First “Check Before You Burn” spot airing in effort to curb wood burning
Sensis, a cross-cultural advertising agency with digital at its core, created an advertising campaign to help raise awareness about the effect wood burning has on Southern California air quality while introducing a new type of alert on days when wood smoke can create health and pollution risks. The campaign for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) includes radio, billboards, digital, social media, print, and on-air alerts along with television spots. The “Check Before You Burn” program encourages Southland residents to think twice before lighting fireplaces, fire pits and chimineas in the winter.
The commercial, produced by Tomato Studio LA for Sensis, acknowledges the allure of lighting fires during winter, but offers equally appealing alternatives when “no burn alerts” are in effect. The campaign message is told from the point of view of real-life 11-year-old asthma patient Juliette. She acknowledges that fires are appealing but the dirty air they sometimes produce has a direct impact on the health of people like her.
“It’s a fully integrated effort, because we want people to have easy, immediate access to alerts when they happen,” Sensis President José Villa said. “Just as important, we don’t want anyone to go without a wood fire when it’s fine to do so. By getting the balance right, we can bring all of Southern California together for a common good.”
About Sensis
Sensis is a cross-cultural advertising agency with digital at its core. Founded in 1998, the agency got its start building websites and has since expanded into a full-service advertising agency. The agency’s unique integrated model – fueled by ethnic insights – combines a cross-cultural approach to the general market with core digital capabilities. Focused on performance and measurement, Sensis was built from the ground up to address the foundational changes taking place in the advertising world – the fundamental role of digital media, mainstreaming of multicultural markets, and the transformative impact of social technology. Agency clients include DIRECTV, United Healthcare, the FDA, Metrolink, AARP, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Tadin Herb & Tea, and Southern California Public Radio.