For the launch of the new Volkswagen Polo, DDB Brussels pulled off a surprising stunt. For the first time, the pictures for the new outdoor campaign were not shot by a photographer, but by the car itself.

To highlight the efficiency of its pedestrian recognitionsystem, a standard feature on the new model, the Polo was equipped with acamera that was directly connected to this active security technology. As aresult, each time the Polo automatically braked for a pedestrian, the cameratook a picture of him crossing the road. The actual pictures taken arecurrently being used in posters on Belgian streets.

Volkswagen Polo Safety Shoot from DDB Brussels on Vimeo.

Cross-media production company Fish Eye did the required engineering for this ingenious concept. A smart webcam detected the visual signals on the car’s dashboard, when the security system was activated,immediately setting off a camera that was fixed to the car’s bonnet. After a test phase, the Polo started collecting pictures from the pedestrians. Three pictures were selected by up-and-coming photographer Frederik Buyckx, who supervised the project, and then used for the new Polo’s outdoor campaign.