"It's about using the road as a canvas."

In 2009, the Pittsburgh agency Deeplocal partnered with Nike to create Nike Chalkbot, a machine used to print messages of hope and survival on the roads of the Tour de France.

Messages were received via Twitter, SMS, web banners, and wearyellow.com, then printed along 13 stages of the Tour de France. Those who had messages printed on the roads were also sent a photograph along with GPS coordinates. The Chalkbot took the media by storm and garnered worldwide attention, all through earned media.

This campaign is one that stands out to me for two reasons:

1. The Chalkbot itself was unprecedented. It gave audience members a chance to have messages of remembrance, strength, and hope created into something tangible.  
2. The project gave audiences the chance to engage in an unprecedented manner. The strength of the campaign was rooted in the audience's ability to create the messages themselves.