowded city buses to react to an installation on the seat—a decal of a dirty diaper. With no choice but to sit on the diaper, they were forced to consider the discomfort of diaper need for the first time—and compelled to follow attached links to learn more, donate and get involved. This filmed activation gave NDBN a powerful promotional tool to help raise awareness for diaper need on their website and on social media. With plans to roll out the activation in other cities across America in 2019, NDBN can continue to give commuters across the nation a closer look.

We revealed the truth behind diaper need in a way that resonated across audiences, from private donors to policymakers on Capitol Hill. With an activation that forced people to confront diaper need for the first time, we expanded NDBN brand relevance on the national level. The launch of our work was followed by the announcement of the End Diaper Need Act of 2019 by US Congresswomen Lee and DeLauro, raising the profile of the little-noticed issue. We compelled people who had never before considered diaper need to take a closer look.