The NZ Transport Agency’s latest road safety campaign ‘Let Driving Distract You’ positions the car as a chance to escape the noise of messages, notifications and distractions offered by your cell phone.
The 70-second spot, by Clemenger BBDO, shows young people constantly checking their phones, sending messages, posting to social media sites and constantly being in touch from the moment they wake up, throughout the day, till late at night.
The last part shows a woman getting into a car, putting down her phone, taking a deep breath, turning on some music and driving away as the words ‘Let driving distract you from your phone’ appear on the screen.
Clemenger BBDO executive creative director Brigid Alkema says the campaign changes what it means to not check your phone in the car.
“Instead of your car inconveniencing your connectedness, it can offer a sweet escape. A subtle yet brilliant flip that changes the way you think about the hierarchy of your car and phone. ‘Let Driving Distract You’ turns the car into a helpful and useful tool for phone resistance – a place to start practicing restraint.”
The ad was shot by Sweetshop director Jakob Marky, who says the film has a profound and important message.
“It covers comedy, drama and the dependent relationship we have with our phones, as they take more and more of our attention. It does this with nuance and sophistication, presenting all sides of the story, so that our message, ‘let driving distract you from your phone’, has authenticity.”
NZ Transport Agency’s Rachel Prince says phones are an innate and important part of everyday, modern life.
“With this campaign we want to find the positives in saying, ‘no’ and really celebrate those showing strength by denying the urge to check their phone while driving. All power to you checking those likes in the shower, just not behind the wheel.”
In 2016, Clemenger and OMD launched the ‘Hello’ campaign which aimed to get young drivers to put down their phones and see things from the perspective of their passengers.
Set to Lionel Richie’s hit Hello, the ad sees passengers intercept drivers’ hands as they reach for the phones in a non-verbal request for the driver to put the safety of their passengers first.
Credits
Client: NZ Transport Agency
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Media agency: OMD
Production company: Sweetshop
Director: Jakob Marky
Managing director: Fiona King
Executive producer: Ben Dailey
Producer: Larisa Tiffin
Editors: Jo Scott, ARC, Rasmus Gitz-Johansen
Post production: Perceptual Engineering Auckland
VFX artist: Jon Baxter
Colourist: Julien Alary
Sound designer and composer: Cam Ballantyne, Beatworms
