Now This Is a Surprising Way to Save a Parking Spot

Y&R Moscow was behind this compelling social experiment designed to make drivers more mindful about stealing parking spaces intended for the disabled. For client Dislife, an organization serving those with physical disabilities, the agency came up with a clever tech-driven out of home idea that transformed the disabled symbol into a real human being.

The agency created a system whereby hidden cameras installed next to disabled parking spots in popular public spaces would recognize when non-disabled drivers were attempting to move into that space. If the cameras didn't see a disabled sticker on the vehicle, it would trigger a holographic image of a real disabled person to appear before the car and ask the impolite driver to move on and find a different spot.

The stunt was turned into a video that got the country talking, and ultimately, non-disabled drivers refrained from parking in those spots for its duration.

"Parking signs mean nothing for many drivers in Russia," said Dislife Founder Yuri Kovalev in a statement. "They prefer to forget about the people 'behind them.' That is what we are fighting with in this project."