ROAD MODE

Short List
TitleROAD MODE
BrandVICROADS
Product / ServiceROAD MODE
CategoryA02. Mobile Applications and other Downloadable Tools
EntrantGEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company GEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency GEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Matt Farrugia Gpy/R Melbourne Director Of Digital
Steve Doherty Gpy/R Melbourne Y/R Group Managing Director
Kota Matsuda Gpy/R Melbourne Digital Designer
Tim Lelek Gpy/R Melbourne Digital Producer
Chris Bush Gpy/R Melbourne Account Executive
Billy Chang Gpy/R Melbourne Mobile Application Developer
Brendan Mcmahon Gpy/R Melbourne Technical Director
Antony Simmons Gpy/R Melbourne Senior Art Director
Alex Wadelton Gpy/R Melbourne Senior Writer
Ben Coulson Gpy/R Melbourne Chief Creative Officer

Brief Explanation

Insight: In 2011, 25% of all driving accidents in Australia were affected by mobile phone use, mainly by drivers aged 18-35. This audience has a mind-set of "it won't happen to me", and is resistant to messages from the government. The brief from Vic Roads was to reduce the incidence of mobile phone related driving accidents, without the use of advertising. The insight was that young people listen to their friends advice more than anyone else. How could this be capitalised on? The idea was to create Road Mode- a new function that deactivates all incoming calls and SMS messages on your mobile phone whilst activated. Ingeniously, when people call or text you, they receive an automated text message from your phone that educates them of the dangers of driving while on the phone. In this way, each Road Mode message becomes an ad for road safety. Media execution: At the end of each automated text message that Road Mode sends out from your phone, is a link that encourages the receiver to also download Road Mode. It’s a self-perpetuating idea that spreads the word every time you drive with Road Mode turned on. So, each time you switch on Road Mode, anyone who contacts you is encouraged to also use Road Mode- exponentially increasing the reach of the campaign. All with no advertising. And, best of all, the message becomes a peer-to-peer recommendation, rather than a message form the government. Results Road Mode was launched on the front page of the Herald Sun- the biggest selling newspaper in Australia. It also generated much media coverage on TV and radio. Currently, it is rated at an average score of 4.30 out of 5 on the GooglePlay store. At the time of writing, 26th March 2013, the road toll in Victoria is down 14.3% year on year.

Links

Entry URL