An innovative way to improve cycling safety — and sales

Hövding, a bicycle helmet brand in Sweden, wanted us to raise brand awareness in London, a key market, and demonstrate its product innovation. We knew that cyclists feel frustrated in London’s snarling traffic — how could we help them turn their frustration into action that could improve the safety of cycling in their city?

We did by reinventing the Hövding bicycle bell so that cyclists could alert not only vehicles and other riders in traffic to their presence, but also city planners to danger spots. Each ring of the bell wirelessly registered a geo-position on an interactive map available at the campaign website, and sent a frustration-tweet and an e-mail to Mayor of London’s office reminding him of his pledge to improve the city’s cycling infrastructure.

With partners MyNewsdesk and the London Cycling Campaign, we got 500 die-hard cyclists to sign up for a bell and start giving a beep about cycling safety on London roads. The team included experts from our Experiential, Public Affairs, UX Design, Motion Design, Package Design and Media Relations units.