Cannondale billboards go up in Times Square, London, Berlin and more

WILTON, Conn. (BRAIN) — Cannondale unveiled a series of billboards in high traffic locations in four cities to tout its newest e-bike line and the benefits of cycling from a green transportation and health and fitness perspective.

The global advertising campaign revolves around the release of Adventure Neo e-bike, with billboards erected in Berlin, London, New York City, and San Francisco. The campaign ran for one day in both Times Square and in London a couple weeks ago, and will resume in the SoHo area of New York City in mid-April. It's still running in Berlin and San Francisco.

"Be the Change," reads one of the London billboards, while another reads, "Fresh air is good for you. It's good for fresh air."

The Adventure Neo will be available Tuesday, with four models, a step-through design, Bosch mid-drive motor, and an MSRP starting at $2,700.

"The bike industry usually advertises to existing cyclists, but that's just marketing to ourselves," Dennis Kim, vice president of global marketing for Cannondale, told BRAIN. "The pandemic has shown people what we've known all along that cycling is liberating and yet practical; we want to emphasize that with Adventure Neo."

Kim noted the ads don't focus on the bike's spec's.

"If we're going to be successful in the mobility space, we need to connect our audience with the experience our products provide so they can relate beyond the performance spec's," he said. "In this case, it's the fun, fresh air, and more sustainable means of transportation Adventure Neo offers."

Cannondale cites the bike boom for its desire to speak to a broader consumer demographic by embracing a new approach to marketing.

"We are making a strategic approach to reach a wider audience," Nick Larsen, vice president of global creative for Cannondale, told BRAIN. "The Adventure Neo is intended for an audience that might be completely new to cycling as well as new to e-bikes. With our campaign, the objective was not just to reach people on the ground but to put bikes front and center in locations and at a scale where you wouldn't normally see a bicycle advertised."

In addition to the billboards, Cannondale will promote the Adventure Neo through digital advertising and social media via Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Kim added that the campaign has been planned since last year and that Cannondale's global inventory for the Adventure Neo "is in a very good place heading into and throughout the spring season."