Safety Messages Come Straight from the Squirrel’s Mouth in New Campaign

As more and more media vie for our attention, consumers have developed a tendency to tune out safety advertising. A new campaign from Southern California Edison seeks to re-engage their interest with the ultimate authority on power lines: a safety squirrel.

'Safety Squirrel', a new campaign by IW Alliance, consisting of Dailey, GP Generate and IWGroup, features a frank, fast-talking squirrel who dispenses rapid-fire real talk about how to behave near power lines. Whether he's saving a partygoer's errant metallic balloon or stopping a distracted tree trimmer from making a serious mistake, Safety Squirrel intercedes in spots that are funny and memorable. A little nutty, even.

“Dailey’s focus groups confirmed a hunch. Few people recalled any messages from safety advertising at all, prompted or unprompted,” said Helen Cho, executive creative director at Dailey. “We needed to create a campaign that would be a departure from anything Southern California Edison had done before.”

“We really wanted something that would break through the clutter in five languages and appeal to all age groups, because in the end it’s about keeping people safe,” said Diane Tasaka, principal manager, brand and creative at Southern California Edison. 

Dailey’s diverse team created the 360 integrated regional campaign to be presented in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Mandarin - five languages commonly used in Southern California.

The first spots, 'Tree Trimming', and 'Metallic Balloon', debuted during spring tree trimming season and just before the annual uptick in balloon purchases around Mother’s Day and graduations. The scope of work also includes TV, digital, social, OOH.