Power a Brighter World

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 U.S. 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 symbolizing 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.