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The client

Transport for Greater Manchester operates as the local government entity overseeing transportation services across Greater Manchester in North West England.

They are currently rolling out the Bee Network, a joined up transport network under local control for greener well connected travel.

The challenge

TfGM, responsible for co-ordinating and improving transport services in Greater Manchester, wanted to run a behavioural change campaign among the general public to raise awareness of the dangers of becoming distracted while driving. We were asked to create four scenarios in which someone undertaking a daily activity becomes distracted, to draw the parallel to them becoming distracted while driving.  The videos were to be of 30 seconds in length and to work as images on outdoor poster sites as well.

The solution

We came up with four scenarios:

  • A footballer on his phone mid-match
  • Two cinema goers talking instead of watching the film
  • A dentist eating a sandwich mid-procedure
  • A barber daydreaming whilst cutting hair.

We used the idea of people becoming distracted in absurd situations to hammer home the point that concentration is critical when driving.  Getting the tone right was critical. TfGM wanted something that would catch the public’s attention in a playful way but with a serious message.

The project had a very tight timescale – six weeks from appointment to broadcast.  Our meticulous pre-production planning enabled us to meet the deadline within the client’s budget by ‘batching’ the filming of different elements of the stories – the driving, the non-driving scenario and the crash.  We cut the filming time by almost half, saving both time and money.

We delivered all services in-house – storyboard, casting, planning, logistics, budget management, filming and editing, as well as designing posters to amplify the campaign.

The impact

TfGM launched the campaign on target during the busy winter period.