GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN — Four cities. 405 hours. 22 protestors. And one initiative where micro-mobility brand TIER and their global creative agency Around You was taking a stand against car traffic in cities. Since late April this year, people have been protesting for days inside cars under the initiative “Beat Traffic For Good”.
According to traffic data from TomTom, people spend hundreds of hours stuck in traffic every year. With that in mind, TIER Mobility together with their global PR lead agency Around You decided to let people protest inside cars across Europe to demonstrate the absurd amount of hours we are wasting every year.
“By demonstrating the wasted hours in traffic in cities throughout Europe, TIER Mobility has been able to communicate the importance of freeing cities from cars. It has given us a platform to spread the message and show that micro-mobility is one of the sustainable alternatives for getting around in cities,” says Roman-Alexander Shäfer, Director of Global Communications TIER Mobility.
It all started off with 66 hours inside a car in Gothenburg before it took traction and the protests spread to Berlin (108 hours), Oslo (98 hours) and Paris (133 hours). With influencers like Ben Dahlhaus, Giannina Haupt, Lea Camilleri, Panayotis Pascot, Isah Ayagi and Ida Broen joining the fight to beat traffic for good. Through a livestream, people could follow the protests inside the cars. And despite good efforts from the protestors, like inside meditation and a tattoo session, you could see them suffering from extreme boredom, stiff backs, heat, and fatigue. Further proving the cause of the campaign.
“Our goal was to raise awareness about the time we waste in traffic. The unnecessary emission that it brings. And that we need to change the way we move around in cities, so that we can have a greener future. Our campaign that started in Sweden and became an international revolution is a great start, but hopefully just the beginning of something even greater,” says Pia Mader, creative at Around You.
The campaign was live streamed in over 40 countries, with millions of people watching the protests unfold and thousands of people joining the fight against car traffic. Resulting in interest from local decision-makers who also decided to join the conversation.
