Nils Leonard & Andreas Nilsson Talk Climate Change & OVO Energy's New Ad

The first piece of work from Uncommon Creative Studio, a campaign for OVO Energy, was released last night. The TV spot, directed by Biscuit's Andreas Nilsson, is an epic-looking, thought-provoking film that aims to encapsulate the brand's spirit and mission of ‘positive energy since 2009’.

With post production by The Mill and a soundtrack from heavy metal legends Slayer, it's a powerful eye- (and ear-) catching 60-second film. Below, Nils Leonard [below left], former Grey London CCO and co-founder of Uncommon, and Nilsson [below right] discuss the project, the thinking behind its message and why it's time to change the approach to eductating people about climate change.

What was the brief Ovo Energy came to you with? 

NL: OVO Energy came to us to help get their modern and ambitious take on the energy category out into the world.

Andreas, what was your immediate reaction to the script when you saw it?

AN: That this was a script from an agency and a client with a quite serious agenda, and that it came from a sincere place.

"Saul Williams said, 'Legislation won’t start a riot but the right song can make someone pick up a chair'." 

Did you immediately know how you wanted to approach the project?

NL: Yes. The category is tired and generic. Both Uncommon and OVO Energy felt the need to issue a wake-up call, and to link the choices we make every day to the bigger picture.

AN: The script was really simple, so I wanted the film to honour that. The execution was not as simple though. I know more about the reality of tides, ebb and flow now then before we started this project.  

Unlike other campaigns about renewable energy, it’s more provocative than overtly educational; is that something Ovo wanted to specifically pursue?

NL: We’ve all read so much about renewable energy but the majority of us haven’t acted. There’s a simple piece of education here: that it’s time to power your whole life all a new way, and that with a simple switch we can act on behalf of our world. But education only goes so far. To change the world you have to change the conversation, and that’s about moving people to act. 

AN: I don’t really see it as a provocative film. It is an angry tone but this is upsetting times. I think of it as reasonable reaction to the lies we hear people with weird hairstyles shout out from much bigger platforms. If this film can somehow contribute and perhaps inspire some people to change to renewable energy then it’s a success.

Do you think being more hard-hitting, challenging people to take notice, is a necessity now that influential people like Trump are denying climate change? 

NL: Saul Williams said, “Legislation won’t start a riot but the right song can make someone pick up a chair”. We’ve all read the same old stuff about the threat of climate change and not acted, but if we realised that politicians and big business were making decisions about the world our children were going to inherit we might feel differently.

We should be moved by the world as it is. Trump has triumphed in the age of outrage. Energy beats everything, and sometimes making change isn’t about the facts, it’s about getting mad. 

AN: A recent study tells us that there is only a 5% chance that the world won’t warm more than two degree Celsius by 2100. Two degrees is considered the threshold at which warming becomes catastrophic. At this point statistics and studies says its a 95% chance we will destroy the future for our next generations. So yes, I think we all need to do whatever we can to get the message through that the time is running out.

Do you feel positive about how the world currently feels towards renewable energy and climate change?

NL: I don’t know what the world feels but I know we’re running out of excuses. There’s a tenderness and a fragility that I think we all feel. I think we’ve never felt more involved, more aware. I believe in people and I believe in the action that adversity creates. We’ll be ok.

AN: I just hope it's not too late already.

Why did you feel Andreas was the right director to take on the film element of the campaign?

NL: Andreas is a very open, modern director. He makes film that matters in culture. He’s a very creative person but it was his generous spirit that made me want to work with him on this. He’s always open to new ideas and new tones. He’s insane at colour and excellent on his feet in the shoot. That, and he loves [heavy] metal.

"We have some more Ovo Energy stuff coming that’s a different shape of work, that takes all of this up another notch that we can’t wait to put out there." 

What was the most challenging thing about pulling the campaign together?

NL: What wasn’t challenging (but often is) was aligning our values with OVO Energy’s. They are an amazing crew over there doing some important stuff and it’s been an incredibly supportive and powerful partnership as we’ve made the work. Uncommon is built for the most ambitious clients, and the guys at OVO Energy are an open and inspiring team, we’d chew glass to work with more people like that. Craft-wise, the scale of the film took some doing. The guys at The Mill have proven again why they’re the best in the business.

AN: Getting the shot in the small window of time that we had due to the tide.

And the most rewarding? 

AN: Let’s see if this will helps people find OVO and change to a renewable energy. That would be rewarding.

Where did you shoot the film and how many microwaves/TVs/vacuum cleaners were actually, physically there?

AN: It's shot on a beach outside Auckland, New Zealand. All the appliances are in-camera. Ask Wes and his team at the Mill.

Can you tell us about the music; why was the Slayer track the best choice for the spot? 

AN: We wanted a track that would help waking up people from their slumber in front of the TV. 

And was the quote/VO from Network already part of the script and what was the thinking behind it?

AN: The Network rant was an idea the agency presented at an early stage and it stuck.

This is the first campaign out of Uncommon; how does it feel to have your inaugural piece of work out in the world?

NL: We wanted our first piece of work to be something with scale, and something that really set out the difference we wanted to make in a fresh way. This work speaks to issues we care about, in a way that we hope will move people to act. We’re so chuffed to have this out there, and we’re just getting started.

What is Uncommon working on next? 

NL: We have some more OVO Energy stuff coming that’s a different shape of work, that takes all of this up another notch that we can’t wait to put out there. We’re launching a premium retail brand in NYC and a youth lifestyle brand in the UK, designing a new Uncommon product to combat wasteful plastic usage, and we have an incredible brand creation brief from a global innovation company that feels very much like the start of a new creative industry we’re involved in.