DDB Los Angeles recently launched a mockumentary tracking the “migration” of a plastic bag from a grocery store parking lot to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in the Pacific Ocean.
Filmed in the style of a nature channel documentary program and playfully titled “The Majestic Plastic Bag,” the short film is narrated by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons and charts the “lifecycle” of a plastic bag to promote awareness of plastic pollution in California and beyond.
The film was created on behalf of Heal the Bay, an environmental watchdog organization that promotes safe, clean and healthy coastal waters and was released as the California Senate prepares to vote on AB 1998, a measure that would create a uniform statewide policy for addressing all types of single-use bags.
Though lighthearted in tone, the short film hammers home the stark reality of California’s plastic bag pollution situation: 19 billion bags are used every year, creating over 123,000 tons of unnecessary waste, costing taxpayers $25 million in cleanup costs a year. Less than five percent of all single-use plastic bags are recycled, with many ending up as litter and in the ocean as plastic pollution.
The film has already attracted the attention of press including the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, New York Magazine, The Guardian in the UK, the Huffington Post, AdAge and many others. With very little to no budget, the entire project was created solely with donated time and resources – many from Heal the Bay supporters within the industry who believe in the concept and the cause.
Matt Reinhard
Executive Creative Director
DDB Los Angeles
Posted on August 25, 2010 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
“The Little Green Guide” is a bilingual (English and Arabic) publication with over 70 easy-to-follow tips to help counter global warming. With an initial print run of 2000, the launch of the booklet was supported by press write-ups to create awareness and to spread the word. It was backed by a host of related environment-friendly activities.
The purpose of “The Little Green Guide” is to drive home the fact that each one of us can make a positive difference to the environment by taking small, simple steps.
The extensive media coverage of “The Little Green Guide” in local newspapers and periodicals, both English and Arabic, elicited enthusiastic response. This led to many queries and more copies of the booklet being circulated.
The simplicity of the project was key to its success, and is the reason why it continues to gain momentum. It elicited active participation from DDB Group companies in Oman, which have recycled around 2.5 tons of paper over the last two years. A similar drive at DDB is now being organized for plastics.
Continue reading "The Little Green Guide" »
Posted on August 3, 2010 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
On March 31st, the DDB New York office unveiled a powerful new PSA campaign designed to bring about awareness and prevention of teen suicide, from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Ad Council and Inspire USA Foundation. Titled “We Can Help Us,” the campaign has already generated a great deal of interest from media and consumers alike, with an exclusive feature in USA Today (view the article here).
News of the campaign has generated notes of gratitude from clients and partners alike, including the following from Jack Heath, President and CEO, Inspire Foundation: “…what your team have done in combining moving personal stories with such powerful and evocative animations has left me humbled and in some cases in tears. These productions speak to a humanity that is truly heroic and transformative – and a humanity that clearly resides in the hearts of everyone at DDB who has worked on this. Your guys have elevated our work to a level I could never have imagined.”
Created pro bono, the campaign includes television, radio, print, outdoor and interactive elements, as well as posters in schools and malls. In the spots, viewers are directed to visit us.reachout.com, where they can view and listen to stories from teens who have been there and made it.
Joseph Cianciotto
Executive Creative Director
Chief Community Officer
Posted on April 2, 2010 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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