Dark Mode Ads: a new perspective for urban communication
For those who communicate and for those who live the city: visit the platform and discover more about dark mode.
Dark Mode Ads: the future of urban communication according to Plenitude
A project that aims to combine technology and energy reduction to foster a new approach to advertising.
As a Benefit Company, we are committed to promoting initiatives that combine innovation with greater awareness in the use of energy, including in the conception of messages for urban spaces.
Advertising communication is a language that continues to move through cities and accompany people in their everyday lives; today, however, it is called upon to evolve. This is how Dark Mode Ads was created, Plenitude’s new project developed in collaboration with the creative agency LePub, designed to reduce the energy consumption of LED-screen advertising compared to traditional creatives.
An illuminating initiative
The project starts with shop windows and LED screens in our stores in Italy and in Digital Out Of Home (DOOH)¹ spaces in Italy, Spain and France, which will now switch all creatives to dark mode, maintaining readability and communicative impact while reducing energy consumption compared to previous ads.
This is confirmed by a study conducted in Italy by Certimac², an independent research institute commissioned by Plenitude, which highlighted how darker tones require less energy, as each pixel needs lower intensity to be reproduced on LED screens. With dark mode images, it is possible to achieve energy savings of up to 74%³ compared to the energy consumption associated with the projection of traditional versions of the same images.
The first dark mode billboard was launched in Madrid, in Plaza Callao, one of Europe’s main symbols of digital communication, and simultaneously at Castel Sant’Angelo–Lungotevere Prati in Rome and in La Défense in Paris, iconic cities where we are present with our retail activities.
This marks the beginning of a broader change: in a world where the right message can make a difference, we want to invite companies, brands and industry operators to do their part. How? By joining the initiative through the use of a technological platform developed by LePub, DarkModeAds.com, a tool available to everyone.
1. Digital outdoor advertising that uses LED screens, totems and large-format displays in high-traffic public spaces (streets, stations, shopping centres) to deliver dynamic, video and interactive content, updated in real time.
2. https://corporate.eniplenitude.com/content/dam/plenitude-corporate/documents/eng/chi-siamo/partnership-ed-eventi/dark-mode-ads/Dark_Mode_Ads_Reporting_Measurement_Campaign_Energy_Savings_Verification_ENG.pdf
3. Energy savings related to the use of Dark Mode were calculated based on tests carried out by Certimac (insert correct wording) in March 2026 in compliance with the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol. The assessments covered 15 images with different colour schemes taken from Plenitude advertising campaigns. Energy savings were measured by comparing the energy consumed to project the same set of images on LED screens (SMD technology) before and after the use of Dark Mode Ads.