Škoda Transforms Tour de France Penis Graffiti to Promote Women's Cycling

Special stencils get the job done

Drawings of men’s genitalia have long been eyesores along the race route at the Tour de France. It’s a thing. Pun intended.

This year, however, Škoda and AMV BBDO hatched a plan to transform these crude images into artworks hyping the Tour de France Femmes race and women’s cycling in general.

Crews tasked with scrubbing the streets of X-rated graffiti have new tools in their arsenal: stencils that turn naughty nobs into visuals urging fans of the men’s competition to #WatchTheFemmes.

Illustrators Celine Dormeau and Erin Aniker, from France and the U.K. respectively, helped develop the design system.

“Škoda started as a bicycle brand and has a long history of supporting the cycling community,” says CMO Meredith Kelly. “As a brand that is known for bringing creative solutions to real-life challenges, we chose this playful and bold approach to build awareness of women’s cycling and give it the visibility it deserves.

“The Eraser Men do their best to remove as many of these marketings as possible, but there are always more to deal with,” Kelly says. “These stencils allow us to turn something negative into something positive.”

With the men’s Tour de France underway, the work will be visible throughout the race, potentially reaching a global audience of nearly 4 billion. Social elements will come into play starting on July 24, when the women’s competition begins.