The Work
Gas Leaks Project "Hot and Toxic" by Zulu Alpha Kilo
A national PSA campaign that uses reality TV tropes to highlight the dangers of the 21 toxins in natural gas.
"Hot and Toxic" aims to convey easily comprehensible information about natural gas in a way that is informative and eye-opening but not anxiety inducing in the way that many PSA ads can be.
Using parody to deliver the message, the 21 air toxins found in methane gas are personified as "toxic" characters of a reality TV show, all of whom have taken over the house of one unsuspecting home owner named Janet.
The spot leans into the tropes, showing the characters drinking, partying, and even making out against the natural gas stove (which causes the burner to turn on unknowingly). It’s a rude awakening for Janet, who "thought ‘natural gas’ was safe." At the end, the super reads "The toxic reality of ‘natural gas’, now airing… in your home," and redirects to the microsite.