When we mentioned The Tap Project the other day, a few commenters mentioned they were offended by a particular radio commercial they had heard. They’ve received a response from someone local who worked on a different part of the Tap Project publicity campaign, and since the item’s a few days old, we wanted to spotlight that new comment here:

I work at the ad agency Publicis West in Seattle. I am the Creative director and copywriter of the local public service campaign for the Tap Project Seattle. I did indeed write a radio spot which is airing, but it doesn’t mention anything about a waitress. I am not sure where the radio spot you’re talking about came from.

Please know that the Seattle restaurant community are our best friends in this project and we have been working hand-in-hand with restaurants to support this great cause. I was a waitress myself all through college and would NEVER suggest that a food server not be tipped. In fact, I had lunch today at Le Pichet and we gave both a big tip to the waitress and a $75 donation to TAP!

Perhaps the radio spot is part of the national public service campaign. If so, they are definitely utilizing a tongue and cheek tone and probably didn’t have the intention of offending the very people who are supporting the TAP Project.

Below is the script for the radio spot currently airing in Seattle:

ANNC: This morning when you woke up there was a 65% chance it was falling from the sky. You turned on a tap and bathed in it. You turned on another tap and brushed your teeth in it. You put on clothes that were washed in it. You flushed a gallon and a half of it down the toilet. You got in your car and crossed large bodies of it. You drank a latte steamed with it. You gossiped next to a cooler of it. And you haven’t given it a second thought. You haven’t had to. Because in Seattle we’ve got plenty of water. But not everyone in the world is so lucky. The fact is, 5000 children die every day from a lack of safe water. During world water week, we can help change that. Dine out March 16th through the 22nd and donate a dollar for a glass of tap water. That dollar will provide 40 children with safe drinking water for one day. And because you thought about water for a change, someone else won’t have to. For participating restaurants or to donate online, go to tapproject.org/Seattle

Doesn’t solve the mystery of that other commercial, but just wanted to share this with anyone concerned there was some local snarking going on.