3D Billboard for the Colorado State Patrol

Paul Suggett , United States

My innovation was exciting because it was designed to help save lives. So rarely does advertising actually do a public good. By highlighting a crash in this way, it got the message to many more people than a traditional ad. And the news coverage also helped reach another segment of the target audience. It was thrilling to see the hard work pay off.

I was educated in England. First, as a fine artist. Then I switched to Graphic Design, before finally settling on being an advertising copywriter. When it came down to it, I much preferred thinking of new ideas than massaging designs. Innovation is an important part of the business I work in, getting a message noticed is getting harder and harder these days. So if you can find new ways to capture the imagination of consumers, through new billboards, new media, guerilla, flash mobs, you name it, then you truly are worth the money to your client or employer.

The Colorado State Patrol had tasked us with producing advertising that warned motorists of the dangers of tailgating around big trucks and semis. Many deaths happen each year as a result. So, I came up with the idea of creating a billboard that simulated a rear-end collision. It was the first time a billboard had been made that looked like the board had been crunched together. It took a lot of work with scale models, employing experts in outdoor billboard construction and image manipulation. The end result was something I was very proud of, and it had such an impact that several news stations in Colorado did a story on the piece. This in turn gave the Colorado State Patrol tens of thousands of dollars of extra PR for no money. It was a great success.

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