TAC launches documentary to highlight dangers of phone use while driving via The Taboo Group
The Transport Accident Commission has partnered with creative agency, The Taboo Group, to launch It’s People Like Us, a new approach to reach drivers and reduce the amount of injuries and deaths caused by distracted driving on the state’s roads.
It’s People Like Us features five young Victorians who regularly use their phones while driving, exposing the dangerously casual way we interact with our phones behind the wheel.
The concept, developed by The Taboo Group, strives to create conversation and awareness around the subject, suggesting that this kind of distraction while driving is more dangerous than people think.
Research commissioned by the TAC found that more people admitted to using their phone whilst driving versus using their phone when on a dinner date (49% vs 26%).
Says Matilda Hobba, client services director at The Taboo Group: “This is a deeply ingrained social problem that requires a progressive approach. Our phones have come into our lives so quickly that we haven’t collectively established when we should and shouldn’t use them and this is having serious consequences for road safety, as well as in our general lives. This body of work is designed to poke the bear – and to get people like us to look at our behaviour, spark community discussion and help to create a powerful social stigma. It’s the first step.”
To ensure the message reached its highly engaged and highly distracted youth target audience, the documentary launched online and was supported with a targeted social media campaign, research to identify current attitudes towards phone behaviours, media partnerships, consumer events and public relations.
Says Samantha Cockfield, lead director road safety at TAC: “Taking your eyes off the road while driving is extremely dangerous, and we know doing so significantly increases your crash risk. We expect this documentary will challenge the thought processes of people and make them feel a bit uncomfortable about breaking the law in this way – we hope that the film will drive conversation in the community around the subject. It’s everyone’s problem and we need to band together to find a solution.”
To reflect the importance of this body of work, the TAC have negotiated with COOL Australia to develop a national curriculum program to reach young Aussies before they get behind the wheel. The program will launch in 2018.
The TAC works closely with the Victoria Police, Department of Justice and VicRoads, in order to reduce Victoria’s road trauma via the Towards Zero strategy.
Client; Transport Accident Commission
Lead Director, Road Safety; Samantha Cockfield
Partnership Manager, Community Relations; Candice McDonald
Campaign Manager, Community Relations; Samantha Patterson
Creative Agency; The Taboo Group
Strategy Director; James Mackinnon
Client Services Director; Matilda Hobba
Senior Account Director; Kate Prowse
Social Strategist; Annabel Hawkins
Creative Director; Ben Keenan
Creative Director; Tommy McCubbin
Creative Director; Reece Hobbins
Copywriter; Carla Del Porto
Designer; Dane Falkström
Production Company; Positive Ape
Directed by; Eva Orner
Produced by; Jason Byrne & Fran Derham
Edited by; Sara Edwards & Andrew Stalph
DOP; Ellery Ryan Junior and Jaques Fischer
Original music; Cornel Wilczek
Additional original music; Pascal Babare and Tim Harvey
Post Production House; Method Studios
Sound House; Final Sound
PR agency; Alt/Shift
Managing Director; Elly Hewitt
General Manager; Sam Vassos
Account Director; Molly Hyndman
Account Coordinator; Emily Curran
12 Comments
Just watched the whole thing. Great, unexpected thinking.
This is pretty bloody impressive. Congrats.
While Clems was busy picking up more awards, another agency was making something interesting and impactful for the same client. If I ran Clems I’d be worried.
Heard about this on 3AW, then on the news last night and in the paper today. Watched the documentary and it scared the sh*t out of me. Could have been shorter but the point hit home. Reckon it might actually get people to think twice. Well done 👍🏼
Watched this front to back – compelling and confronting. Good stuff from Keenan as always.
This concerns me. I would obviously survive the crash, but what about my phone? Who’s thinking about the phones?
Brilliant work guys. Well done.
The above comments are obviously people from the agency who created this.
This thing has no strategy, and will not create behaviour change.
Nice work albeit too long. Lovely to see all kinds of people. Very scary how naive these youngsters are. What was missing for me were the consequences. Why would people change after watching this? Curious that it took three CDs to make this. Qudos Eva. Lovely doco work.
Nice work albeit too long. Lovely to see all kinds of people. Very scary how naive these youngsters are. What was missing for me were the consequences. Why would people change after watching this? Curious that it took three CDs to make this. Qudos Eva. Lovely doco work.
The strategy seemed quite simple to me – people use their a lot, they put cameras in cars, the people used their phones in the cars, people shouldn’t use their phones in cars. There’s something in that.
It’s weird I thought the strategy was fairly simple – people use their phones too much, using them while driving is dangerous, they put cameras in cars, the people used their phones in cars, people should stop using their phones in cars.