Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

As people commute to work they are completely unaware of the jaw-dropping near accidents that occur every day at rail crossings but go unreported because no one died. But these near misses torment train drivers. So we designed a memorial to be placed where these near misses occurred that allowed commuters to actually see the near miss, right there where it happened so they could feel the impact the drivers felt. By design, the half cross is a stark and visually arresting symbol. When hundreds were places at railway crossing where near misses had occurred they were impossible to ignore.

Background

The brief asked for a fresh way to remind pedestrians and drivers to be safe at trains crossings. Strategy highlighted that near misses with trains were on the rise. Speaking with train drivers who had witnessed near misses on the job, they found the train drivers were dealing with the phycological impact alone. This insight informed the creative thinking behind the campaign.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

It’s impossible to look away from the footage of these near misses captured on CCTV cameras. We created a way for people to see the real near misses where they occurred. Inspired by the white road side crosses marking fatal car accidents, the half-cross symbol represents how close each near miss was to tragedy. The campaign launched this new symbol as an on-going reminder to be safe around trains.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Research told us that near misses with trains were on the rise. But train users and car drivers couldn't see the impact their risk taking was having on others. Speaking with train drivers who had experienced near misses on the job, we found they were dealing with the traumatic phycological impact alone. It was as if they experienced them over and over every shift. The strategy behind the creative execution became to make people feel empathy for train drivers who witness these near misses almost daily.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

To launch Rail Safety Week, hundreds of individually engraved half-crosses were installed at railway crossings around the country where near misses had occurred, including large-scale activations at the busiest train stations in the country. Real world activations were supported by a nationwide print and outdoor campaign featuring the new symbol and a 3D interactive web experience let people dive deeper into train drivers' near miss encounters.

List the results (30% of vote)

An incident that was only witnessed by one person was suddenly being seen by the whole country through prime time broadcasts, and shared by authorities and individuals on social media. Near Miss Memorials became more than just another train safety campaign. Now in its second year, it's been picked up by rail networks in other parts of the world, notably Denver who released footage of their own near misses. Hundreds of half crosses still remain installed at the sites of near misses, serving as constant reminders for drivers and pedestrians.