The Dogwood Initiative of Victoria has put Vancouver’s rainiest, coldest spring in 50 years to good use with the launch of its latest “No Tankers” campaign to keep oil supertankers away from B.C.’s coastal waters.

Rethink Communications came up with a way to simulate an actual oil spill in real time by designing 100 posters printed with a special enviro-friendly black ink that bleeds in the rain.

As the rain washed away the picture of the oil tanker, it revealed the message underneath: “Oil spills affect everyone take action at NoTankers.ca.”

“The point is to highlight the huge mess than an oil spill can create and the importance of protecting our waters,” said David Giovando, a creative at Rethink.

The poster campaign included a push through Twitter and a YouTube video that quickly went viral, said Chris Staples, partner.