Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is the most congested city in Europe (according to TomTom Traffic Index) and one of the most polluted cities on the continent. The situation is so serious that the European Commission started infringement procedures against Romania, on behalf of European citizens’ right to breathe clean air. Atmospheric pollution reaches as high as 10 times above recommended levels, causing severe health issues for the population. The main causes are heavy traffic and the large number of old vehicles that are still on the road. Electric cars with zero emissions, like the Renault ZOE, could make a real difference in the air quality of the city, but, unfortunately, most Romanians still consider them to be unaffordable. Renault needed to fix this problem, bringing their flagship electric car within reach of regular Romanian drivers, while also having a positive contribution to life in the city.

Renault launched The DisCO2unt Billboard, the first activation that uses real-time pollution data to generate live discounts for the Renault ZOE, the flagship electric vehicle of the car-maker. As air pollution in the city went up, the price went down. This way, the zero-emission car became affordable right when the city needed it the most.

One of the biggest digital displays in Europe, in congested downtown Bucharest, was connected to air quality sensors in high-traffic areas. As real-time information came in from around the city, a custom-made algorithm converted pollution data into dynamic content: the price was updated every 6 minutes on the billboard, creating an air-quality responsive outdoor ad.

People only had to connect to the billboard on the spot, claim the price and head to a dealership to take advantage of the special Renault ZOE discount.

While the issue of air pollution in Bucharest is significant and appears on prime-time news, ordinary Romanians have few options to improve the air quality of their city. The zero-emission Renault ZOE could make a real difference, but many Romanians don’t consider electric cars to be affordable. So, we decided to link pollution (the pressing issue) and price (the barrier), in a campaign that's more than just a discount promotion for a car.

First, we needed to make pollution quantifiable. We collected air quality data from around the city, and then linked it with the price of the Renault ZOE. As pollution went up, the price went down. Just at the moment when the city needed a zero-emission car the most, it became more affordable. An algorithm processed the real-time pollution data and converted it instantly into the variable discount that appeared live on the digital display.

Since the campaign aimed to bring the Renault ZOE closer to Romanians, we targeted the wide range of drivers and pedestrians passing through the town-center. We chose the biggest digital display to make this statement bold and visible.

The DisCO2unt Billboard was implemented on the second largest digital display in Europe: Cocor MediaChannel, in downtown Bucharest, Romania. The huge billboard was connected in real-time with sensors that measured air pollution in the city and, with the help of an algorithm, translated the data into discounts. The campaign was launched on the 16th of April.

We correlated two data sets: air pollution from Bucharest and the price of the Renault ZOE. To achieve this, real-time complex pollution data was gathered, from sensors in the city: different sized particulate matter, like PM10, PM2.5 and PM1; atmospheric conditions, like temperature, pressure and humidity; and relevant locations, to have a precise average of the air pollution in the city.

The collected data was then processed by a custom-made algorithm that reduced the price of the Renault ZOE, proportionally. By connecting to the billboard, anyone could claim the discount displayed at that moment.

The DisCO2unt Billboard had a huge reach in downtown Bucharest, on one of the busiest boulevards, with a traffic of 3 million cars/month according to police authorities. Over the course of the campaign, discounts have constantly been generated thanks to variations in pollution data. Since the promotion is still ongoing, sales numbers are unavailable, but we proved to Romanians that Renault ZOE was closer and more affordable, right in the moments when it can make a difference for the city’s air quality. This way, in a country where new technologies can seem far-fetched and not relatable, Renault also positioned itself as the practical and affordable future of mobility.