In cities, cycling is surging. A way to get around, to breathe, to explore differently. But this boom, unfortunately, comes with a rise in accidents: in fact, 70% of them occur in urban areas*.
And despite public authorities’ efforts, cycling remains risky. Potholes, dangerous intersections, car doors opening unexpectedly, and inattentive drivers and pedestrians. Today, danger is everywhere, yet nowhere is it signalled for the millions of cyclists who take to the roads every day.
During the 2025 Tour de France, of which Škoda has been a partner for 21 years, the brand has chosen to extend its role as a supporter where it is truly needed – in the city.
Škoda and DDB Paris have developed Safety Billboards, OOH advertising panels transformed into road signs. The Business Intelligence teams at DDB Paris collected all available data on the most accident-prone areas for cyclists. These include dangerous intersections, pothole locations, high-risk crossroads, and collision zones between cyclists and other road users.
This data was cross-referenced with the locations of JCDecaux and City panels in six major French cities – Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Lyon, and Strasbourg – to match each point of contact with messages tailored to the specific risks of each location.
This cross-referencing enabled Remind PHD to select the nearest advertising panels, which Škoda then transformed into signage capable of warning cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians of various dangers. Helping to keep cyclists safe.
The campaign was rolled out in July in six French cities, as well as on the brand’s social media channels.
Credits:
Client: Škoda
Client Team: Rodolphe Chevalier, Ludovic Bouisset, Céline Hahn
Creative Agency: DDB Paris
Account Team: Vincent Léorat, Coralie Bouillier, Adèle Hrabina, Juliette Savi de Tové
Chief Creative Officer: Alexander Kalchev
Creative Directors: Benjamin Dessagne, Stéphane Santana
Copywriter: Steven Daout Art Director: Charlotte Faurisson
Strategic Planning: Margaux Grenouilloux
Post-Production: Sylvie Dumas
Sound Production: Studio 5
Team: Marine Cremer, Cédric Boit, Clément Reynaud, Alexandre Vicart
Media Agency: Remind PHD
Media Team: Olivia Deschamps, Martin Briand, Jules Oster
*Source: French Ministry of the Interior, 2021
