E.ON Italy & M&C Saatchi ‘Freeze’ Historic Building in Milan to Highlight Energy Waste

M&C Saatchi Milan has created an innovative campaign for E.ON Italy, aiming to increase the energy company’s presence in the country. The integrated campaign, entitled ‘We Hate Waste’, saw a historic building in the prestigious Brera district of Milan appear completely frozen due to an air conditioner being left on for months.

On the first day of the week-long stunt no branding was used, leaving the country speculating what had happened. On the second day, E.ON’s branding was revealed at an event at the historic building to discuss energy waste issue.

With the stunt taking place above the world-famous Radetzky bar, people were invited to try the limited edition Radetzky-on-the-Rocks drink, custom-made for E.ON.

Peter Ilyes, CEO of E.ON Italy, said: “We believe that a better tomorrow is created not by consuming more for less, but by identifying and promoting more efficient energy solutions and behaviours. We feel this strongly as a company, and we wanted to make sure this value comes through clearly in our communication, too. This is what is behind “We Hate Waste” positioning.”

Carlo Noseda, Managing Partner at M&C Saatchi Milan, added: “We all waste energy. And while it seems small on a daily basis, it accumulates to huge amounts on an annual basis. As E.ON Italy helped us realise, true saving on energy bills comes not from hunting offers, but by behavioural and attitudinal changes.”

Vincenzo Gasbarro, Creative Partner at M&C Saatchi Milan, concluded: “Our exaggerated stunt of reckless residential waste has worked – for two days in a row E.ON Italy were the social talk of Italy. Here’s to a brave Client on a long-term mission.”

The integrated campaign by E.ON Italy began in November, running run across TV, print, outdoor, digital and social, including an energy check-up tool, also designed by the agency.