Aviva has developed a provocative short film to urge people to think about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. Developed in conjunction with adam&eveDBB and ZenithOptimedia, this is the latest in a series of initiatives from the insurer to promote safer driving, as part of Aviva’s award-winning* ‘Good Thinking’ brand campaign.
- Actor asks public to sign petition to legalise phone use while driving
In the two-minute video an actor tries to drum up support for a petition to legalise mobile phone use while driving. As he attempts to elicit people’s signatures, he tries to persuade them that they can look at the road with one eye and their phone with the other, and even suggests that mobile devices can help with night driving as the light can help people to see in the dark.
The film features real footage of members of the public who are horrified by the absurd proposal and flatly refuse to sign his petition. People seem bewildered and angry at the request. The actor becomes more and more desperate to find people who will sign his petition, eventually resorting to saying he will pay them for their signatures.
The light-hearted tone of the video is contrasted by series of sobering written messages revealing that 40 per cent of people still use their mobile phones while driving, and telling viewers simply to “put down your phone.”
The film can be seen on a wide variety of digital channels including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Aviva is also extending distribution via a bespoke blogger outreach programme.
Peter Markey, Brand and Marketing Communications Director for Aviva says: “The vast majority of people will agree that driving and using a mobile phone is dangerous and wrong, but yet more than 40 per cent of drivers admit it’s something they still do from time to time. Our brand promise is all about ‘Good Thinking’, so we wanted to turn this idea on its head and see how people reacted when asked to put their weight behind something which is clearly ‘bad thinking’.
“Our research has shown that as well as using phones to make calls while driving, more and more people are checking messages and social media while behind the wheel, so the dangers are very real. By educating audiences of all ages on the dangers of mobile phone usage, we are making it our mission to make Britain’s roads safer for everyone.”
The short film is the latest activity to promote safer driving under Aviva’s global brand promise ‘Good Thinking’. As well as safer driving, the brand strategy has also been used to help people to get into the savings habit by encouraging them to ‘save smarter’. The high profile campaigns have included TV, print and outdoor advertising, as well as a wide range of social and digital activities.
Last month Aviva announced that it is an official sponsor of road safety charity Brake’s national Road Safety Week.
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If you are a journalist and would like further information, please contact:
Aviva Press Office: Liz Kennett : 01603 685461 : 07800 692675: liz.kennett@aviva.com
Notes to editors:
* In July 2016, Aviva’s ‘Good Thinking’ campaign received the Brand Management Award at the British Insurance Awards.
A survey was conducted online by ICM Limited on behalf of Aviva between the 10th-13th June 2016 with 2,021 respondents of whom 1,565 were drivers. Out of 1,565 drivers surveyed, 655 admitted to using their mobile phones for reasons other than hands-free calls, equating to 42% of drivers polled. For the purposes of the survey, ‘driving’ is classified as including being stationary in traffic while the engine is on.
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