WeHo’s Drought Warning Video Gets National Attention

The City of West Hollywood’s drought public service announcement video isn’t only attracting attention locally. Ad Age, the country’s leading advertising industry publication, has listed it as its editor’s top pick for creative PSAs on its Creativity website. And Wired, the technology magazine, has called it “the best drought PSA ever.”

Released on Oct. 12, the video is titled “Winter is Coming! But the Drought is Far From Over.” Designed as a mock TV-series preview trailer, the video is based on the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The one-minute experience takes audiences on a dramatic journey — instead of traveling through the mythical land of Westeros, viewers travel on a storybook tour of what West Hollywood may look like when the water runs out. Its message is direct: “Drought is Here. Our Water May Soon Be Gone. Conserve.”

“The video is a fun parody of the show stuffed full of references, from a Daenerys lookalike crawling through the California desert, to a Tyrion character pronouncing solemnly: ‘No one knows how long it will last’ and a Jon Snow impersonator disrobing under the hot sun,” said Ad Age. “As well as the (somewhat cheesy) acting, there are also flames, dragons, swords, the foreboding GoT cello music and a map of California recreated in the style of the show’s title sequence.”

“While we’d question Wired’s assertion that it’s the “Best Drought PSA Ever,” it’s certainly a memorable spot and appealing to the show’s millions of fans is a savvy move. The ad was created in partnership with Change the Course, a water sustainability campaign from partners Participant Media, National Geographic Society, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.”

Wired noted that “the City of West Hollywood wanted to raise awareness and inspire action in a way that wouldn’t be as easily ignored—so instead of a public scolding, the city appealed to everyone’s love for Game of Thrones.”