THE ADVERTISING COUNCIL LAUNCHES NEW NATIONAL PSA CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITH SUPPORT FROM OHIO DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2004

New York -- The Advertising Council, in partnership with The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), and other national and local partners, has announced the launch of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to engage children and their parents in energy efficient behavior through a new spokes-villain, the Energy Hog. Created pro bono by ad agency Tracy Locke, the PSAs are being distributed nationwide. A new website created by Tribal DDB, www.energyhog.org, has also been launched.

According to U.S. National Energy Policy estimates, over the next 20 years, U.S. natural gas consumption will rise by more than 50 percent and our country’s demand for electricity will increase by 45 percent. By practicing simple measures of conservation and using energy more efficiently, families can build strong energy habits, save money by reducing energy bills and help their communities reduce pollution caused by our demand for energy.

“Ohio is home to approximately 4.4 million households,” said State Development Director Bruce Johnson. “With simple efficiency improvements, Ohioans could easily save more than $800 million a year for something other than wasted energy. Our efforts will help challenge kids to find ways to reduce that energy waste.”

The ODOD’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE), encourages media across Ohio to support this campaign by running the PSAs often in an effort to effect positive change in local energy consumption.

The new campaign is sponsored by Energy Outreach Colorado and supported by the United States Department of Energy (USDOE), The Home Depot, the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), the National Fuel Funds Network, the OEE and 19 other state energy offices. The campaign includes television, radio and Internet PSAs. The new ads primarily target children between the ages of 8 and 13 because when kids are enthusiastic, they can energize their families.

The PSAs introduce a dastardly new villain, the Energy Hog, a computer generated creature that appears in the homes of families that are not using energy efficiently. In all of the PSAs, children come to the rescue and get rid of the Energy Hog. The spots direct audiences to www.energyhog.org, where they can train to become Energy Hog Busters and learn fun and simple ways to use energy more efficiently.

“The new PSAs empower kids to practice good energy-saving activities with their parents in order to make their homes more energy efficient and help to make a difference in their family and community,” according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council.

“We wanted to help with this program because of Tracy Locke’s experience developing programs communicating with kids and teens,” said Bob Chimbel, president of Tracy Locke in Dallas. “The idea of energy conversation is an abstract one, so to effectively convey that saving energy is good we knew that we needed a strong symbol. So the concept of Energy Hog was developed -- this unwanted intruder in your home that you can dispose of with wise energy choices.”

“Tribal DDB was honored to be part of the team that delivered the vision of the Energy Hog online. We are extremely proud of the final result", said Kevin Hall, Account Director at Tribal DDB. "We enjoyed a true partnership with The Ad Council and TLP as all of us rallied around a simple idea that was The Energy Hog. We can only hope that kids around the country will inspire the rest of us to be smarter and more responsible when it comes to energy consumption.”

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Energy Efficiency
The OEE serves Ohio residents, communities, businesses, and industries with programs that promote energy efficiency and renewable energy. Through its advisory role in energy policy, and the work of its nonprofit and community action agency grantees, OEE makes Ohio a cleaner place to live and work.

Tribal DDB
Tribal DDB Worldwide is a division of DDB Worldwide Communications Inc. and has grown out of the DDB network organization that evolved from interactive operations that began as early as 1994 in DDB offices around the world. Headquartered in New York City, Tribal DDB is comprised of 21 offices in 14 countries. Tribal DDB is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC). Omnicom is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company serving clients in over 100 countries.

Tracy Locke
Tracy Locke is a full-service global brand activation network with headquarters in Dallas and Wilton, Conn., as well as 31 U.S. satellite offices and more than 35 worldwide affiliate agencies. Tracy Locke is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).

The Advertising Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.