One of my bosses—lucky man—is at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival where it is just wrapping up today. Several New Zealand outfits did the nation proud but I would like to divert your attention to this Bronze entry by BBDO Toronto.
Objective: Showcase the smart car’s impressive ability to park anywhere in a dense, busy urban environment. Concept: We created an oversized bike lock to exaggerate the smart car’s ability to park anywhere. We put this in various places around the city. Target Audience: Urbanites seeking a vehicle that makes sense for the city.
Vehicle that makes sense for the city … hmm, let’s see … oh, like a bicycle? Advertising people are a bit too out-of-the-box in a way that is detrimental to society sometimes*. Anyway, on to this week’s linkpile:
- Speaking of Toronto, the G20 summit was hosted there this year and the bicycle is part of the riot police gear. I like how they had to strap on their riot helmet to their racks and wear a ‘proper’ bike helmet instead.
- Over in Pretoria, their security guard who cycles is a bit more laid-back but watch out for his pepper spray
- Back home, Tim talks about how he runs T. White’s Bikes
- Northland has started a community-based initiative to lower speed limits and encouraging walking and cycling for more livable streets (warning: if you’re on an iDevice, the whole site is Flash-based. I know, right?)
- And we all know that livable streets drive up real estate values. Some astute agents in the US have cottoned on to this and are giving prospective homebuyers tours of the neighbourhood on cruiser bikes. Quick, someone build the cycling equivalent of Walk Score now!
- Cycling + data = the man who could unsnarl Manhattan traffic
- Uncoordinated scientists conclude that cycling is incredibly difficult
- The Auckland Cycle Style Evening is this Thursday. Here’s what they did at the Milan Fashion Week.
- Sweet Le Tour de France poster by I Love Dust for Bicycling mag
- Why go for a single minimalistic line when you can have a trapezoid handlebar?
- How to be … awesome!
- Finally, I leave you with this video that sums up what cycling means to a lot of us here:
* I enjoy clever ads for what they are but I don’t always agree with their messages.
