BMW: Animal Detecting Billboards

Credits & Description:

Title: Animal Detecting Billboards
Agency: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann
Brand: Bmw Austria
Country: Austria
Advertising Agency: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna
Entrant Company: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna
Media Agency: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna
Pr Agency: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna
Production Company: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna
Additional Company: Vsvl, Pressbaum
Copywriter: Daniel Kovacs (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Account Manager: Julia Dragosits (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Production Assistant: Sandra Gloning (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Executive Creative Director: Dushan Drakalski (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Copywriter: Michael Wyhnal (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Account Supervisor: Christin Herrnberger (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Art Director: Lukas Hueter (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Creative Director: Alistair Thompson (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Producer: Marcello Demner (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Director: Juergen Hackl (X)
Art Director: Sebastian Hofer (Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann)
Outcome:
During the runtime not a single accident has occurred in the areas covered by the Animal Protecting Billboards. They brought safety to several thousands drivers.
Execution:
LED Screens were not available at any the identified known animal crossing areas, so the Animal Detecting Billboards were installed temporarily. The 61 billboards started to cover the areas for 6 weeks, beginning on the 21st March, 2016, the first day of spring.
Synopsis:
In Austria, almost every 15 minutes, road kill happens, causing over 100.000 accidents a year.Until now the only protection available for drivers came from static traffic signs, marking the most critical areas of wildlife crossings.But especially at night, the most likely time for road kill accidents, those signs do little to help drivers when it matters most. BMW wanted to communicate that its Night Vision system can help drivers spot possible dangers like people or animals on the road, in the dark of night. Our objective was to establish the BMW as one of the leading brands in driving assistance technology.
Campaign Description:
We installed LED Billboards on Austria´s most critical road kill areas and implemented the BMW Night Vision system. The Animal Detecting Billboards can spot people and animals at night up to a distance of 300m. As soon as the remote infrared system and it´s thermal camera detected animals, such as deer, cows, rabbits or wild boars, a bright warning appeared on the billboards instantly. After the animal moved out of the sensor field, the billboards switched to normal, showing a Night Vision live feed of the road.
Strategy:
We wanted to bring safety to every road user and show them the advantages of BMW technology. The core target group were people considering a new purchase of a premium car. The analysis of data from wildlife crossing accidents made it possible to identify the most dangerous areas in Austria and come up with a precise media placement strategy.