(Photos © J. Maus)
People for Bikes, the national effort by Bikes Belong to raise awareness and support for bicycling, has just released a new video they hope will spread the idea that “Bikes Make Life Better.”
The short video, filmed in Los Angeles, uses projection technology to visually illustrate the impact bicycling has on cities. As riders — a woman on a Dutch bike, a profession commuter on a single-speed, and a group of BMX’ers — roll through the streets, birds, trees and waterfalls appear on structures around them.
Watch the video below:
Bikes Belong invited me to L.A. last month to go behind the scenes on this project. While there, I got to chat with John Frahm, account executive with Colle+McVoy, the creative firm that created the People for Bikes campaign and that oversaw production of this video.
“When they came to us initially a year and a half ago,” Frahm said, “they said we really want to do a movement to unite the masses. Something that breaks down the walls of all these different advocacy groups.”
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But that was then. With one year under their belts and well over 200,000 signatures on their petition, People for Bikes needs to get beyond the bike.
Frahm said so far they’ve focused on people who are already for bikes.
“Over the last year we’ve really spent focused on the endemic people; launching at the Bike Summit, then going to big events like Sea Otter and having displays in bike shops. Now we’re at the point where we’re trying to break it out into the masses.”
The “Bikes Make Life Better” video is part of that strategy. Colle+McVoy and Bikes Belong hope the video spreads virally online.
“It’s all about trying to seed it online and put it in front of people outside the bike industry and advocacy world. This is the first big thing we’ve done not solely served up through a bike filter… The first time we’ve tried to focus on building something that’s going to be sharable outside the industry.”
Frahm says the goal of the video is to, “… demonstrate how bikes improve life.” “Hopefully,” he adds, “people will take this and find something they identify with and use it to help build awareness and spread our cause.”
People for Bikes is taking the lead to create a national groundswell of support for bicycling. It’s no easy task; but branding and communications will play a huge role. I think the video makes a simple — yet important — point that’s often overlooked; that just by hopping on a bike good things happen to you and the world around you.
We’d love to hear what you think about it…