Leo Burnett launches 2009 Earth Hour drive

Consumers are urged to ‘Vote Earth’ through flicking their light switches in the lead-up to Earth Hour 2009.

The event will culminate in a worldwide election night on 28 March, where switching off lights will be a vote for Earth, while leaving them on will be a vote for global warming.

2009 also marks the third year of Earth Hour. In 2008, 50 million people took part by switching off their lights.

The target set by WWF and Leo Burnett this year is to get one billion people around the world to switch off their lights. WWF will also be taking the results of this initiative to the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

Shepard Fairey, creator of the ‘Hope’, ‘Change’ and ‘Progress’ posters of Barack Obama in the recent US Presidential election, oversaw the artwork for the campaign. The artwork will also be featured in a global integrated drive, featuring a TVC that was made with Curious Films, which will air in over 74 countries.

“The team’s task was huge, to reinvent an already famous idea. To say I am proud of what they did would be an understatement. ‘Vote Earth’ is a powerful idea that can really make a difference leading to the Copenhagen Summit. It’s amazing to think this will be the world’s first global vote” said Todd Sampson, CEO of Leo Burnett Sydney.

“One billion is a lot of people. To reach this target we need an idea that really changes people’s perception of energy conservation. By turning the issue of climate change into an election between Earth and global warming, it makes the problem very direct for the individual; we all have a vote, and every vote counts,” added Michael Canning and Kieran Antill, the creative team behind the campaign.