WATER CARRIERS: An experiment for Esquire's December 2006 issue has become an exercise in media ubiquity, with a pro bono twist. Challenged by the magazine to earn his keep in its "genius issue" by creating a brand from scratch, advertising virtuoso David Droga suggested having New York restaurant-goers donate $1 for tap water on World Water Day — today — with proceeds benefiting UNICEF's water programs. That grew into The Tap Project, a full-scale UNICEF campaign with Droga's agency, Droga 5, marshaling a host of restaurant and celebrity partnerships. Esquire editor in chief David Granger has chipped in two free ad pages in the magazine, a big chunk of his December editor's letter and a party co-hosted with Sarah Jessica Parker atop the Hearst Tower yesterday evening.

Using what Droga 5 chief executive officer and former Absolute and Details editor Andrew Essex termed "a combination of gleeful embrace and ferocious arm twisting," about 300 restaurants were signed up, plus a barrage of multiplatform advertising, much of it donated: MSN and AOL's home pages, Reuters and Nasdaq's screens in Times Square, specially designed Donna Karan T-shirts, student street teams around New York City and a free full-page ad in the New York Times courtesy of a UNICEF face-to-face with Times Co. chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

"There is a lesson to be learned, and I think we'll try to employ some of his tactics," said Granger, adding modestly, "though not nearly as well, as we continue to roll out esquire.com." — I.C.

EATING AND BEING MERRY: Though outbid on several rounds at the Great Chefs Dinner charity auction Monday, by the end of the night Gourmet editor in chief Ruth Reichl had come out not too shabbily: not only had she successfully bid $900 on five bottles of fine wine to benefit the Hayground school, she could use them to toast all the awards and nominations she and Gourmet have picked up recently. Two weeks ago, Reichl was named Adweek's Editor of the Year; just over a week later, Gourmet snagged three finalist spots for the National Magazine Awards, and that very morning, the James Beard Foundation had announced Gourmet's nomination in five print categories and two television awards. The dinner at Lure Fishbar also drew at least one more person with both magazine awards and food on the brain: Lure owner John McDonald, who publishes City magazine, up for two National Magazine awards within the same photo portfolio category. — I.C.