Powershop offers ‘same power, different attitude’ with new print work via DoubleFish, Wellington
New Zealand online electricity upstart Powershop has been a thorn in the side of larger power companies since its launch two years ago.
Its willingness to act as consumer champion and hold the big boys to account has become the inspiration for its new brand campaign that launches next week.
Powershop has teamed up with Wellington ad mavericks Ken Double and John Fisher of Wellington agency DoubleFish for the campaign, which features several of the world’s most evil dictators in the unlikeliest of situations.
Same Power, Different Attitude puts North Korea’s Kim Jong Il in charge of a community sausage sizzle, while Saddam Hussein hits the street to collect for a refugee aid charity. Watch out for Colonel Gaddafi performing his own random act of kindness soon.
“It’s pure satire that ridicules some of the most despised individuals who have ever held the reins of power,” says Powershop CEO Ari Sargent.
“Showing how out of place they look in everyday, charitable situations highlights their abuse of power and comments on how different the world would be if they’d used it for good instead of evil.”
“It reflects our belief that anyone in a position of power, whether a politician or energy company, should use that power responsibly,” says Sargent.
The campaign uses hand-painted posters that will hit billboards, bus shelters and online sites from Monday.
Credits: Writer Ken Double, art director John Fisher, illustrator Evan Purdie, art/retouching Andy Salisbury & Jason Bownen.
9 Comments
Very nice Ken and Fish. A couple of masters at work.
Who are you targeting here???? This won’t work AT ALL.
Brilliant!!!
They’re targeting Iraqis and North Koreans. Duh.
They’re targeting people of all nationalities in the South of France. Le duh.
this amuses me.
Everyonbe knows North Korea is best Korea!
I liked this. I normally ignore advertising but this made me want to buy it before I even knew what exactly was being advertised!
Powershop and its PR are just a distraction as Meridian and the other large power co’s seek to crank up prices. Don’t be fooled – Powershop is just a Meridian subsidiary. Any privatization (partial or otherwise) will speed up the price increases.
Good for the PR/spin industry – but in the end consumers end up paying for this artwork and everything else including the so called “smart meters”. Due to lack of industry cooperation/coordination/efficiency/appropriate regulation these are “dumb”!
Residential consumers! You are the victims……….
I thought the ad with Richard Nixon was really fun; it did raise my curiosity “who the heck are powershop?” Now I know! however, I didn’t like the poster with Saddam Hussein; I have friends from Iraq who have had a tough time in their homeland, I thought this poster would be insulting to them. Nor Kim Jong. Not funny for their victims.