September 2008
The Advertising Council, in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund and Ogilvy New York, announced the launch of a new series of broadcast and online viral public service announcements (PSAs) designed to urge Americans to take advantage of mass transit, carpooling and biking to combat global warming.
The online viral PSAs will also be posted on popular social networking and video sharing websites, and environmental and consumer blogs. The Ad Council will be distributing the broadcast PSA to TV stations nationwide, with a particular emphasis on major cities with public transit. Additionally, as a result of a partnership with SeeSaw, the world's most extensive digital out-of-home media network, the PSAs will air on screens in convenient stores, health clubs and on college campuses throughout the country. Per the Ad Council's model, the PSAs will air in time slots donated by the media.
"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these 'Ride, Don't Drive' PSAs are worth a million words showing a clear connection between personal action and climate solutions," said Andy Darrell, Vice President for Living Cities Program at Environmental Defense Fund. "Americans can make a rare triple play with 'Ride, Don't Drive.' Just leave the car at home a few times a week and you can give a helping hand to a polar bear, your lungs and your family budget."
The new PSAs are part of a national multi-level marketing effort, and convey the urgency that global warming is worsening, but there are steps that all Americans can take to become more active in reducing greenhouse gas pollution that causes global warming. They were created pro bono by Ogilvy New York on behalf of the Ad Council and Environmental Defense Fund's Global Warming PSA campaign.
Ogilvy asked Joshua Allen Harris, a student at the School of Visual Arts and an internationally renowned street artist, to create the mother polar bear and cub featured in the new videos. The artist gained a reputation for creating various animals, serpents and monsters out of recyclable trash bags. The videos show the trash bags appearing on a New York City street tied to subway grates. When trains pass underground, air rushes up through the grates to inflate the bags and a mother polar bear and cub come to life. As the trains depart, the bears slowly deflate. The videos were directed by Tim Godsell and the band behind the music is Stars of the Lid.
The PSAs, available in lengths of 30, 60 and 69 seconds, conclude with the words – "Help save the planet. Ride, don't drive." and directs viewers to www.fightglobalwarming.com, where they can calculate their personal contribution to the climate change crisis, and get a series of simple energy-saving tips.
"Catching people's attention in a city like New York is challenging," said Jon Wagner, Senior Copy Writer and Dustin Duke, Senior Art Director at Ogilvy New York. "We found this artist and asked him to adapt his work to feature a polar bear and her cub, the icons for global warming. The idea was to create something that would stop people in their tracks and to encourage them to think about the little things they can do every day to help save the planet."
The "Polar Bears" made their debut alongside a New York City subway station, but through the production of the PSAs the message will reach cities throughout the country.
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