In a world where everything seems toxic, how do you promote electrification as a healthier lifestyle? You use anthropomorphic bears that’s how!

The challenge was presented to us by Boulder County (Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience) amidst their push for healthier communities and environmental change—so we brainstormed a campaign that invites people to adopt electric technology into their lives without making them feel guilty about their current choices.

Through that brainstorming, we kept arriving at the same conclusion: rather than pressuring people to make the switch to electric appliances and vehicles, we wanted our ads to lead by example. We set out to depict a lifestyle that felt exciting, innovative, and aspirational to encourage people to buy into everything that comes with “Living Electric:” lower energy bills, healthier air indoors and outdoors, and a world rid of toxic gas. It sounds utopian and almost too good to be true—but we leaned into that whimsy while creating buzz.

Using generative AI tools to create ultra-cool and healthy bear characters, we built vibrant animations that felt electrifying. Our bears were placed in real-life scenarios that showcased the benefits of their electric appliances like a bear that drives an electric vehicle (EV) to save money and cut toxic pollution, or a bear that cooks on an electric stove to reduce benzene leaks in the home.

From those scenarios, our “Living Electric” visuals were born. We paired each trend-setting bear scene with a digestible factoid that highlights the specific benefit of each appliance or vehicle pictured and adding a simple refrain showing the goodness of going electric: that’s a power move.

The result: a 360-campaign including local TV, connected TV, email, social media, and out of home bus ads placed via Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which is the leader in the transportation space when it comes to phasing out high-emission buses.

These bears are officially Living Electric all across Boulder County, and hopefully inspiring residents to do the same.