In response to the pandemic, bike sales have increased dramatically. But as the world relaxes the lockdown restrictions, e-bike company VanMoof poses a serious question: “Why go back?”, urging people to continue sticking to their eco-friendly mobility habits adopted during the pandemic and keep moving forward in a more sustainable way. The brand’s call is part of its latest global campaign, having as a starting point people returning to pre-pandemic ways of transportation.

Developed by VanMoof’s in-house team and shot by Amsterdam-based production company HALAL‘s director Paul Geusebroek, the campaign video, titled “The Future is Forwards,” has its action unfolding in a city overwhelmed by traffic. With Connie Conway’s “Brighter Side” playing as a soundtrack “to create an irony and a contrast between what you see and what you hear,” says Geusebroek, the audience is transported through a chaos of car crashes, angry drivers, pedestrians walking through a hazy fog of pollution, and passengers who look like being squeezed in a bus. All this madness happens in reverse, while a single person is spotted moving forward, triumphing over the gridlock at the helm of her bike — a simple action that both us and our environment desperately need.

The film inspires the world to keep moving forward rather than getting back to pre-COVID-19 transportation habits. “Even though the whole world had to change their routines, people easily revert to old habits. But if you can change car culture; if you can change peoples’ habits — that is so powerful. Hopefully, we’ve made a strong, thought-provoking piece that can spark off more conversation around this topic,” Pascal Duval, Creative Director, VanMoof, explains.

The ad reminds people about the positive mobility changes they adopted during the pandemic, inspiring them to “keep up to the momentum” and make progress towards a greener world and a more enjoyable lifestyle.

Speaking about the film, the director, who used camera and character choreography and cinematic imagery to bring the piece to life, said: “My aim was that the end of the film feels like a breath of fresh air. This bicycle stands for not just the environment, but also for escaping the rut that people are in — for cycling out of that nine to five grind. It stands for freedom: Everyone is stuck, but this person is just breezing through.”

The ad runs worldwide across platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. The campaign will be shown on TV in the Netherlands, Germany, and the US (from August 16), marking the first time VanMoof airs a TV commercial in the country — the brand’s biggest growth market.

“The Future is Forwards” follows the company’s first-ever TV commercial, which was banned from French TV by the country’s advertising regulatory authority, ARPP (Autorité de Régulation Professionnelle de la Publicité), due to it creating a “climate of fear.” In the film, the body of a car reflects images of the past, inviting the audience to rethink the way they move for a greener and cleaner future.

Credits:

Client: VanMoof

CMO: Andrew Smith

Creative Director: Pascal Duval

Head of Production: Joeri Breebaart

Project Manager: Samara van der Valk

Director: Paul Geusebroek

DOP: Menno Mans

Executive Producer: Gijs Determeijer

Producer: Job Sanders

Producer: Josefine Bothe

Production Coordinator: Sara Iselin

Service Production: Shelter

Editor: Brian Ent

Sound Design: Sauvage Sound Studios

Music Company: Sizzer

Grading: Laurens Orij

Post Production & VFX: Glassworks