ad-of-the-day
30,000 Toy Cars Illustrate How Mass Transit Could Dramatically Reduce Traffic
Ad shows the potential impact of a free-trial program in Sweden
Most things look cuter when they’re in miniature, but does that still apply to something like thousands of cars stuck in gridlock?
A new ad campaign for Swedish public transit service Västtrafik turns toy cars into an imposing illustration of the 30,000 vehicles that could be removed from the road through a current promotion offering drivers in the region free bus transport for two weeks.
Removing 30,000 cars from the roads of western Sweden would amount to a 15% reduction in daily car commuters, a stat that creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors chose to represent through miniature cars. The result of the intricately assembled ad concept is a spot that shows the scope of what could be accomplished with the promotion:
The campaign suggests that if these vehicles were to remain parked for the day while the drivers took mass transit, it would reduce local traffic by the equivalent of 60 football fields covered in cars, while also saving around 2,500 tons of CO2.
The ad was created by the Swedish ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors for the public transport company, Västtrafik is hypnotizing to watch as the camera glazes over the insane size of the mini-car installation.
Funny enough, this isn’t Forsman & Bodenfors only recent campaign built around vehicles or toys.
The agency, best known for its Volvo Trucks ads such as 2013’s “Epic Split,” this month rolled out a new ad for the brand that offered some much-needed self-care to truck drivers as a promotion for its new, easy-on-the-muscles Volvo Dynamic Steering feature.
For another client—a sustainability award program—the Swedish agency recently used 3-D printed toys representing the future of food to promote more sustainable eating.
For Västtrafik, Forsman & Bodenfors got even more ambitious in its willingness to play with toys, this time having five people work more than 24 hours to assemble a a toy car installation approximately 48 feet long and 14 feet wide.
Here’s a brief look at how it was made:
“It matters if people park their cars—to solve gridlocks and to save the planet,” says Lars Backström, CEO of Västtrafik, in a statement about the campaign. “But large numbers are difficult to grasp, so this installation was made to visualize the impact of our free-trial initiative.”
CREDITS:
Creative Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
Art Director: Lars Jansson
Copywriter: Pontus Caresten
Account Manager: Greger Andersson
Production Manager: Helen Johansson
Designer: Christoffer Persson
PR: Robert Johnsson
Agency Producer: Åsa Hammar
Västtrafik: Joakim Gustafsson
Production Company: Camp David
Director: Oskar Wrangö
Editor: Fredrik Åkerström
Grade: Edward Negussie
Sound: Fredrik Åkerström & Joakim Kristensen
Online: Wille Rising
Music: EMI Music Publishing
