Windy Windmill

"Dear Eneco,

If people think of me, they think of something which isn’t nice. I make noise, and some people even think I’m ugly. That makes me sad, cause… I’m good for the environment… right ?”

That’s the opening sentence of a concept participating in the Eneco competition, on Battle of Concepts. It’s the second time participating and I’m getting a bit nervous, last time with the concept for TNO we won the 5th prize, so I’m curious what it is going to be this time. Well, I’m quite sure we have one of the most protruding documents, with a heavily thought over starting point.

Let me explain a bit first. Eneco is one of the main power suppliers in The Netherlands and they have a problem. Windmills. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Or to be more clearly: “people like windmills, as long as they are at least a hundred kilometers out of their sight”- according to Eneco.

So… that’s approximately the main argument from people Not liking windmills. But what does it has to do with Eneco?! Well, Eneco wants to put more windmills everywhere, being pioneer in supplying sustainable energy. They joined ‘Battle of Concepts’ and put up a contest; to design, invent, create a windmill ‘to love’. Because that’s the problem. Nobody’s loves windmills.

After making tons of sketches and research, we came up with a shitload of ideas. From putting a whole theme park around windmills, decorating them, flourishing effects at night, and so on, we came up with something else. Accidently, by fun, a stupid idea of a windmill cartoon… easily as it came, it vanished… luckily we wrote it down. Because the next days, we stumbled over the stupidity, which could be genius. Easy, manageable, and even ‘loving’… Windy Windmill was born...

From designing all kinds of things around the windmill (or on it) we took a step back, designing a windmill you could love, in your imagination; a child’s imagination. Which in time, grows some conscious and making them unhindered towards windmills. On their time they influence their friends, parents and even grandpa and grandma.

It is a way of thinking we want to change. Explaining you could actually love windmills. Panda’s are sweet right? Well that’s only because you had a soft, small, cute and cuddling panda in your bed when you were a child, and that’s probably why you are as well donating to the WWF.

Exactly, you do not have any association with windmills! So, that’s why we should start at the beginning, with the youngest; designing a whole educational program including a cartoon, comics, games and a total promotional plan.

And that’s what we turned in. In Windy Windmill-style..