EDF Energy Thank yous is a rewards scheme that allows EDF Energy to thank its customers, just for being customers. Month after month after month. Our task was to bring the rewards, which included tickets to the London 2012 Olympics, to life. The Thank yous Zoetrope did just that, in a magical, visual extravaganza.

A 2D zoetrope traditionally animates by rotating a cylinder, lined with static images inside. Slits in the cylinder keep the pictures from simply blurring together, so the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion. Our 3D zoetrope replicated this technique by using a strobe light. The light effectively tricks the eye. And a quick succession of these moments creates the animation.

Our hand-built machine rotated at an exact speed and was lit with a strobe flashing exactly 15 times per second. We had to film at 6.047 frames per second to create seamless animation. No CGI was involved. It was 100% genuine, to promote a genuine thank you.

Each model had its own unique one-second movement – the length of time it took for the zoetrope to make one full revolution. From back-flipping gymnasts to hovering hot air balloons, we created movements that would add up to an eclectic visual extravaganza. The end result being a machine, and piece of film that really did leave people feeling better.

The campaign has generated 542,000 entries to date, an impressive 18.7% response rate. And, off the back of our campaign activity, EDF Energy came second in Olympic Sponsor awareness. Ahead of some very big brands, with very big spends. But most importantly, our Net Promoter Score went up 31 points. Proving people really did feel better after watching the zoetrope.