Inspire Clean Energy's Illustrative Spots Address Home Energy’s Contribution to Climate Change

Full-service creative and marketing agency Madwell has created ‘Power a Brighter World,’ a series of films for client Inspire Clean Energy that show how simple actions - like accessing clean energy for one’s home - can reduce carbon emissions and help decarbonize the power grid. The film’s storybook-illustration style reflects a sense of optimism that the brand hopes will elicit climate action from audiences who often feel powerless in the face of this crisis.  

Making the transition to clean energy is a critical step if we want to successfully mitigate the dangerous effects of climate change. The US is the second-largest contributor of carbon emissions globally, and an estimated 20% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions come directly from home energy use. With Inspire, consumers simply sign up for a 100%-clean energy plan through the company, and in minutes, they can rest easy knowing that they’ve taken a big step to help the environment. In fact, one year of being an Inspire member can be more impactful than seven years of recycling. 

The first film, ‘The Beast,’ addresses the negative impact of home energy use on the planet through the eyes of a child. In the film, an out-of-place-yet-destructive character symbolising climate change blindly wreaks havoc on the planet. A solution is revealed once consumers have chosen clean energy from a collective that puts a stop to the beast. The second film, 'Power Forward,' focuses on the feeling of paralysis many experience when it comes to taking meaningful action against climate change. The film quickly transitions to a hopeful tone as the viewer learns they have the power to make a difference and how easy it can be to choose clean energy. 

Madwell knew they would need something fresh and unexpected to get people to pay attention and care. They used illustration/animation and a storybook-style script to present a real and simple solution with true impact on climate change, and they cast a seven-year-old to tell the story.

“Ultimately, that’s who will be affected by the environmental choices we make today,” said Jeff Gillette, ECD at Madwell. “Casting a seven-year-old created an omniscient voice of that generation speaking to adults who can effect greater change now. It also felt natural to have a child’s voice tell this story since we took a children’s-book approach in our writing and animation. Our goal was to stand out in a sea of climate-change fear tactics.”

At a time when most Americans want simple ways to reduce their carbon footprint, Inspire Clean Energy - a certified B corporation that matches the dirty energy homes run on with clean, renewable energy sourced from wind, solar and low-impact hydropower in the US - is empowering consumers to make a meaningful, positive impact on the planet with little hassle. ‘Power a Brighter World’ is a marketing campaign featuring two simple yet elegant animations that present challenging topics like climate change in a universally accessible way.   

“Many of us are witnessing the climate crisis escalate and are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do about it,” stated Suzanne Seymour, senior vice president of brand and communications at Inspire Clean Energy. “Our intention is to break down some of those barriers through approachable creative that reflects a pure sense of hope and optimism and reminds us that future generations depend on the climate action we take today.”

'Power a Brighter World' targets people residing in Inspire’s current nine service markets - Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC - through a series of compelling social, digital TV, radio, and high-impact media partnerships.

For more information on Inspire, please visit here.