When it comes to energy that is ‘wasted’ (let’s say like the heat energy from air-conditioning or an electric lamp), it does not disappear. Instead, it is transferred into the surroundings and spreads out so much that it becomes very difficult to do anything useful with it. To show what could happen when you leave your household appliances on, M&C Saatchi Milan has created an innovative campaign for E.ON Italy. Aimed to increase the energy company’s presence in Italy, they launched an integrated campaign, entitled ‘We Hate Waste’, and decided to show how a historic building in the prestigious Brera district of Milan could transform into a completely frozen palace – and only due to an air conditioner being left on for a couple of months.
The week-long stunt introduced the building without any branding used on the first day of the freezing cold campaign, leaving hundreds of stunned passersby speculate about what had happened. And not surprisingly, after just a few hours of the #palazzoghiacciato (or ‘frozen palace’) stunt running, it became the top trending topic in Italy. With people stopping in the middle of the busy street to observe the spectacle and drama ignited by the presence of two fire trucks being parked on a sidewalk and an entire brigade enacting a seeming emergency – that included a rescue mission of people from top floors in a crane. The company also hired irritated ‘neighbours’ who later reacted out in the cold with protests and placards, reading: ‘Stop Waste’ and ‘Not in our area’.
Carlo Noseda, Managing Partner at M&C Saatchi Milan, added: “We all waste energy. And while it seems small on a daily basis, it accumulates to huge amounts on an annual basis. As E.ON Italy helped us realise, true saving on energy bills comes not from hunting offers, but by behavioural and attitudinal changes.”
During the second day of the pre-Christmas week, as everyone became curious to find out what was going on, E.ON Italy and the leading independent Worldwide advertising agency network revealed the company’s branding at an event at the historic building to discuss energy waste issue. After this, the stunt was all over the news again, totally generating over ten million social media impressions and close to a hundred press articles and posts.
Vincenzo Gasbarro, Creative Partner at M&C Saatchi Milan, said: “Our exaggerated stunt of reckless residential waste has worked – for two days in a row E.ON Italy were the social talk of Italy. Here’s to a brave Client on a long-term mission.”
Moreover, the stunt was taking place above the world-famous Radetzky bar, and people were invited to try the limited edition Radetzky-on-the-Rocks drink, which was custom-made for E.ON.
Péter Ilyés, CEO of E.ON Italy, concluded: “We believe that a better tomorrow is created not by consuming more for less, but by identifying and promoting more efficient energy solutions and behaviours. We feel this strongly as a company, and we wanted to make sure this value comes through clearly in our communication, too. This is what is behind ‘We Hate Waste’ positioning.”
The integrated campaign by E.ON Italy actually began in November, ran across TV, print, outdoor, digital and social media, and included an interesting energy check-up tool, also designed by the agency.
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