2014 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

The objective was to reach the widest drivers possible and instigate an instant reaction from their end. We needed to capture their attention in an unusual way, not to sound or feel boring. As for the challenge, it mainly revolved around how to be smart enough to retain the audience’s attention without being too imposing. In general, people have passive reactions towards public awareness campaigns, which usually remind the public about the “does” and “don’ts”, sometimes in a superior way that would lead target audiences to feel bossed around and intentionally disregard the campaign. Therefore, we needed a fresh approach.

The Brief

Okaz is KSA’s number 1 newspaper with strong bonds linking it to the general public. During its journey in the media world, Okaz has published many articles about the increasing numbers of car accidents in KSA, exposing their deadly outcome while emphasizing the important role of seatbelts in decreasing death cases. However, the newspaper felt that something else needed to be done to raise awareness about the importance of seatbelts in a smart and self-realizing way. The client stressed on the need for the concept to be simple and clear while at the same time being strong enough to impact the target.

How the final design was conceived

The idea was to present our target audience with a visually stimulating design that would instill an association in the drivers’ minds between seatbelts and life, without actually saying the words. The visual was copy-driven, using 4 different sentences (2 in Arabic and 2 in English) that visibly, had nothing to do with car accidents. And our design was born; a simple yet very engaging design which didn't only allow us to capture the target's attention but also further involve them in “connecting the dots” of the campaign and making up their own conclusions.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

As a public awareness campaign, results are difficult to measure in numbers. Therefore we observed reactions. The first remarkable effect was that none of the drivers threw it away, like it would be with regular leaflets. The drivers were interested in knowing what it is when they found them on steering wheels. Expressions would change instantly as they pulled out the inside part. Most drowned in their thoughts for a minute before driving. But the most rewarding effect was to find that only 2/10 had their seatbelts on when they arrived but after reading, 7/10 left the stations with their seatbelts on.