Save water with Greg and Lindsey

In 2021, the first of three consecutive years of drought, Dakota County used nearly 10 billion more gallons of water than in 2019. Data from local government units show that the amount of water pumped during irrigation months (May-September) was up to four times the amount pumped during all other months. The majority of the County relies on groundwater for municipal and private water sources, which is especially limited in times of drought.

Additionally, the public was lacking awareness of conservation programs from Dakota County, watershed management organizations (WMOs), soil and water conservation districts, and cities. Due to how social media platforms prioritize paid advertisements, organic (unpaid) posts often have limited reach.

To narrow the awareness gap, Dakota County, Dakota County SWCD, and four WMOs in the County partnered on a video marketing campaign via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, promoting water conservation practices (Lawn Watering Wisdom, or LWW) and the SWCD’s Landscaping for Clean Water (LCW) course program. Partners were inspired by a 2021 humorous video series from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, which led to a 769% increase in participants in that district’s landscaping course. The VRWJPO received a Groundwater Protection Accelerated Implementation Grant from MDH for the campaign.

Partners hired an integrated communications and marketing agency to create geo-targeted paid ads. The agency then contracted a local video production firm to shoot two professional two-minute videos, leveraging humor to inform residents about ways to conserve water with a suburban family – Greg, Lindsey, and Rosie – their neighbor Jeff. The videos were edited into shorter versions for Facebook and Instagram, with the full versions on YouTube.

  • Both ads were targeted towards people age 28-65+ living in Dakota County who were interested in topics such as gardening, home improvement, outdoor activities, environmentalism, and do-it-yourself projects.
  • The first targeted video ad, focused on LCW, launched in February 2025, coinciding with the start of LCW classes, and ran through the end of May 2025. A total of 137,506 people saw the ads! Messages from the ads included:
    • Lower cost of native gardens compared to traditional lawns, free LCW class, and opportunity for a $250 grant
    • Environmental benefits of native plant raingardens to water quality, pollinator habitat
  • The second targeted ad, focused on LWW, kicked off in May 2025 and is set to run through August, hitting the highest-irrigation months. Viewers are directed to sign the Dakota County Water Wise Pledge. As of July, more than 6,000 people have seen the ad on Facebook/Instagram, and more than 96,000 have seen it on YouTube!