The Department for Transport has launched a campaign under its Think! banner, urging people to encourage their friends not to drink-drive.
Developed by VMLY&R, the campaign is titled “Mates for life” and demonstrates the ways in which people can deter their friends from getting behind the wheel after boozing.
It is the first campaign since VMLY&R retained the government account earlier this year, and follows on from the "Pint block" campaign, which encouraged young men aged 17-24 to “pint-block” their mates in humorous ways.
This ad uses humour and positivity again, as a friend stops another from drinking his pint. He explains that if his friend drink-drives, they might not be able to go to the chippy that evening, "bite down on ancient gold", and use it to start a fish-and-chip empire.
Without that important step, they can’t be chased by the fish-and-chip mafia, his friend can’t escape and be raised by wolves, and then be found in the woods so they can both "grow old together". “A mate doesn’t let a mate drink-drive”, the narrator concludes.
The ad launches with Christmas and New Year in mind, when drink-driving collisions are at their most dangerous, according to Department for Transport statistics.
Tamryn Kerr, creative director at VMLY&R, said: “Pint blocking your mate and stopping them from driving drunk unlocks a lifetime of adventures for you to have together. We wanted to celebrate one of these adventures in a way that would cut through to a notoriously hard-to-reach audience.”
A spokesperson for Think! said: “Drink-driving remains a serious issue in the UK – and young men are one of the most at-risk groups, especially over the festive season. We know that young men have strong friendship bonds and want to look out for each other. We hope that this thought-provoking campaign will tap into that drive to protect each other when it really matters.”
Directed by Josh Cohen with OB Management, "Mates for life" will run as an online film and across social media, with media buying and planning done by OmniGov and Wavemaker.
Think! is the government’s flagship road safety campaign, established in 2000.
.jpg)
.jpg)