ParkHowell.com

Archive for August, 2011

A simple, haunting request for parents of teen drivers

Keep your story short. Simple. And ask your audience to do only ONE thing.

That’s how you talk with teens. It’s also how you help change behavior in their parents.

This haunting spot about teen driving from Allstate is one of the finest examples I’ve seen that communicates one clear thought and asks for one precise next step from the viewer. The surreal beauty of the setting, accompanied by the perfect song, creates a narrative that captivates and activates parents into action. No scare tactics. No barrages of mind-numbing stats. Just thoughtful, compelling storytelling.

Do you agree?

How weird is this water conservation campaign from the EPA?

I happened upon the Environmental Protection Agency’s new “Wasting Water is Weird” campaign this week, and the only thing more surprisingly unsettling than the campaign spokesman is the thought that the EPA brought him to life.

Who’d expect this Jim Carey-meets-the-strange-dude-rocking-the-bad-hairstyle-driving-his-mom’s-Pinto-at-the-end-of-the-cul-de-sac guy coming out of the feds to help promote water conservation?

But I like the creepiness. Because when you really think about it, wasting water is pretty weird. I mean, we’d never let the tap on a beer keg run freely. But we don’t think twice about letting the water run from our kitchen faucet to answer the phone. Which liquid is going to sustain your life longer?

This campaign captures that thought in a disturbing way. Kudos to those bureaucrats that made water conservation interesting and fun.

You can follow Rip the Drip on Facebook and on Twitter @RipTheDrip, with creepy green gym shorts and all.

What do you think of the work?