Insights, Strategy and the Idea
Background: This campaign is part of the road safety program run by Buick, a General Motors brand. Being a leading car manufacturer, Buick aims at communicating to all drivers in China about road safety.
The issue: Buick realizes that every 3 minutes in China, someone is injured from a traffic accident.
Every 10 minutes, someone dies from one.
Over half could have been avoided if drivers just followed traffic signs.
Target: All drivers, whether they drive a Buick or not, and pedestrians.
The Insight: Even though there are traffic signs warning drivers and pedestrians about the rules to ensure safety, they are always ignored by pedestrians and drivers alike.
The Idea: Human traffic signs.
Creative Execution
Buick kicks off World Traffic Safety Day 7 April with this program. We invited 9 victims of traffic accidents to pose as human traffic signs in accident-prone areas during peak hour traffic. This served as a stark reminder for the many pedestrians and drivers that the signs are there for a
reason. Rules must be obeyed because it is a matter of life or death.
The commercial was broadcast on TV and The Human Traffic Signs video turned viral.
Results and Effectiveness
- A powerful video that went viral on the internet, attracting more than 50,000 clicks and shares during the first week.
- Rich discussion around the topic of avoiding traffic accidents and obeying traffic signs.
- Buick's road safety program was covered by CCTV, China's national TV channel, informing drivers and pedestrians on the issue; worth unpaid media up to RMB 1,000,000.
- Traffic accidents reduced by 50% during the 5-day program.