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GE Wows with Ecomagination Site

Creative Posted on February 06, 2007

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February 06, 2007

Syrup designed the GE Ecomagination site, shooting video, recording Kevin Kline's voice, and traveling the world to create the best, most-compelling site possible.

Creative Notes

Opera compatible

Campaign Details

Client: GE
Creative Agency: Syrup

Campaign Insight

We created the first version of the GE ecomagination site as an introduction to the concept of GE's environmental initiative. Now, almost two years into the initiative, GE wanted to show how much progress has been made in such a short time. Our objective with the new version of the site is to communicate the breadth of their eco-friendly products already in the market (over 20 billion dollars worth). Also, we wanted to show how GE's ecomagination committment is truly global in its scope. Therefore, we developed the concept to create several short films featuring ecomagination products in market around the world and make these video pieces -- and the surrounding interviews and information we would develop for each product's showcase section -- the centerpiece of the site. For the 2007 launch, Syrup released four short films live on the new website, and we will be releasing eight more short films on a variety of GE ecomagination products throughout 2007. All the films are narrated by actor Kevin Kline, who tells the story of the products, their impact on the environment and their benefits. The first four films' subjects are a desalination facility in Algiers, a vineyard in Napa, California that uses GE's photovoltaic solar panels to power nearly 100 percent of their energy needs, and a 7-turbine GE wind farm off the coast of Arklow, Ireland that powers a town of 16,000 people GE's Evolution locomotive train that is more fuel efficient than current locomotives and will significantly lower locomotive pollution while conserving energy.

Syrup developed all the concepts for the site and each film, along with the design and back-end development of the website. We then set about producing the films-- shot on location around the world.

After shooting, we moved the films into post-production where they were edited while we developed the music, recorded the narration and did all final touches and integration into the website in preparation for it's launch. Throughout the process we relied on a tremendous amount of varying expertise to launch this project, including film direction, cinematography, scripting, editing, art direction, illustration and web development. Syrup is fortunate to be able to execute a project like this in-house-- the benefit of building a truly integrated advertising and design agency.
-- Jakob Daschek, creative director, Syrup

Editor's Note

Creative Showcase is meant to be a teaching tool and an inspiration for our readers. We comment only on creative that we really love. Our panelists discuss what makes it great, but if they feel there were missed opportunities that would have made it better, we invite them to mention those. And finally, we seek out a wide range of opinions that reflect the marketplace for the panel, in order to provide constructive, useable feedback for agencies, clients and others involved in these creative pieces.

The Panel

My comments on this site can be summed up in two words: well done. It was quickly apparent as I navigated around that no expense was spared to produce the experience. The large, watercolor style visuals that serve as backdrops are beautiful, as is the photography throughout the site. The movies themselves are of such a high-production value they could be segments from the Discovery Channel. Very professional.

Equally impressive is the architecture and hierarchy. The information architects must have had a blast working this one out. There is so much information and content within the site, but it is all easy to find and navigate through. The clean and simple art direction, of course, works seamlessly with the site’s intended purpose.

The load times for the movies and images are quick, which is another important but often overlooked ingredient.

One thing on my wish list would be to have a few playful interactivity options. On the opening scene, for example, as the dandelion seeds blow across the screen-- I wanted to mouse over them and push them around through the air. I also feel some sort of audio effects, whether subtle music or natural sounds to fit in with the scenery, might have been a nice touch.
-- Chris Gatewood, creative director, Freestyle Interactive

It's a rarity to see a website that captures the spirit of an integrated campaign better than any other channel. Not that it should be. But usually the TV and print get the lion's share of the budget, and the site is relegated to repurposing film, video and pictures from the can. Not so here.

Let's all give GE very high marks for underwriting original multimedia content for the web. Sure, the spots are posted on the site. But if you bother to watch them, they seem almost trite compared with the beautiful web films. And the substance of the topics at hand -- huge windmills off the Irish coastline, coal-hauling locomotives in central Pennsylvania, a massive desalination plant in North Africa and a solar-powered vineyard in California -- begs for more time than conventional spots allow. Casting Kevin Kline for narration adds just the right tone as well. Very nicely done.

The biggest concern for corporate branding is being sincere and believable. So, the site's "Behind the Story" content is key. The obligatory documentary-style videos are again expertly filmed and edited, while links to press releases and deeper content balance the user's need for more information with his tolerance for making too many (or too few) clicks.

Too many corporate campaigns try hard to be anything but boring. This one goes for being sincere and interesting. Truly it seeks to gain and hold your interest. I'd say it succeeds.
-- Miguel H Gonzalez, vice president, group creative director, Draftfcb

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