• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, November 27, 2006

BC Hydro lit up the holiday season last week in an eco-friendly way. The company launched the Power Smart LED Live Powered Billboard on Wednesday in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The energy-efficient billboard contains 1,500 LED lights in the form of a reindeer that will be lit for five consecutive days. How does this encourage users to conserve energy during the holiday season? The lights stay illuminated by volunteers peddling a bike. The energy it takes to pedal a bike can illuminate 1,500 LED lights, compared to 120 traditional mini incandescent bulbs.

BC Hydro will make a donation to the BC Branch of the Canadian Association of Food Banks for every hour the billboard is lit.

Roughly 120 volunteers will take a turn on the bike, whether rain or shine.

Now I know what you're thinking; this concept feels familiar, like you've seen it somewhere before. Well, you have.

The ad is eerily similar to one of ESPN's famous "This is SportsCenter" spots that features Lance Armstrong fueling the electricity to ESPN headquarters by peddling his stationary bike. When the power goes out, Dan Patrick finds Armstrong taking a break from his duties. Watch the ad here.

The campaign was developed by the Vancouver office of DDB Canada and also includes magazine and newspaper ads; print transit shelter ads; hand-cranked LED light transit shelter ads; and a pedal powered tree lighting display in Stanley Park. OMD Canada handled the media buy.

Each night a street team employed by BC Hydro remained on site to share tips with the public on energy conservation.

According to a spokesperson for DDB Canada, Vancouver, the original concept for the campaign was purely to tout the aesthetic value of LED lights. But the creative team took the campaign a step further and added an interactive street component supporting both the aesthetic and energy-saving features of the lights.

Later this week, visitors to Stanley Park will be able to climb on stationary bikes and illuminate decorated trees.