A guerilla campaign by electric performance brand, Polestar, is boosting the conversations at Climate Week NYC that began on September 22. The campaign is bringing attention to a common “toxic relationship” – the one between consumers and their gasoline cars.

Posters across Manhattan ask drivers if they’re a “Dinosaur juice addict?” or if “It’s your dad’s fault?” Each points to a hotline, 1(888)260-1596, where callers get blunt facts about fossil fuels and why it’s time to end their relationship with petrol engines.

The creative strategy taps into culture by framing the combustion engine as a bad relationship people can’t seem to break up with and positions the electric car as a healthier alternative. With over half a million cars driving into Manhattan each day, the campaign’s urban staging ground makes the impact both immediate and relatable.

The guerrilla OOH is supported by a shareable hotline mechanic, also promoted through a collaboration with influencer, @tedzhar, that went live on September 23. 

“The industry keeps clinging to outdated tech. We wanted something raw, disruptive, and impossible to ignore,” says Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability at Polestar.

The campaign runs alongside Polestar’s role as partner of Climate Week NYC and Klarén’s appearance on its flagship panel, “The Challenge, the Change and the Tech.”

Credits
Creatives: Hunter Skipworth, Adam Eklund, Maja Leis Ljungmark, Benjamin Akinyemi, Nicole Delay
PR: Ellen Broomé, Neele Himmelmann
Project Lead: Helena Rosenqvist Hallin, Jonas Karlson
Social: Filip Frankfelt
Photography: Per Norberg, Victor Palm
VO: Nicole Joël Roswall