Advance Auto / Pothole Dummy

Project description:
Potholes cost U.S. drivers an estimated $3 billion a year, destroying tires, shocks and struts. This year Advance Auto Parts decided to hit back, and conduct the most insane pothole-pounding experiment the world has ever seen.

Instead of avoiding potholes, one Dummy attempted to hit every pothole in Chicago to answer the question no one has ever dared ask. How many potholes can one car take?

Outfitted with multiple cameras and a trunk full of tech (see photo), the Pothole Dummy car streamed the chaos live online, along with an LCD topper that displayed campaign messaging and the pothole count in real-time.

Videos were shot and edited daily and posted on social media, driving fans to PotholeDummy.com for the full campaign experience. The site also featured an interactive map, tracking the number of potholes hit and their severity, using the car’s accelerometer-based technology.

Various Chicago celebs wanted in on the action. Everyone from professional athletes, to local artists, to former members of Destiny’s Child joined the Dummy for ride-alongs through some of the city’s worst streets.

After 5 days on the streets of Chicago we ended up with over 1100 potholes hit, over 7 terabytes of video footage, and more than 35 edited videos housed on PotholeDummy.com.

Car tech highlights:
 - Internet enabled 2009 Camaro
 - Six in-car capture cameras
 - Live streaming cameras, broadcasting direct to website
 - Audio recording
 - Responsive (mobile, tablet and desktop) website
 - Car sensors captured real-time accelerometer based pothole severity detection and GPS location
 - Car top monitors displaying real-time pothole stats and messaging
 - Intra-day video editing for daily edits and social recaps
 - 35 videos shot, edited and posted during the one week event
 - 3000 watts of buffered power
 - Hundreds of feet of cables

Client: Advance Auto Parts
Project: Pothole Dummy
Project role: Technical planning, digital and experience direction
Execution: A car full of streaming capture technology and a comedian
Title: Director of Digital and Experiential Production
Agency: mono

https://potholedummy.com