Dutch Energy Co. Lights It Up With Absurdity

Dad, stop eating the tablecloth

What’s the most absurd element of these fresh films from Dutch energy supplier Zonneplan? Choices include: the pitchman tooling around on a solar panel, shirtless dad curled up in a fetal position on the kitchen floor and sonny-boy rhythmically banging his head against the wall.

Why’s this family acting so self-consciously silly—like characters in a kooky commercial? Because they got a bad solar plan, and their provider charges fees when their panels feed excess energy back into the grid. D’uh!

“Energy ads often like to paint an overly optimistic and wholesome picture,” says Koen de Boer, a creative at Ace Amsterdam, which helped develop the campaign. “But that’s not how consumers actually feel. We aimed to do justice to their true emotions, with just a touch of drama, a glimmer of sweat and a barefoot guy on a hovering solar panel.”

“Think about hell and then a person walks in with a cup of tea,” adds Angelo Cerisara, who directed the spots via Hamlet. “That’s our presenter, riding a solar panel barefoot.”

The campaign breaks this week across TV, digital and social channels.