NO DOUCHE BAG

Short List
TitleNO DOUCHE BAG
BrandVÄSTTRAFIK
Product/ServicePUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANY
Category D02. Promotional Items & Printed Media
Entrant FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Idea Creation FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Greger Andersson Forsman & Bodenfors Account Supervisor
Helen Johansson Forsman & Bodenfors Account executive
Lars Jansson Forsman & Bodenfors Art Director
Pontus Caresten Forsman & Bodenfors Copywriter
Christoffer Persson Forsman & Bodenfors Designer
Robert Johnsson Forsman & Bodenfors PR Strategist
Petter Berg Cutback Studios Production, film and photography
Assar Wallenius Cutback Studios Film editing

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Västtrafik is responsible for public transport in western Sweden. But how do you act as a public transport provider during COVID-19? Authorities recommend people not to travel at all, but some people still need to use the service. Especially people in professions crucial for society – like nurses, doctors, teachers, etcetera. Västtrafik therefore asked us to help reminding their passengers of the importance of social distancing. They already encourage people to walk or bike whenever possible, and in their vehicles signs and messages remind travelers to keep distance. But as time goes by, people tend to forget. So Västtrafik needed something unexpected, simple and easy to use, in order to emphasize that they did everything they could to make traveling as safe as possible.

Write a short summary of the ambient work.

The key insight was that a phenomenon that used to be inconsiderate, is suddenly responsible. Normally, occupying the seat next to you on the bus is douchebag behavior. But during a pandemic, it’s an act of care. So we created the No Douche Bag – a tool that help travelers avoid crowding in a novel way. We gave Västtrafik’s passengers a clear – but polite – way of telling fellow commuters to practice social distancing (particularly suitable as Swedes are somewhat reserved). And created a conversation starter that spread the important message across the region.