Young engineers take control in new Hydro campaign

(June 13, 2007) In the latest of two new Hydro campaign films, a group of budding engineers reroute a train track

YOUNG ENGINEERS: After advanced construction work, the kids take control of the train and send it into a loop...

(June 13, 2007) In the latest of two new Hydro campaign films, a group of budding engineers reroute a train track into a gigantic rollercoaster loop, illustrating that engineering is anything but boring...

The film is part of a new Hydro campaign aimed at convincing young Norwegians that sciences are fun and exciting. The main message of the campaign, running from early June to the end of the month, is: "There are many young engineers out there. We can’t wait to see them grow up."

The two action-packed short films, filled with experimentation and impossible stunts, are running on MTV and TV3 after school hours, aiming to reach budding engineers. The films are also broadcast on TV2 later in the evening to reach parents.

"Our message is that engineering is cool," says Hanne Haugen, responsible for brand communication in Hydro. "Hopefully, we will manage to spread that message to young Norwegians who will later be Hydro employees, customers or partners," she says.

CAMPAIGN: "There are many young engineers out there. We cant wait to see them grow up." The short campaign films were produced by the Norwegian bureau DDB.

As the creative teenagers take control over the train in one of the films, the other clip shows a group of kids taking over dad’s car with a remote control – with dad still in the car – driving it through a garage and up on two wheels. The kids burst out laughing when they realize their power.

"The films show situations where children, through the art of engineering, get the upper hand on grown-ups – in a playful and comical way," Haugen says. "We want to raise their curiosity and knowledge about engineering."

The campaign is also meant to attract visitors to the newly opened national science center ’VILVITE’ in Bergen, which Hydro has supported with NOK 100 million.

In addition to the television spots, the campaign includes spots on Norwegian internet news sites such as vg.no and dagbladet.no, and a web campaign on Hydro's website at www.hydro.com. The video clips are also available on the popular website YouTube at www.youtube.com.

• Curious about the short campaign films? Click on the links in the right-hand column!