Like moths to a flame: Leo Burnett Sydney counts down to Earth Hour with TVC launching today
Leo Burnett, Sydney has released a new spot for Earth Hour 2011, a week ahead of the big day – Saturday 26 March at 8.30pm.
The spot was created by Mike Felix and Matt Swinburne and directed by Dave Klaiber via Plaza.
Earth Hour is now in its 5th year and has spread from Australia around the globe. While the global focus has been around long term sustainability beyond the hour, 60+, the agency wanted to bring the message back home to Australians and remind them how important it is for every one of us to turn our lights off.
Says Andy DiLillo, executive creative director, Leo Burnett, Sydney: ”Moths’ is a comical story that demonstrates why you don’t want to be the only Australian left on Earth Hour night who doesn’t turn off their lights. This year we choose to move away from the big emotive spots of years gone past and simply remind people what Earth hour is about.
“Of course no moths were harmed, although they arrived in great numbers to admire the brightly lit film set in our remote Australian location, showing their support and proving some truth to the idea.”
The TV campaign will be supported by print and outdoor.
Executive Creative Director: Andy DiLallo
Copywriter: Mike Felix
Art Director: Matt Swinburne
TV producer: Rita Gagliardi
Group Business Director: Paul Everson
Business Director: Claire Kesby-Smith
Business executive: Laura Glendinning
Director: Dave Klaiber
Producer: Susannah DiLallo
Production Company: Plaza Films
Editor: Danny Tait
Post Production: Cutting Edge
Sound Design: Song Zu
Music Composition: Song Zu
51 Comments
Making light of it, is an viable direction, but just isn’t very funny or compelling.
Refreshingly unworthy.
I reckon its good.
Nice idea, overcooked. Should have ended at 30 seconds. What a shame.
Usually a big fan of Leo’s but this one is predictable and trying hard to be funny!
Simple and lovely
I don’t mind the idea but the direction is hammy and doesn’t make this spot stand out. With an idea this simple – the director should really be able to create something more eye-catching, even with a limited budget.
Out of all the spots I’ve seen for Earth Hour, this is the best for me in terms of a great idea.
Tonally, it just seems to undermine the compelling reason people need to switch off, but don’t listen to me lads, well done.
Now the propagandists for this useless program can’t even take Earth Hour seriously.
Earth Hours time is up.
utterly painful.
An event made more supportable for not taking itself too seriously.
Good judgement and a fun spot.
Everybody vomit.
“Tonally, it just seems to undermine the compelling reason people need to switch off.”
The compelling reason being moths?
Badly edited, poorly casted. It’s a very poor man’s version of a nineties beer ad – complete with the usual three hapless blokes overacting their way through.
Awful.
RE:
“Tonally, it just seems to undermine the compelling reason people need to switch off.”
Fuck right off. Haven’t we all had enough of the ‘inconvenient truth’ direction?
I know I have. Had it rammed down my throat for years now.
Well done Leos.
Reckon it will go down well on tele.
(Tonally,,,,,please)
Lighten up you lot.
My two cents worth… it’s a f*cking pisser. Well done.
I was expecting the worst after reading these comments, but I just watched it, and it’s great – really quite funny. Well done.
Bloody amazing when you know that most of these moths were captured in camera. Stay tuned for the behind the scenes.
“Fuck right off. Haven’t we all had enough of the ‘inconvenient truth’ direction?
I know I have. Had it rammed down my throat for years now.”
Yeah. Let’s stop trying to explain WHY Earth Hour exists, and just turn the whole thing into a fucking series of shit beer ads.
Hey 9.56, my young kids are already clear (as are most people) about the reason people need to switch off, and don’t need another lofty sermon.
Just a positive reminder.
They laughed their heads off (unprompted) and are now looking forward to and talking about next Saturday even more.
Are those DiLallos related?
awful.
Genuinely funny, which is a rarity on Australian tv these days.
I hate giving out praise but this is deserving of its fair share.
Rule one:
Never give jobs to your immediate family.
11:55
‘genuinely funny.’
I take it you’re new to the world of humour, or you tend to watch Channel Nine.
(Or you work at Leo Burnett, which is most likely the case.)
oh boy, here we go. humour snobs in advertising.
maybe a dozen ads every year are funny. we’re lucky if one of them is australian.
ad humour–even old spice–is a notch below real humour across the board. why? well because the best comedy writers don’t work in advertising.
this is cute and smile worthy and better than the holier than thou crap they’ve been doing for years.
12:40
Yes, I am new to this ‘humour’ thing. Thank you for helping me realise that what I found funny is, in fact, not funny at all.
Don’t work at LB. Sorry to disappoint.
C’mon that was fuckin’ funny. Well done!
1:12
Is your surname DiLallo?
Well done Swinbo! Now go re-arrange your pillows properly.
WK
1:24
Um, no.
You have 2 questions remaining before you are cast into the fiery pit.
10.40
noted, on the ‘beer ad’ observation.
however, the three buffoons aside, it’s a positive direction to take the message.
Casting could have been way less ‘beer’, agreed.
Solid, simple thought, executed well.
You haters need a long holiday or change of career.
So disconnected to what Earth Hour is about.
Completely takes the consumer in the wrong direction.
Epic fail. Can’t believe the client signed off on this crap.
People have have high expectations of Leo’s work and rightly so. This falls way short though.
Actually, 11.40, An Inconvenient Truth doesn’t explain why Earth Hour is important.
The factual errors in it were so numerous that it is actually counter-productive, making people wonder why, if something is so real and important, that it requires so many outright lies to convince people.
As for the ad, for me it’s a terrific little spot for a bullshit event. There are fewer participating businesses today than even two years ago, and very few people take it seriously. (Though I have to laugh at people who bring out the candles without seeming to realise a candle emits more carbon than a light globe.)
Oh, and I agree with the bloke who said the ad should have ended earlier. I’d have gone to the super at the moment they all started running from the moth swarm; everything after that is just Three Stooges comedy and does nothing for the message.
Love it, refreshing to see humor in PSA.
Yes, we’re all over the ‘profound/deadly serious/inconvenient truth ‘ approach, but the levity in this very well-made spot (yes, featuring the ubiquitous clumsy dufus from various beer ads and the Nicabate series) seems to me to be going too far in the opposite direction. Getting the balance right is probably the toughest thing about this brief. I reckon advertising for Earth Hour still needs to inspire viewers. It needs to remind them they can be part of something important and just what that important thing is, but without doing it from a pulpit. Mercifully, it’s not my problem to solve. i’m not against comedy – on the contrary – I did a lot of silly ads in my time, but this is just not a subject to be frivolous about.
Wow, this industry is so full of cunts it never ceases to amaze me.
Don’t know what the rest of you are talking about.
Fucking love it.
Overcooked is right. Funny is best done medium rare.
what is earth hour about? this is garbage…
3pm – they do some nice visual work, but when it comes to comedy, they keep going back to the cheese factory.
Wow – people do have high expectations. Sure it’s not a game changing ad, but for the brief it’s a nice little insight, nicely told. Maybe for earth hour, we were expecting more, but it’s still a sweet spot that I’d definitely be stoked to have on my reel.
Great moth handler does anyone have a phone number for the wrangler; seriously , great CG particle animation
ah…the family connection. Working well.
The whacky last 15 seconds totally undermines the message.
Agree with above who said it should have ended when the moths appeared.
Just cut to the end wide shot from there and you’ve got a decent ad.
Still a dodgy product, but a decent ad.
Fuck…… Lets all over think it???/
I watched it, i laughed and now i guess ill turn my lights off.
Job done, refreshing and i thought it was funny…
why does this need to be so serious, lighten up
Big tick in my books
Seriously unfunny.
I thought it was really funny and well made. Good work guys!
I think Earth Hour has got a high enough profile that we all just need a reminder, without some overly earnest lecture about how the earth is going to shit – pretty sure we are already aware of that!
Nice idea
I think it’s funny. I fucking hate moths.