For a snack and 5 questions with... Johannes Tomczak from Viva con Agua

How does Viva con Agua also reach busy target groups? And what is the best cooking advice you've ever received? The answers to these questions (and many more) are available once a month in the Stories+ Snack, the Kitchen Stories business questionnaire.

• This time, answer John Tomczak from Viva con Agua.
• As Head of Marketing & Fundraising, he is responsible for ensuring that the Viva con Agua Family continues to grow and that the donations give more and more people access to clean drinking water.

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Viva con Agua is committed to access to clean drinking water and, through “positive activism” and outstanding character, reaches a young, active target group that may be denied to other NGOs. How do you do that?

Joy and connection: We show that commitment is fun and that people can also make a positive contribution to supposedly difficult issues such as the lack of access to clean drinking water worldwide.

Sports, music and art: Generate donations for clean drinking water at festivals — that's possible with Viva con Agua. Organize an art and culture festival in the FC St. Pauli stadium — so can we. We use these three universal languages to make positive connections and deliver important messages. Fortunately, many young people and also many well-known musicians, athletes and artists support this.

Clear purpose and transparency: Access to clean drinking water is a human right and the basis for so many important things, such as health, education, and even political participation. Our goal is for all people to have this access and to do so, we rely on innovative techniques and holistically sustainable designs for our water projects. In addition, as a non-profit association, we are as transparent as possible. This creates trust and commitment.

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Your job title is “Head of Marketing.” What makes your daily work different from a Head of Marketing in the FMCG sector? And what can other marketers learn from you?

Marketing in the non-profit sector usually means that there are no big budgets. That is why our work is also based on creating and maintaining connections. True to the motto “Competition is 80s”, we are delighted when Fritz Kola, for example, advertises our mineral water bottle on their channels on World Water Day or when the WWF invites us to charity gaming on Twitch.

Good connections give us relevant reach without huge budgets and help spread our good cause. Regular exchange with other brands is also an integral part of our work. In other words, I recommend thinking outside the box and not being afraid of the competition.

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At Viva con Agua, you speak of the universal languages of music, sport and art. At Kitchen Stories, we classify these cultural assets in the same way and add one more thing: the food. Why do you think it is possible to bring people together around these topics and events?

Your addition actually goes well with our three universal languages. Because all four connect people even without language. A guitar, a spray can or a soccer ball easily overcome any language barrier and enable a cultural connection with great pleasure. The same can be said for food.

In our projects, the universal languages also enable the low-threshold transfer of knowledge about hygiene and clean drinking water — that's what we call UL4BC — Universal Languages for Behavior Change.

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What would you change if you had the power to do so?

489 million people worldwide lack access to any drinking water infrastructure. Together with the even more frequent lack of basic sanitation, this state of affairs is the source of a great deal of suffering and inequality. But this situation can be changed and it would probably be my first step of many on the way to a fair and sustainable world.

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What is the best cooking advice you've ever received?

I actually really like cooking — even though the variance currently leaves a bit to be desired — but I can't really remember any specific advice. Instead, I can give you a culinary tip from my travels with Viva con Agua: Vegetarian Nepalese momos are an absolute dream.

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