When in Brussels, the best way to get around is by public transportation. Still, there are plenty of car owners who don’t agree with this: For them, the best way to move from point A to B is by using their own car. For them, the concept of comfort means too much at the moment. Yet, hopefully not for long, as the transport operator STIB/MIVB and creative agency mortierbrigade unfold their campaign within our pages. The two come with a surprise for all the city’s locals, especially for the ones looking for their parked cars in Brussels. Instead of finding their vehicle, the drivers who use their car keys to unlock their car will find a tram.
How is that possible? mortierbrigade developed interactive billboards with special hardware and software that recognize the frequency of a car key and respond to it. Therefore, when a driver presses their car key near such a billboard, they will hear the famous ‘ding-ding’ of a tram, which nicely replaces the notorious beeps of their car. Plus, there is a series of interactive lights that blink in the same way when the car opens. Each panel is accompanied by a message: “The STIB/MIVB is the key to get Brussels in motion.” To get the best of the billboards, the Brussels-based agency looked for crowded spaces in the city where a lot of motorists have to look for a parking space.
“Car drivers are too often stuck in their habits. They continue to use their car for trips where they could easily and often more efficiently make use of public transportation. A large part of the motorists driving around in Brussels is looking for a place to park and the time they spend finding their car often takes them longer than the trip itself. With this creative campaign we bring the message home that the STIB/MIVB is the key to set Brussels in motion,” explains Joost Berends, Creative Director and Partner at mortierbrigade.
Oh, and by the way, not only the billboards react to the car keys. The billboards come with a number of ticket machines which have been equipped with special hardware that provides everyone who stands in front of the machine and presses their car key with a free STIB/MIVB-ticket. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity for the drivers to try out the metro, tram, or bus?
Ramin Afshar, Digital Creative at mortierbrigade thinks so and adds: “Actually we wanted every car key in Brussels to draw attention to metro, tram, and bus in order to convince motorists to use public transportation more frequently. With this technology scanning the frequency of the car keys, we’ve succeeded pretty much. Every ‘beep-beep’ becomes a ‘ding-ding’ and thus becomes a small advertisement for the STIB/MIVB. A car key advertising the tram is the twist we were looking for.”
The interactive panels are part of a larger campaign which highlights the role of the STIB/MIVB in Brussels. We are ready to try the tram in the beautiful city. Are you?