What if a billboard could help save lives? That’s the bold idea behind “Night Signals,” a new campaign launched by Chevrolet and Santo Domingo Motors in the Dominican Republic. The initiative transforms traditional advertising spaces into nighttime road safety tools—billboards that double as reflective signs, only visible in the dark.
Developed in partnership with the National Transit Institute and the Ministry of Public Works, the campaign was rolled out on two of the country’s most accident-prone highways: Duarte and Este. These roads alone account for nearly 30% of all fatal traffic accidents in the Dominican Republic.
The concept, devised by Ogilvy Dominican Republic, uses a special reflective vinyl film applied to existing billboards. Invisible during daylight, the material becomes fully visible when illuminated by car headlights, effectively guiding drivers through poorly lit areas.
For Chevrolet’s commercial director at Santo Domingo Motors, Ricardo Torres, this is more than just advertising. “We’re integrating our communication tools into the road environment in a responsible way. It’s a concrete way of giving back to society.”
Paola Soto, Head of Communications and Sustainability at SDM, views “Night Signals” as a call to action for other brands. With companies like Cadillac, Nissan, and Yamaha already expressing interest, there’s potential to expand the project into other regions.
Beyond its immediate safety impact, the campaign challenges traditional notions of urban advertising by injecting social value into commercial space. By blending branding with innovation and public interest, it shows how static billboards can become active agents of safety.
As the project looks to scale nationally, with discussions around more sustainable materials, it’s being positioned as a model for other countries facing similar road safety issues.
In the same spirit of creative problem-solving, Nissan recently introduced ANIMALERT, a device that emits sound to keep animals away from roadways—another example of how technology and advertising can intersect to serve the greater good.
