"Mr. W" finds new breezy purpose for EPURON

The viral video clip, featuring "Mr. W", won many awards and offered new perspectives.

Watch and see why and how below.

The two minute video, which was also used as a TV commercial on business and news cable channels, is for German renewable energy company, EPURON.

This clip, titled "Power of Wind", dates back to 2007 but it only happened to chance across my radar this week. And I have to say it blew me away.

The concept and delivery is quite powerful. It doesn't take long to figure out that the Marceau-like figure, Mr. W, is the personification of wind. In this highly intelligent and sophisticated portrayal, Mr. W is cast as a forlorn, lonely and isolated figure with no recognition or true purpose. He is only someone who gets in the way and makes a nuisance of himself. Finding a way he can work to be productive is the final twist at the end.

"Mr. W"

During my initial viewing, I gathered he was the wind fairly early on. I just assumed this was some arthouse film noir style short film somebody had linked. The piano accompaniment in the background really gives the video a European style feel. The linking to wind power generation at the end quite was striking.

CREDITS

Epuron combined forces with the German Federal Ministry of Environment to create this. The Power of Wind ad was developed at Nordpol+ Hamburg, Hamburg, by creative director Lars Ruehmann, copywriter Matthew Branning, art directors Bjoern Ruehmann and Joakin Reveman.

Filming was shot by The Vikings and are also represented by Big Fish, Berlin, and Rokkit, London.

Power of Wind won a gold at Cannes in 2007, three gold at the 2007 London International Advertising Awards, a gold at Epica 2007, Grand Prix and Gold at Eurobest, two golds at the International ANDY Awards, gold and silver at the 2008 Clio Awards, and gold at the 2008 Golden Award of Montreux among others.