2018 Winners & Shortlists

THE GREEN LIGHT

BrandHONDA
Product/ServiceHONDA CARS
EntrantY&R DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Ambient Media: Small Scale
Idea Creation Y&R DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

While working on the brief, something struck us as odd. There are brake lights at the cars’ rears, helping drivers keep a safe distance from the vehicles ahead. These brake lights are unmistakable signals. But there is nothing at the front to indicate to pedestrians if the car heading towards them is slowing down. So we shifted the focus from drivers to pedestrians, creating a device which is applied on cars, but is meant for those who are not driving. We developed The Green Light, the first car light created with pedestrians in mind. This new device, linked to the cars’ brakes, will tell people when to cross the road. Whenever the driver brakes, the Green Light turns on at the front of the car. When pedestrians see it, they’ll know they can cross. When they don’t, they will wait.

Creative Execution

The Green Light is composed of a green LED strip, embedded in a 3D printed structure covered by a transparent surface that diffuses the light homogeneously, in order for it to be seen easily during both night and day. The Green Light is fastened beneath the license plate, thanks to two hooks that guarantee a quick installation. The device is light, with (36.4Lx6.2Wx2.1Hcm) dimensions in order to fit and be seen on every car model. The Green Light is integrated in the existing system for lighting the rear brakes. When the brake pedal is pressed, power activates the brake lights and the Green Light simultaneously. It took us 6 months of intensive tests and working side by side with Honda engineers in order to create the first prototype, and then the actual product, which can be fitted to any car.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The Green Light was sold in all Honda showrooms starting 11 of May 2017 throughout Jordan, where it received positive responses from visitors. With this project, Honda took a step further in being perceived like the human centric brand that it is, its commitment towards creating safer streets is now widely known and this is making a real impact on people’s lives. Once this project becomes part of Jordan’s culture, streets will be a safer place for both pedestrians and drivers. Importantly, the device can be installed on any make of car, thus inviting all drivers (Honda owners or otherwise) to step into a Honda showroom. Furthermore, Honda aims to include the Green Light in their accessories catalogue, in order to give it even more visibility and reach all the drivers that would potentially want to apply it on their cars.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

With this campaign, we have promoted Honda as the human centred brand that it is, and showed people its commitment towards road safety, not just for the people inside their cars, but for pedestrians as well. We launched a new product, The Green Light, through an online video which has activated people throughout Jordan (Honda owners or otherwise) driving them to our dealer to get The Green Light built in their cars. Through this project, we turned all these cars into ambassadors of Honda’s commitment towards road safety.

The data we gathered revealed that more than one third of accidents in Jordan involve pedestrians. Newspapers like The Jordan Times, institutions like The World Health Organization, UNECE and The Jordan Ministry of Transport have published numerous articles and reports regarding this issue. Our approach was to not just talk about and raise awareness of the problem, but to create a tool that could help solve it. We chose the colour green for the device because, from the railroad signals of the 1830s to today’s traffic lights, it has always universally communicated that it’s safe to move forward. We also understood the strategic importance of making any solution universal, so that it could be implemented no matter the make of vehicle, thus allowing Honda to invite all drivers (both the ones who drive a Honda and the ones who don’t) to step into their dealers’ shops.

Credits

Name Company Role
Kalpesh Patankar Y&R Dubai Executive Creative Director
Elisa Binda Y&R Dubai Copywriter
Fabio Tridenti Y&R Dubai Art Director
Emad Khayyat Y&R Amman Creative Director
Sharique Mohammed Y&R Dubai Art Director
Zaheen Hussain Freelance Copywriter
Sameer Suri Freelance Music
Ahmad Al Salem Y&R Amman Account Director
Jumana Sadeh Y&R Amman Producer
Ivar Siosteen Pixel Plus Media Executive Director
Jose Garcellano Pixel Plus Media Business Development