At DDB, Ben Wolan from our San Francisco office asked me to help with ideas for Energy Upgrade California, a campaign to unite Californians in achieving energy goals. Digital billboards consumer a lot of electricity but yet are still one of the most impactful ways to get your message to consumers. Whether it be in Times Square, or along the 405 in Los Angeles.. EUC partnered with McDonald’s to use existing ad space. We aimed to create a billboard that lights up at night without electricity for Earth Day, showcasing innovative out-of-home advertising.

I went deep on solar cell power generation and battery storage. We rented a trailer of batteries and solar panels and set them up along the 405. During the day the batteries would charge and then slowly discharge at night. The billboard was 100% off the California power grid.

The “light” was achieved by using electroluminescent tape. Which can be trimmed to any size. The power consumption is minimum. The vinyl was printed in a unique way. If up close you would notice a different saturation pattern in the area where you want the light to come through. Essentially, creating a “new” billboard at night.

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Press

"DDB San Francisco's Alternative Ad for Energy Upgrade California Shines a Light on Energy Saving" - LBB Online

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