No dreams here

“Our energy will always be powered by your dreams.” is how this Enel advertisement produced by Saatchi & Saatchi leads. The phrase sounds like it was delivered by one of those brainstorming applications. I just cannot see the link between my dreams and energy. In some metaphysical way there might be a distant one but I am looking for energy that is clean, affordable and safe, that’s all. I am not dreaming about this, I am simply hoping it comes quickly before we destroy our planet.

Enel advertisement which appeared in the April 4, 2011 International Herald Tribune

The next sentence that stands out starts the main paragraph under the image: “Energy to capture CO2 and protect the environment.’ Is it energy that captures the CO2 or is it some type of technology or process? I am confused. Maybe an energy engineer can understand it, but to the average reader this claim seems incoherent.

The main sentence on the Enel advertisement makes no sense.

The next sentence is the most awkward: “‘Make it real’.” — they put in that extra single quote. Make what real? Well, they tell us in the next (incomplete and therefore grammatically incorrect) sentence: “The words that have always driven us.” Are they an energy company or some new age philosophy circle. Make it real? Make what real, the dreams, the energy or saving the environment? In all cases, I am utterly confused.

At first glance, it is hard to recognize the butterflies.

The image does nothing to make this advertisement clearer. It took me several ‘looks’ to realize that the girl’s drawing is composed of butterflies. So this chimney, which emits, I am assuming, no or little CO2, is actually emitting butterflies? I realize that butterflies are being used to represent clean air but it’s a stretch, to say the least. What about that family? It walked into this field, with a child, for the sole purpose of showing him or her this wonderful power station? Good thing my parents took me to the zoo because I think if we would have spent weekends visiting power plants…

The rest of the advertisement’s text is convoluted at best. This, by the way, is an advertisement that appeared in the Monday April 4, 2011 International Herald Tribune — a major international newspaper. Why then was the text seemingly written by a ten year old? Here is a sentence I particularly enjoyed: “Through innovation, we’ve made a more sustainable good life possible.” I don’t understand what a “more sustainable good life” is. One thing it is not is English.

Enel, if you want to create an advertisement that shows me, the mainstream IHT reader, make it simple. Tell me exactly what you want to tell me. Now, based on this advertisement, I am not really sure I could even guess, but let’s try. I think you are trying to tell me that your power plants, this one in particular, is helping the environment by reducing — maybe even eliminating — CO2 emissions. This is done by capturing and storing CO2 rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. Maybe at this point you would want to tell me what you do with it after you have stored it.

This is one more attempt at trying to appear ‘green’, too bad it’s faded green at best.