MY ROLE: strategy lead
SITUATION: The Utah Department of Transportation introduced a distracted driving campaign to high schools across the state with great success. Their next idea? Let’s introduce this to college students. However, they were having trouble finding the right tone for Gen Z
OPPORTUNITY: Taking on an entirely new message when it comes to the dangers of distracted driving. We’ve all seen ads that show the destruction, pain, and regret of a car crash, and have likely become numb to being told it’s dangerous. So why are we targeting the driver if it’s not working?
AUDIENCE: The Passenger in a vehicle. To create a social norm, peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing!
INSIGHT: Deaths caused by distracted driving are more preventable than any other auto-related death. It's idiotic to drive distracted. But what if we made it uncool to drive distracted by peer-pressuring drivers? Anti-smoking campaigns were successful by targeting people around smokers. Why can’t we do the same with driving distracted?
MESSAGE: You Drive, I’ll Text.
Glancing at an image: 1.3 seconds. Dying in a car crash: 0.6 seconds. We’re in college, do the math.
Oh no, you’re right. Your friend’s spring break trip to Cabo is definitely worth us dying for.
You’re driving. It’s okay to be off the grid for 15 f*#%ing minutes. You’ll live, and so will I.