Reveal the smell of death and four more hard-hitting drug-driving campaigns.
With driving under the influence of drugs on the rise in many countries, it's clear more campaigning needs to be done to curb this dangerous trend. Here are a bunch of smart campaigns aiming to do just that starting with this one recently launched by Fred & Faris.
Smell Of Death | Victimes And Citoyens | Fred & Faris
How can you raise awareness about the dangers of drug-impaired driving in France and reduce the 700 annual deaths caused by it, which accounts for a staggering 21% of all traffic-related deaths in the country? French agency Fred & Farid, on behalf of non for profit charity Victimes and Citoyens, did so by placing a two-page ad in 100,000 copies of So Foot, a French soccer magazine, inviting readers to experience the smell of death by rubbing the reverse side of the page. The smell is actually that of cannabis, a drug increasingly used by drivers in France. Accompanied by the message, “On the Road, Death has a smell," the ad features a visual of a man driving recklessly and about to cause an accident. The powerful combination of smell and vision is expected to increase the effectiveness of the campaign.
The Call That Comes After | Drug Free Kids | FCB
In this PSA campaign created by Toronto-based FCB Six, the aim is to discourage teenagers from driving under the influence of marijuana. The campaign features a two-minute film called “The Call That Comes After,” which tells the story of a girl who gets into a car with her crush, who has been smoking pot. While the boy is distracted, he crashes the car, and the spot ends with a cracked phone screen that shows frantic texts from the girl’s mother. So far, so predictable. The twist is that parents who email the video to their kids can trigger customized text messages to send right when their son or daughter is almost finished watching the PSA. This enables parents to start a conversation with their kids around a difficult topic in a novel way.
Car Crash Flavoured Crisps | SAAQ | lg2
Are you stoned? Do you have the munchies? Do you feel like driving? This familiar thought process led SAAQ (The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec to team up with Foodarom and lg2 to launch a humorous rather than moralizing campaign that plays on the connection between cannabis use and the munchies. In a bid to discourage students from driving while impaired by marijuana, they developed car-crash-flavoured crisps, using blood, asphalt, and metal flavoring. While the chips weren't available to buy, a limited number of promotional bags were distributed on university campuses and media outlets.
The Unsaid | NZ Transport Agency | Clemenger BBDO
New Zealanders are failing to see the devastating impact of drug driving. To tackle this issue, a groundbreaking campaign was created by Clemenger BBDO Wellington. This was the first PSA to only run when it was needed, bringing to life real stories from real families who have experienced loss due to drug driving. With only 10% of Kiwis acknowledging drug driving as a problem, the campaign was an eye-opener, forcing people to face the heartbreaking consequences. The campaign relied on real-time responses, meaning that if no drug-driving deaths occurred, there would be no PSAs. By exclusively using real stories, Clemenger BBDO Wellington revealed in a gut-punching fashion the harm caused by drug driving.
You Can Run, But You Can't Drive High | The Ad Council | Vox Creative
Vox Creative, the Ad Council, and NHTSA teamed up to send a fun – spoof horror -friendly reminder to everyone that driving while under the influence of marijuana is not only illegal but also extremely dangerous. This fun ad shows a guy running for his life from a masked murderer with a splintered axe. He gets to his truck in a deserted gas station, finds his keys, and is about to drive… when he stops. He realizes he cannot drive. He’s high! While this campaign doesn’t outright condemn the use use of marijuana, it emphasizes the importance of being responsible while using it. So, whether you're running away from a masked killer with an axe or not, the message is clear - remember that it's illegal (and stupid) to drive high.