Havas Lisbon has rolled out a campaign on behalf of renewable energy giant EDP to promote the power wind.  

The campaign is anchored by a film featuring Olympic Gold Medalist Melissa Jefferson who is seen racing down a 100-meter track and setting a personal best time.  

The elite athlete had a little help. Behind her sat two of EDP’s massive wind turbines to give her a boost as she tore down the track at record speed.   

The main idea, says the agency, is to better explain the power of wind energy to doubters and its contribution to making a greener world.  

“The message is loud is loud and clear,” the agency declares, “we are faster with the power of wind.”  

“Our role isn’t just about responding to climate change, we are fueling economic growth and empowering communities worldwide,” said Vera Pinto Pereira, Executive Director of EDP. “Every revolution of the turbines takes us closer to a greener, more sustainable future.”  

Wavemaker is the media agency on the campaign which is airing on TV, digital and social media for three weeks across Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Poland, Belgium, and Denmark.  

Production studio Garage produced and directed the film.  

The energy category has been a challenging one for Havas to navigate. Last year industry group clean creatives challenged the holding group's B Corp status and that of several of its agencies (specifically not Lisbon), for taking on a Shell Oil account. B Lab agreed it was a transgression and revoked the company's B Corp status. 

At the time Havas issued a statement which in part read, "Our level of commitment towards sustainability remains unchanged, as evidenced by Havas’ receipt of the Gold Medal by EcoVadis - the world's most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings – earlier this month, the validation of our decarbonization trajectory by the Science-Based Targets Initiative in March 2023, and the deployment of the Havas Carbon Impact Calculator across all our agencies to promote eco-designed solutions." 

As evidenced by the current EDP campaign, the contretemps over Shell hasn't prevented alternative energy providers from working with the holding group.