BLINDMETERS

Short List
TitleBLINDMETERS
BrandOVK / PEVR (PARENTS OF ROAD VICTIMS)
Product/ServiceROAD SAFETY ORGANISATION
Category B01. Mobile Websites
Entrant HAPPINESS BRUSSELS Brussels, BELGIUM
Idea Creation HAPPINESS BRUSSELS Brussels, BELGIUM
Media Placement BRIGHTFISH Brussels, BELGIUM
Media Placement 2 MEDIALAAN Vilvoorde, BELGIUM
Production LATCHO DROM Brussels, BELGIUM
Production 2 RAYGUN Brussels, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Koen Van Wonterghem PEVR - OVK (Parents of Road Victims) Managing Director
Ellen Ruys PEVR - OVK (Parents of Road Victims) Regionale Coordinator NL
Karen Corrigan Happiness / An FCB alliance Executive Creative Management
Geoffrey Hantson Happiness / An FCB alliance Chief Creative Officer
Katrien Bottez Happiness / An FCB alliance Senior Creative Coach
Roxane Schneider Happiness / An FCB alliance Concept Provider
Pieter Claeys Happiness / An FCB alliance Concept Provider
Hans Smets Happiness / An FCB alliance Group Account Director
Tine Van Hasselt Happiness / An FCB alliance Account Manager
Kris Van Wallendael Happiness / An FCB alliance Senior Digital Producer
Dries Lauwers Happiness / An FCB alliance Head of Design
Matthias Vandenbosch Happiness / An FCB alliance Editor Social Film
Simon Schuurman Happiness / An FCB alliance Editor Social film
Remke Faber Happiness / An FCB alliance Head of Motion
Sophie Gunsbourg Happiness / An FCB alliance Agency Producer
Bart Vande Maele Happiness / An FCB alliance Agency Producer
Christopher Ross-Kellam Happiness / An FCB alliance Film Director
Edouard Schneider Edsnor Typographer
Thomas Colliers BLISS Interactive Head of Technology
Yves Legrèves Latcho Drom Executive Producer
Efrosini Spanoudis Latcho Drom Producer
Jeroen Berx Latcho Drom Production Manager
Edgar Dubrovskiy Latcho Drom DOP
Stefaan gryson Moxy Owner - Online editor
Eva Segers Moxy Post Production Coordinator TVC
Joost Van Kerckhove Moxy Colour grading
Nick Read Moxy Offline editor TVC / Cinema
Peter Baert Raygun Radio Director
Jérôme Gijsen Raygun Radio Producer
Liesbeth Demolder Raygun Radio Producer
Philippe Fass Happiness / An FCB alliance Creative Director
Wesley Roeland Happiness / An FCB alliance Strategic Planner

Background

Texting and driving is still prevalent throughout the world and a major cause of road deaths. That’s why there are still numerous road safety PSA campaigns on the subject. Unfortunately, data shows that these ‘don’t text and drive’-campaigns no longer have the impact needed to change really our behaviour. In order to change that the organization Parents of Road Victims asked us to come with a radical new take in preventing texting and driving.

Describe the creative idea

BlindMeters.com, a first of its kind mobile website that gives everybody concrete insight in how many meters they exactly miss when texting and driving. BlindMeters.com is geo-located and turns Google Maps into a text editor, allowing you to type on any road. A custom-made font connects to the speed limitation data of the specific road you’re typing on and stretches to the exact number of meters you miss when texting and driving. To do so we programmed an algorithm that connects different databases and layers them onto one website, together with a specially designed font made for the purpose of dynamically stretch.

Describe the strategy

Data shows that people have become immune to ‘don’t text and drive’ road safety campaigns. So, we had to make a very broad impact on all Belgian drivers, but with specific attention to the young crowd, since they not only text but also use WhatsApp, Instagram and all other channels while driving. The strategy was simple: intrigue and incite to go to the platform via broad media – TV and Cinema – and Press coverage. And create direct traffic to the BlindMeters.com via a digital connectivity plan and the power of social media.

Describe the execution

The launch of BlindMeters.com played out across various channels. The campaign took off with an intriguing 45” and 60” film on TV and in Cinema, teasing the audience with the question ‘How many metres are you driving blind?’ and inciting them to find out on BlindMeters.com. A press release was sent out and a digital traffic-building connectivity plan was executed the very same day as the film was launched. Including banners, Instagram Stories, Google Ad-words and 4 influencers whom we asked to walk the ‘blind distance’ of the last message they wrote while texting behind the wheel. Very eye-opening for them, and their followers, knowing that one fraction of a second of not paying attention can be deadly.

List the results

Data shows that people kind of became immune to the road safety ‘don’t text and drive’-campaigns. The new take on this old problem, BlindMeters.com, was able to brake that immunity from the start. People engaged. Massively. Over 5 million blind meters were typed on the mobile website BlindMeters.com after just 24 hours. The press immediately joined the conversation. Literally all National and Regional newspapers, all news-sites and all National TV-channels covered BlindMeters.com. Resulting in millions and millions of meters of press coverage. You can imagine the value. But this is only the start of something much bigger. In the mean-time the National Police authority is working to make BlindMeters.com an official part of the driving education of Belgian driving schools. BlindMeters.com will also extend in other European countries like France, Portugal and Slovenia soon.