The Parking Billboard
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles AG
Issue 36 | September 2015
Agency
Leo Burnett Frankfurt
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Andreas Pauli Creative Directors Art Daniela Ewald, Helge Kniess Creative Directors Copy Benjamin Merkel, Jo¨rg Hoffmann Creative Technologist Viktor Kislovskij
Date
June 2015
Background
Park assist systems were increasingly common in expensive cars. Fiat wanted to let drivers of other marques know that they too had the technology to make parking simpler and more enjoyable.
Idea
Dedicated software using ultrasonic detectors allowed the girl in the billboard to use her hands to show precisely the distance between the car being parked and the car behind. It made parking seem like child's play.
Results
Demand for Fiats with parking assist systems increased by 14%. The billboard became a talking point around town and ensured a substantial drop in the number of dented bumpers.
Our Thoughts
This was entered twelve times (at a cost of over €6,000) and was shortlisted just once. Maybe having a bunny girl as one of the parking assistants did not go down well, given the emphasis on gender issues at the festival this year. Also, the vacuous waffle in the submission, we" ensured a substantial drop in the number of dented bumpers." Still, it's exactly the sort of thing that people on the street like, even if jurors in a darkened room don't.