2200 cities countdown to Earth Hour
Earth Hour is almost here and the momentum behind the campaign by Leo Burnett, Sydney and WWF is building. There are now over 2200 cities worldwide signed up to participate in the election. A mainstream and grassroots media blitz across nearly 90 countries is now underway, making the target of 1 Billion people a real possibility.
The iconic imagery created by Shepard Fairey with the help of Curious Films kicked off the integrated campaign a few weeks back and has now rolled out globally. The campaign has been translated around the world and is running across all media including online, television, newspapers, outdoor and mobile but most importantly is now being spread by the people. In the spirit of the Earth Hour open source model, all election campaign materials have been made available on the Vote Earth website where the world population is being urged to help spread the word. Materials include a 30’ animated film clip with music by Coldplay, voiceover by Cate Blanchett and animation by Syd Garron as well as banners, online badges, wallpapers, downloadable stickers, posters, signage and a series of new films.
One of the latest additions, directed by Tim Denton of Robot I pictures, is a film that uses children to highlight the fact that this is the world’s first global election, where anyone can vote. It aims to broaden the target to include the children of the world and of course adoring parents. The spot will air on television and on the Vote Earth website.
Because Vote Earth is aimed at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, it will carry on well past Earth Hour. There is now a quickly growing social network supported by Google on the Vote Earth website. Members of the network are being urged to speak their minds on various topics related to global warming in a quest to reach 1 Billion words on the subject. To assist the world’s population, Google Translate has been added to the page so it can be translated into any language. Later in the year the voice of the global population will be presented to world leaders in Copenhagen along with the results of Earth Hour.
And finally, this wouldn’t be an election if Obama Girl didn’t get involved. Here is a viral clip of the web icon doing her thing for the planet.
41 Comments
Y’know, it would be a lot more useful if people actually did the stuff now, during the countdown (and after) rather than waiting for that one hour in the year to show how good and caring they are.
THe whole thing is a joke.
That outdoor poster looks comped in Photoshop to me….?
And oh yeah, I haven’t seen any of this work around town either?
Has anybody else? All I’ve seen is the old Earth Hour posters from last time with a tweak to the headline?
Here’s something more interesting to talk about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjGkTda0dt4
Well its lights out for Love. May be lights out for someone in the merged creative departments soon
Haven’t seen anything? Are you serious?
It is everywhere. There is currently a massive poster on the harbour bridge in Sydney. I even saw ads for it on the tv in Thailand during Adfest.
Well done to all, great to see you have made it bigger and better. Look forward to it.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge has a massive vote earth poster on it
A massive banner is on the side of the harbor bridge.
Meanwhile…. University of Michigan Students of Objectivism will be simultaneously be marking Edison Hour, a “celebration of technology and industrialisation.” These libertarian bores are asking people to “use as much power as possible for one hour to celebrate the achievements of mankind.”
Event’s on Facebook somewhere if you’re that way inclined.
Slag all you want but this shit’s impressive. Obama Girl!!
Holy Shit!
I just saw an Adshel for it, can’t wait to see the amazing poster on the bridge.
Might head down tonight to get a good look at it.
Genius guys, so much bigger and better than last time. Well done to all involved.
Who gives a stuff how many cities commit to this self-congratulatory PR stunt?
Global warming deserves a campaign for real behavioral change.
Move it on Leos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez75Lp9BMdM
I cared about the earth once – now I’m unemployed.
The Obama girl viral is terrible. The idea of using her was good but the execution falls further than flat. The acting feels forced and the script is terrible. I don’t see who would send that on defeating the whole purpose of a viral. fail.
OK I followed that link from above as Earth Hour is super boring. I can’t believe we will have to live with this worthy crap for the foreseeable future. But the Carlton Natural Blonde spot is like very funny indeed. Post that one Lynchy.
I didn’t think it was possible to do bad work for Earth Hour. This is just… I can’t say it.
Apparently, crime went through the roof during the last earth hour.
i look forward to another night relieving offices of Macs in relative security.
Talking of something truly awful to talk about, try this campers.
Fancy seeing the state of the Australian advertising industry epitomised in one minute?
Watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2Kf-R2RSI
Maybe Saatchis should PR it.
I love the nightlife, I got to boogie
I wonder how much energy and plastic they had to use t make the poster and erect it.
10:12, shameless self bump or not, i fucking love that tvc
I haven’t looked at the work but I still like the idea of Earth Hour. You can be cynical about how much actually achieves but at least it puts the issue in people’s minds.
Today we received an all staff email asking everyone to participate in Earth Hour and I work in Europe so the campaign has traveled.
To the Earth Hour dudes, good luck with the project and ignore the haters.
David Smith
Amsterdam
I got a crush on Obama Girl.
nick reynolds acting in his own ad?
this recession must be harsh
Chase the band of mutants away from my ice cube bunker. fucking funny. you go girl!
For the first time this truly feels like an international campaign. Whereas, previously, it had always felt like a Sydney only thing.
It shoud be international. its in 83 countries with the hopes of affecting a billion people. I applaud it!
@12:21, there’s more…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe6BaIWug88
This is interesting…
According to Mumbrella, Wunderman’s Earth Hour site has hidden easter eggs. When using it, click on the window and type in “golf” or “moon”.
On an advertising level the work is terrible.
On a social level this is an abhorrent example of an advertising agency trying to piggyback themselves on an issue people really care about.
FYI: Nick Reynolds didn’t pull a Hitchcok and appear in his own spot. . Rather, he appeared in the “earth hour candle” spot directed by Nick Robertson at Plaza.
Curious’ contribution to Earth Hour has been the Vote Earth posters created by Shepard Fairy, the Vote Earth TVC which was animated by Curious Director Syd Garon, and finally Curious co-produced the Obama Girl materials .with Barley Political in New York City
Thnak you and hoping you have a pleasant earth hour!
To be honest I didn’t even notice the poster on the bridge and I look at it every day. I didn’t see the TV until I got on here, and for Obama girl to only get 24,000 hits and call it a ‘viral’ is a tragic waste of her talent and potential. In fact the only reason it would have got 24,000 hits is because of her name only, which is a tragic reliance on a celebrity to sell a product. I saw a few metrolites but it just kind of washed over me. Bland crap from last year (or was it the year before!?).
The idea of turning off your lights – absolutely gold. Driving through Sydney last night I fail to see how it made a difference. Everyones lights were pretty much on. And if your ad isn’t making a difference, you shouldn’t be PRing the crap out of it and talking about how good you are, because you fail advertisings most fundamental, basic, task. Convince me to change.
If you can’t do that, it’s just masturbation with a cheese grater.
Wow. Dig out of your hole 11:07. 2800 cities. Hong Kong, Vegas, New York, Paris, The Pyramids, Big Ben, The Petronas Towers, The Opera House, The Harbour Bridge, The UN! When was the last time your idea made it out of NSW? Seriously, WTF? This was truly a global event like nothing that has ever happened before. Look up Vote Earth or Earth Hour on youtube or google or flickr or twitter. You wouldn’t have enough time in your sad life to see how many participated in this amazing event.
Congrats to Leo Burnett. This is one of the best things to come out of Australia. Ever. Have some pride.
You’re right. Nobody is participating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj2piFG7Im8
Again, yes, small idea.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/28/earth.hour/index.html
11:07 – Instead of just talking about ‘your drive in Sydney last night’, first you should take a moment and read about what happened around the world with Earth Hour last night and the amazing list of international icons, cities and people which took part – The Empire State Building, London’s Houses of Parliament and Piccadilly Circus, the Las Vegas Strip, the Giza Pyramids, The Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, to name just a few.
The undeniable fact is that this is the biggest year of Earth Hour by far. The reason that people get involved in such huge numbers in a movement like this is because they are moved to do so, which you’re right, is the basic task of advertising – and which the idea of Vote Earth has done in spades. The world was given a bigger idea to take hold of this year, which lives beyond the actual event of Earth Hour, and will be seen in Copenhagen later this year.
Last night billions of people thought about the issue of global warming for an hour, which is an amazing feat. Even if you didn’t switch off your lights, chances are you probably heard about it. And that’s what it’s about, a worldwide statement.
The idea of Earth Hour is genius, the idea of Vote Earth is genius, and it’s all brilliant work. Before you send back the usual reply that I must work at Leo Burnett, I don’t. I just think it’s sad when bitter people like yourself can’t see past their own small minded thinking and see the bigger picture. Congratulations to everyone involved. It’s great.
Great. A great effort makes a great result. I am happy to sse it was a success!!
You people don’t get it. Opponents of Earth Hour aren’t cynics, they’re realists. And the more cities that join in only makes it easier for people everywhere to ignore the need for real change o energy consumption. Turning the lights out for an hour for Earth Hour is like wearing a red ribbon for Aids research – we all want a cure, but too many of us just want the ribbon to show we care.
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-03-29-from-antartica-to-egypt-lights-dim-for-earth-hour
taken from south africa’s leading newspaper today. earth hour has got coverage in the mainstream press in other countries.
the best most of us can hope for is an article on this blog. no offense, lynchy, love your blog, but this campaign is bigger than most of the things we (the anonymous) do.
A vote for the planet
Up to one in seven people around the world flicked the switch for the good of the planet, writes Ben Cubby.
ABOUT one person in every seven around the world is believed to have followed Sydney’s lead and switched off lights on Saturday night to call for stronger action against climate change.
Earth Hour has grown far beyond the expectations of its organiser, WWF Australia, in the year when nations must decide whether to commit to binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
“This is the foundation we needed to give political leaders a mandate to act on climate change, if they choose to take it,” said Earth Hour’s global director, Andy Ridley.
Well said. Vote Earth! Glad I was a part.