Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Indian motorists never wear their helmet, despite it being mandated by law. Instead, they let it hang from their handlebars or keep it on their fuel tanks. We caught them where there were committing these ignorant acts, on the road and show them the consequences of their carelessness Which is why we created the Headless Human. A rider who showed motorists what could happen to them if they continued riding without wearing a helmet. When motorists witnessed the bizarre sight, they got the point. If they didn’t use their helmet, they

Background

Situation: India has the highest number of two-wheelers in the world. Unfortunately, India also has the highest number of two-wheeler accidents and fatalities in the world. On average 6 riders are killed every hour. These deaths could have been prevented if the riders wore a helmet. Authorities have mandated that riders wear helmets, but many don’t. Since it’s a punishable offence, riders carry a helmet and wear it only when they spot a police officer or a check post. The rest of the time the riders keep the helmet dangling from their arms or their bikes. Brief: How could we get these motorists to always wear their helmet, and not just use it as an accessory for their bike? Traditional methods and safety campaigns fell on deaf ears. Objective: We needed to shake up these ignorant riders with something sensational to get them to wear their helmets.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Indian motorists always carried their helmet, but wore it only when they saw a police officer. We needed to show them the consequences of their ignorance, in an unforgettable way. Which is why we created the Headless Human. A rider who showed motorists what exactly could happen to them if they continued riding without wearing a helmet and let it dangle from their handlebars. The live stunt was carried out in Puducherry’s roads, where motorists witnessed the bizarre sight. When they saw the headless rider with a prosthetic severed head dangling from the handlebars, they got the point. If they didn’t use their helmet, they could lose their head. The headless human also had a message at the back of his riding jacket ‘Use your head. Use your Helmet.’ To drive home the message.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Authorities in India have mandated that two-wheeler riders must wear a helmet. The mentality of the Indian motorist is to outsmart the police rather than follow the rules, which is why they carry their helmets on the bike and wear it only if they spot a police officer. What’s more they have been exposed to multiple campaigns and messaging regarding rider safety but have become immune to them. We needed to move away from the traditional method of creating awareness regarding their safety. We needed to shake things up and show them first-hand what fate awaited them if they didn’t wear a helmet.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The live stunt was carried out during road safety week, from January 18th to the 25th. Motorists in Puducherry witnessed a shocking surprise. Their jaws dropped when they witnessed a headless rider on a joy ride on busy junctions and roads. The locations were chosen so that maximum two-wheeler riders could witness the stunt. And the reason for his predicament was soon revealed when they saw his head where they normally keep their helmets. This was achieved by creating a torso cavity into which a professional rider could tuck in and still see out of. He was wearing a helmet within the cavity of course. For everyone else who saw this, it looked like a torso without a head riding through the streets. The real shocker came in the form of prosthetic head, painstakingly created, and made to dangle from the handlebar. This truly shocked motorists into wearing their helmets.

List the results (30% of vote)

To a motoring community that wouldn’t listen to the authorities, this shocked them into acting for their safety. The sight of a headless riders was a wake-up call to two-wheeler riders. Those who saw the headless human instinctively reached for their helmets which were hanging from their handlebars and put it on immediately. The district saw a sharp decline in the number of two wheeler riders who were admitted to hospitals after an accident, a direct result of wearing their helmets. Many pedestrians and motorists, shot and shared the stunt on social media. Leading media outlets began covering the event. This generated 26.3 million unique impressions, received 42 hours of free airtime. 120+ articles covered the unique activation. The best part we didn’t spend a penny on paid media or for ads, it was completely organic.