Business Challenge:
Fire Hydrant Cooler Project Takes Our Printing Expertise in a New Direction
Clients love to spitball crazy printing ideas to us. And we love taking on a bold printing challenge whenever it comes across our desks.
Recently, PCG was given a production challenge we’re sure no other printing company has tackled.
Our longstanding corporate client was hosting an employee training event.
We helped set the stage by printing and installing posters, banner stands, and other branding.
This standard printing fare was ready to be installed when our client had a bold idea.
Trainees would be consuming an outpouring of new info. They wanted to make it fun for employees to “drink from the fire hose” (or fire hydrant in this case).
They pitched us the idea: a fire hydrant drinking cooler.
We loved it!
We were game— but we’ll admit, a custom fire hydrant cooler isn’t in our typical wheelhouse.
We print 350 banner stands in a day. We install graphics on the sides of buildings.
We’ve never fashioned a fire hydrant cooler…but we didn’t let that stop us.
Solution:
Giving Water Cooler Conversation a New Meaning
At the shop, we took stock.
We wanted it to look realistic— not like a slapped-together craft project.
And we wanted it to function like a water cooler.
We realized we had nearly all the materials necessary to create this faux-fire hydrant.
In order to create the fire hydrant effect, we used:
- plastic and wood for the body
- flower pot and bolts for the removable top (lid)
- antique red color spray paint over the whole thing
The idea came across our desks on a Wednesday, and we delivered the completed project on a Monday—ready to pump out water and conversation.
Impact:
Crazy Concept Results in Long Lasting Conversation Piece
The end result was a realistic fire hydrant shell for a functional drink cooler.
The best part? It can be reused in future events.
The removable lid makes it easy to refill the cooler inside and its lightweight structure makes it easy to move.
By bringing this concept to life for our client, we achieved what we set out to; to create a custom, unique conversation piece for new employees to get a sense of the company culture they were stepping into.