303 address drivers driven to distractions
303 Perth has launched a new campaign for The Office of Road Safety WA. The campaign addresses driver distractions for the first time in WA and forms part of the wider Road Safety strategy ‘Towards Zero’.
The 303-created campaign includes radio, TV, outdoor and online executions, as well as downloadable ringtones. The radio and TV commercials are intentionally confronting and startling in their depictions of what can happen to road users when a driver is distracted. They feature a cyclist, a motorbike rider, pedestrians and other drivers.
The campaign was designed to create awareness that driver distractions are an important road safety issue, and to explain to anyone using the street, but particularly drivers, that the everyday activities done whilst driving can in fact divert attention from the road.
Based around the core theme that ‘distracted drivers are dangerous’, the campaign was designed to reach everyone who uses the road.
Richard Berney and Davood Tabeshfar are the 303 creative team who conceived the campaign. Art Director Richard Berney says: “People don’t realise that distractions whilst driving can cause major injury and we wanted to bring it to people’s attention in a confronting way.”
Adds Writer Davood Tabeshfar: “Drivers who eat, read or write text messages, change a CD or put on make-up can seriously injure themselves or other road users.”
Research conducted during campaign development brought out awareness of these types of driver distractions: eating, drinking, smoking, changing a CD or radio station, putting on make-up, talking on the mobile, talking to passengers or children or picking up something from the floor, all whilst driving. This research was used to develop the creative and craft the messages.
The 30 second TVC features drivers of varying ages in different driving situations, each one faced with in-car distractions and the consequences for taking their focus off the road.
There are two 30 second radio executions each from a driver and victim point of view, and three versions of ads that touch on three different types of distractions. Bringing home the message on a medium one might use in the car was a significant part of the media strategy.
The outdoor executions will feature on Regional WA Outdoor Billboards and Metro bus backs. Whilst the outdoor demonstrates the distraction and consequence, the bus back creative relates directly to the medium in which it appears.
An online game was developed to reach younger drivers. It demonstrates that not paying full attention whilst driving can hit ‘creatures’ on the road and when one does, an important distraction message is played. The game, along with the ringtones and the entire ad campaign, can be found at http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/TopicsRoadSafety/Pages/DriverDistraction.aspx#advertising
CREDITS:
303:
Creative Director: Lindsay Medalia
Art Director: Richard Berney
Copywriter: Davood Tabasher
Agency Producers: Belinda Hawkins & Holly Kemp
Business Director: Donna-Maree Gavin
TV:
Director: Jess Bluck
Production Company: Revolver WA
Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie
Producer: Matt Barber
Radio:
(Victim Spots) Soundbyte Studios, Sound Engineer: Brad Habib
(Driver Spots) Eardrum, Sound Engineer: Ralph van Dijk
Ringtones:
Recording Studios: Turning Studios
Producer: Emma Hoy
Print:
Photographer: Allan Myles
Clients – Office of Road Safety WA:
Roger Farley, Director Strategic Communications
Doug Baird, Communications Officer
39 Comments
Is that phone billboard really ready for dispatch? The Ford symbol has been only partly rubbed out and the website has commas instead of full-stops.
Scratch that. They are not commas. The retouching on the logo still looks odd though.
Why PR the artwork file for the busback? A photo would have been much better.
It’s not a real campaign unless it has a low-rent online game… oh wait, it does.
I’ve always found this chapter from Republican Party Reptile to be most helpful:
“How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink”.
The campaign is unremarkable. But then perhaps that’s the point. The things that cause distraction are unremarkable.
Ha ha, shouldn’t the billboard read, ‘Don’t read this.’? A billboard for distracted drivers, distracting drivers…hmmm…
The TV is certainly unremarkable. I don’t mind the rest.
What a wasted opportunity. Surely, given the brief there were many better ways to answer it……and 1.35, your idea is more interesting than theirs.
This post has been both distracting and annoying.
OK. Let’s show a bunch of scenarios where people get distracted and then show the consequences of this being dangerous and then say that “distracted drivers are dangerous.”
This is seriously weak on a lot of fronts.
When did Revolver open a WA office??
Must be a deliberate typo to appease the politicians.
The die-cut for the busback was definitely the highlight.
This is how to do it properly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRwLb27VL7E
Winner at Cannes last year.
Well done, 3:23. That’s excellent.
Now, we don’t all have to be multi-media cute on every brief, but surely on a brief like this they could have been a bit more inventive.
This has nothing to do with it but is still pretty awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zod-UIZ_GU
Government briefs are quite tough. This isn’t too bad.
Hmmm this feels brave, but why not.
If you want to download the ringtones (not the busback artwork) here’s some instructions. Easy from a run of the mill phone, bit more faff from an iphone (thanks Steve J) but it’s been laid out for you nice and easy.
http://www.303.com.au/Projects/ORS/DriverDistractionsRingtones/
Cheers
Nic
gee I wanted this to be great, very ordinary at best. TV has no impact and no idea or did I miss something?? Print looks dated and again no idea or impact at all.
The TV is looks like it was written by the focus group but the radio is great. That background noise is annoying but.
?
boooooorrring. an award school student could’ve cracked this one!
What a waste of a wonderful opportunity.
Oi Richard, what’s with the kerning?
With what Grey do for road safety why would 303 PR this campaign on this blog? This may be good for Perth, but over here it is outclassed.
1.14 this is embarrassing for Perth.
There are no credits for the game. Wise move by the developer.
lol at Perth advertising *TINY* agencies, so glad all good creatives left to Eastern states or overseas
11:49
Speaking of *TINY* things, you must get sick of saying: “But I AM inside you!”
How about instead of pissing on each others heads we make the feedback productive. Like “how you could make it better is by….” that way we all learn and not look like 5year old boys with penis complexes. Just a thought.
How about instead of pissing on each others heads we make the feedback productive. Like “how you could make it better is by….” that way we all learn and not look like 5year old boys with shlong complexes. Just a thought.
OK, Mum! I heard you the first time.
(And HE started it.)
What is the difference between a “penis” and a “schlong”?
Hey didn’t Clemenger Wellington win lots of awards for exactly the same message two years ago. I’m pretty sure the line was the same too?
the ringtone’s are a great idea and should do well at award shows. sorry to break the negativity.
This iwas pretty cool also…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_2_EJogf2A
Oh that TV ad with that blonde childs voice is so annoying. Grating on your ears.
A bad match on the casting. Though the mother is quite good.
Please campaign brief, either turn the comments off, or vet them.
This constant bullshit about ‘how I could’ve done it better’ adds zero to the discussion and is completely uninformed.
The majority of people commenting about work posted, know nothing about the brief, the consumer being targeted or the client. But this doesn’t stop the uninformed and arrogant commentary.(And no I don’t and never have worked for 303).
I have however worked on a few road safety campaigns and based on what I know I’m inclined to think this approach will work well.
1.27pm.
If your PR/digital department is naive enough to release something on the blog on a Monday you have to expect a barrage of negativity from bored/bitter creatives throughout the week. Better to do what the big boys – who actually understand the power of social media – do; release the work on Friday then get your own people to sing its praises over the weekend – like the Picnic and Boost work. By the time creatives from other agencies start posting, the sentiment will be overwhelmingly positive. It’s all part of the game and a fully integrated digital agency will make the most of the opportunities anonymous posting on here provides. On this showing 303 are about 57 degrees short of 360 thinking.