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| "Seriously. Do NOT make me got off this bike." |
If David keeps kicking Goliath’s butt—which seems inevitable
these days—we’re going to have to retire the idiom.
The latest giant-slaying is going on right now between the New Era
Colorado Foundation (David) and Old
Errors Xcel Energy Corporation (the at-bat Goliath).
New Era wants Boulder to wrest control of the power grid
from Xcel because they believe that the city can provide cleaner energy for
less money. As you can imagine, Xcel—which stands to lose $35 million in profit
that the good folks in Boulder shell out annually—disagrees.
In a fascinating video clip that rivals Kony 2012 in its rousing
help-us-save-the-planet climax and (some might argue) creative presentation of
the facts, New Era boasts:
“Back in
2011, our community did something no other community had ever done before: we
voted to explore taking control of our power supply for the sole purpose of lowering our impact on the planet. … If
we win, we trigger a national model that can be
replicated across the country.”
Upworthy posted the video last week and urged people to share it. Huff Post picked up the story and—to no
one’s surprise—the video went viral. Big time. (You can track the real-time
financial score board here.)
It’s not shocking that a bunch of energetic kids with honorable
intentions and decent video production skills could end up in the eye of a
media storm, especially with the help of Upworthy,
which is considered the Punkin Chunkin catapult of viral-video launches.
But it is nothing short of genius that they were able to get
such a response through creative
positioning.
Consider the claim, “Back in 2011,
our community did something no other community had ever done before: we voted
to explore taking control of our power supply for the sole purpose of lowering our impact on the planet.”
Taken at their word, you might think that Boulder is on the
verge of becoming the first municipality ever to commandeer the power grid from
an evil for-profit corporation. They’re not even close. Seventeen cities have
made the switch in the last decade, including Winter Park, FL, which took over its power utility in 2005.
But they would be the first to do so “for the sole purpose
of lowering our impact on the planet,” a caveat which—and this is
pure gold, Jerry—enhances their case rather than diminish it, as caveats often
do.
You might even believe, as the video states:
“Boulder is on the verge of setting
an important precedent that has national significance and could threaten not
just Xcel Energy but the very core of the business model—and the billions of
dollars in profit that come with it—of the dirty coal energy industry.”
Well, not really. There are dozens of cities considering
making the break, including Minneapolis, the city that Xcel is based in.
But the most brilliant bit of propaganda magic is found in
the pitch at the end of the clip.
“The only
way David beats Goliath this time is with your help. Because the only way to
counter money is with PEOPLE. … They might have the war chest, but we have the ARMY.
And we are here to recruit YOU. Right now, more than ever, we need YOU. Your financial support will help restore our
community’s voice this election.”
Yes, we need YOU … to give us YOUR
money.
Normally, I’d advise against
stretching the facts to make them fit your fattened claims. But this was done
so creatively and has been so successful that, as the Anchorman once said, “I’m
not even mad. That’s amazing.”
Up next: Xcel’s Spreadsheet of
Screw-ups
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