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Watched by Jason F. on February 22 2010:

Wonderfully conceptualized, beautifully executed public service ad from Sussex Safer Roads. One of the best ads I’ve ever seen.

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30 comments so far

Theo Mills 22 Feb 10

Holy shit. Wow.

Adam Wood 22 Feb 10

That was frikin’ awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Tyson Caly 22 Feb 10

Wow, is right. That’s charged with emotion.

Ben M 22 Feb 10

Nicely done…

Amanda 22 Feb 10

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to watch after the last driving video posted here – not complaining, just aware that sometimes my tastes differ from (plural) yours. But this one was great, and was totally me-safe.

So just a public service notice – this video is totally watchable if you’re like me. :)

Denis Fadeev 22 Feb 10

He is delighted (1:15). He just smashed someone.

It is hilarious to crash shit wearing a seatbelt (god mode: on).

Will Duncan 22 Feb 10

Great find. It’s really cool to see something that creative on such a topic.

Casey 22 Feb 10

I didn’t know Chuck Norris got in car accidents

Borna 22 Feb 10

Chuck Norris doesn’t get into car accidents. Car accidents get into Chuck Norris.

Doug Clinton 22 Feb 10

Very nice. I can tell you, though, as a resident of Sussex, that the roads would be a hell of a lot safer if the council got out and fixed the potholes. Seems they spent all the money on their advertising budget instead.

Fredrik Bach 22 Feb 10

Effective stuff. Reminds me a little of the seatbelt campaign that has been going on for a while i Norway.

MC 22 Feb 10

Nice find, Jason. It actually brought tears to my eyes (just a little). I must be getting older… But thanks.

Heiko Behrens 22 Feb 10

This is beautiful, Jason. Thank you for sharing.

Denis Fadeev 22 Feb 10

The point I was (unsuccessfully) trying to make is when you make a social advertising, especially on a such a complicated and uneven topic, you wouldn’t want your creation to be misunderstood in any way.

The last part of the film screams: “I’m not so worried about this incident, because I wear my seatbelt and thus I’m alive”.

Social advertising is not just nice images, baby crocodiles and a load of positive feelings, it’s a powerful tool that can assist you or make things worse, if used inappropriately. It should be produced and tested carefully on assumption that people will misinterpret it, mock it, add nasty meaning to it etc.

And after it will, we will call it design. Otherwise, it’s fine art.

Regards, Denis.

Christian Lupp 22 Feb 10

Amazing … creativity at it’s best. Thx Jason for sharing it!

Paul Treacy 22 Feb 10

Such simplicity and elegance in putting forward so crucial a message makes for powerful filmmaking. So, so moving.

Fernando Emmanoel Borba 22 Feb 10

That was fantastic. For sure this ad will win awards. Thanks for sharing.

In Brazil with have a big problem with Alcohol, a lot of drunken drivers messing up.

Pies 22 Feb 10

Very nice, if a bit slow.

Matt Morse 22 Feb 10

I think PS messages like this are far more effective than laws, as long as they get in front of the right audience. Too bad this hits home most of all to the parent demographic—one already more likely to wear a seat belt and be more cautious. I’d like to see as emotive a message targeted toward the bullet-proof 16-30 single male age group (been there, I’m different now that I’m pushing 40 with kids). Extremely well done; I’d put money on the talent and/or direction having a background in dance.

(another) Bob 22 Feb 10

Powerful. Made me think of Father’s Day.

David Andersen 22 Feb 10

@ Dennis Fadeev:

What?

Dan Boland 22 Feb 10

I also thought it was a bit slow. Also, I always feel like PSAs like this are preaching to the choir—the folks who don’t wear safety belts probably don’t give a shit about well-made advertisements. (Maybe that’s stereotyping, but whatever. If you don’t wear a seat belt, you’re a moron.)

Berserk 22 Feb 10

@David,

I guess what Dennis meant was:

Premise 1: He crashes into something which is now smashed up

Premise 2: He is happy after he has [ crashed | put his seat belt to good use ]

Conclusion: He is happy because he smashed something up.

Paul Magee 22 Feb 10

Wow. that’s real creativity, maximum bang for your advertising buck. Thanks for sharing.

On another note, I really don’t think the troll hat works. Whenever I see it, I have to read the offending comment at least 5 times. My brain just can’t resist it. Anyone else do that? Surely that isn’t the desired effect you want? (But it is exactly what the trolls want.)

David Andersen 22 Feb 10

@Berserk -

Yeah that makes sense. Thanks for the translation. Dennis has a unique POV . I’ll assume the meaning get’s lost in his cultural translation.

Qwerty 23 Feb 10

This is the only type of advertisement I can tolerate. It’s creative and beautiful, yet it tries to solve a particular human problem. I guess that’s the essence of social ads.

I can’t personally accept that so many creative minds, billions of dollars and man-hours are involved in creating artistic and beautiful pieces that ultimately just push unnecessary and often unneeded or unhealthy stuff to people. Seems like the fewer ads you see from a company, the better it may be…

Cormac 23 Feb 10

Brought a tear to my eye too – becoming a Dad has turned me into such a wimp

Surely though wearing a seatbelt while driving is like brushing your teeth – if you’re not already doing it then you’re probably immune to social pressure

AK 23 Feb 10

Arvo Pärt!

Abhijit Lade 25 Feb 10

very nicely conceptualized and executed .. true

jodybie 25 Feb 10

Beautiful, poignant, and hard-hitting. One of the best I’ve ever seen.

Comments are closed