Marcus Hadfield is Head of Digital at London-based creative agency Meteorite. About 2,000 people a year are estimated to lose their lives nationally by forgetting to put their seat belt on, according to The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP). This local government alliance has come up with an awareness campaign that’s making waves far beyond these shores. ‘Embrace Life’ launched online on 26 January and built up 1.5 million views in it’s first 20 days. Hadfield calls it a public service announcement with a difference. ‘It ditches every road safety campaign cliché and instead, simply shows the joy of living,’ he says. ‘In so doing it delivers a positive emotional response, rather than a tired old shock.’
The New York Daily News used this ‘Embrace Life’ as an example of the sort of advertising that they think should have been shown during the Super Bowl. ‘Isn’t that brilliant?’ adds Hadfield. In the film, a man is protected from a deadly car crash by the embrace of his family. ‘I wanted to create a visual metaphor addressing how a single decision in a person's day can greatly influence both their own and their loved ones' lives,’ says director Daniel Cox. The filming required some high tech equipment made available through the support of film equipment rental specialist, Take 2 films. An additional 93 thousand watts of lighting was required to create the right effect.
‘If the idea is good enough, then people will take notice no matter how big your budget is,’ says Hadfield. ‘That’s the reason why this amazing film has been viewed across the globe by millions without an expensive advertising agency or huge media spend.’
It’s generated such interest that negotiations are currently underway with broadcasters internationally who want to air it on television channels.
The campaign may have launched online but it was accompanied by a distinctly local campaign created in partnership with prominent South East graffiti artistAroe and Brighton and Hove City Council. Aroe helped to identify sites and then repainted them with the Embrace Life logo – sometimes as large as 20 feet high. "It’s hard to believe that this campaign came directly from local government – the film is creatively bold, beautifully shot and perfectly soundtracked,’ says Hadfield. ‘I can’t imagine they had deep pockets, but they certainly didn’t scrimp on production or creativity.’
No comments:
Post a Comment