TOY OR TOXIC

Silver Eurobest

Case Film

Presentation Image

TitleTOY OR TOXIC
BrandVEILIGHEIDNL (THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT’S HOME SAFETY PROMOTION ORGANIZATION) & NVWA
Product/ServiceINDEPENDENT EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF ACCIDENTS AND SAFE BEHAVIOR
Category D01. Integrated Campaign led by PR
Entrant Company LEMZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Advertising Agency LEMZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Agency STROOM Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production Company FILMGASTEN Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production Company 2 COLORBLEED Utrecht, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Lemz Lemz Lemz
COLORBLEED, Utrecht 3D Production
Braingineers, Amsterdam Research agency
Thispagecannotbefound, Amsterdam Online production
M-ost, Amsterdam Sound engineering

The Campaign

Every year in the Netherlands, 7,500 accidents happen with household chemicals. In most cases the victims are young kids. To make parents aware of how drawn kids are to household chemicals, VeiligheidNL (the Dutch Government’s home safety promotion organization) and The Dutch National Food Products Authority conducted an experiment on kids between 1 and 4 years old. Using a hidden camera, eye-tracking sensors, and a heart rate monitor, the experiment proved that when children are given the choice between a toy and a common household chemical item (e.g., bleach, paint, dishwasher soap, etc.), more than half attended to the chemicals. We also created a mobile test designed to let parents test their children to find out if they choose a toy or a household chemical. In Dutch, the test is called gaafofgevaarlijk.nl. The campaign message was communicated directly to Dutch parents through a massive amount of earned mainstream press coverage in The Netherlands and globally, an online film, online ads, and through posters and informative brochures displayed at children’s health and vaccination clinics throughout the country. As a result, we generated over €3 million of free publicity, tens of thousands of people took the mobile test, and above all, 60% of all targeted parents are aware of the issue and are willing to change their behavior.

The Brief

Our aim was to stop accidents with household chemicals by creating awareness of our message among Dutch parents of children between 1 and 4 years old. The objective: 50% of all targeted parents must be aware of kids’ attraction to household chemicals.

Execution

Over a period of just six weeks, we communicated directly to parents by spreading our message through PR, in an online film, in online advertising, and with posters and informative folders at children’s health and vaccination clinics throughout the country. The campaign’s execution was primarily intended to generate earned news coverage in local media, but we succeeded in generating an overwhelming amount of international news coverage as well.

• We generated over €3 million of free publicity from international TV news shows to local TV programs and newspapers; • Click through rates are all above benchmark; • Tens of thousands of people took the mobile test; • 60% of all parents are aware of how drawn kids are to household chemicals and willing to change their behaviour.

The Strategy

To raise awareness of the danger among parents of children between 1 and 4 years old, we conducted an experiment and communicated the shocking results. Using a hidden camera, eye-tracking sensors, and a heart rate monitor, we found that more than half of the kids tested chose household chemicals over toys. We also created a mobile test designed to let parents find out which item their children choose.