Houston Launches Viral Marketing Campaign Inspired By 'It'

HOUSTON, TX -- The City of Houston is trying to strike fear and inspiration in the hearts of citizens this Halloween using a clever guerrilla marketing campaign inspired by "It," the blockbuster 2017 film. The city's public works department tied red balloons to drains around the city to encourage people to adopt and clean them. A video of the marketing campaign has collected more than 1,000 views on Twitter as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The red balloon and drain imagery is a direct reference to "It" monster Pennywise the Dancing Clown who haunts the sewers of Derry, Maine.

In an effort to prevent flooding and improve drainage, Houston's Adopt-A-Drain program asks people to clean 10 feet on both sides of the drain at least four times per year at each location. Search your address on the interactive map here.

Houston Public Works has more than 100,000 inlets in its drainage system, the city wrote in a news release. Houston's Adopt-A-Drain program launched in April and 1,278 drains have been adopted since.

"This program makes a daily difference in our community by making sure storm drains are ready to handle the next storm," Carol Haddock, director of Houston Public Works, said in the news release. "Houstonians are our eyes and ears and help us know if an inlet top is broken or if a grade cover is missing by reporting these items to 311."

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Photo and video via the City of Houston