The Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF) reports that in America, Black drivers are 20% more likely to be stopped and searched by police, and three times more likely to be killed by officers during encounters. To bring awareness to these issues, CCGF is unveiling a poignant concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show, called the DWB. Short for Driving While Black, DWB was designed to shine a light on the double standard in policing of Black people, with a car that protects Black drivers.
Created in partnership with Omnicom Collective agencies, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) and Critical Mass, the campaign addresses police encounters during routine traffic stops through a vehicle equipped with features designed to save Black lives. These features include transparent doors, so there’s no suspicion of what the driver is in possession of. Or a “10&2” steering wheel that keeps hands visible at all times. And they even eliminated the trunk, leaving officers with nothing to search or seize.
Now, just a day before the auto show officially begins, the DWB car–which lives as a digital CAD-model, built in the innovative Unreal 5 gaming engine–is being rolled out with this world-premiere film (narrated by Craig Mitchell of the The Book of Hov Jay-Z’s exhibit), an interactive car website (DWBAuto.com) and an AR activation in Detroit, to grab the attention of car aficionados and leaders in the auto industry.
“No, the car isn’t real, but its design speaks to our reality as Black people in this country,” said Glenn Singleton, founder and chairman of CCGF. “I wish we could design every car brand, make and model in this way, because if you’re Black and behind the wheel, you can become a statistic, simply because of your race. It matters less what, where and/or how you drive. At Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, we hope this campaign will spark action and compel people to get involved in transforming the problematic relationship shared between police and Black Americans; whether we are driving or just being…Black.”
The short film unveils DWB — which is inspired by the car in which Philando Castile, a young Black man, was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop in 2016 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The DWB, like any other new car, is being highlighted with a cinematic and luxurious launch video showcasing a variety of features, but the difference being each modification is inspired by events and occurrences that directly affect Black drivers. When users visit the website, they’ll see every bit of the car with a 360-degree interactive experience. In addition, 7 of the 11 features will be linked to the real tragedy that inspired the modification.
The Mill digitally crafted the vehicle’s design, bolstered by their state of the art VFX techniques. Under the direction of Andrew Proctor, they further elevated the vehicle’s aesthetics, embodying the DWB campaign’s core concept.
“The car itself is absurd, but we want to make sure the film, and website treated this like the car was real,” said Rony Castor, GS&P creative director. “In order for people to know and feel this issue, creating a car was necessary.”
The experience culminates in Detroit with a stunt that allows users to experience the car through a QR code, where they dive into DWB through a 360-degree mobile experience, so festival goers can experience the car like they would if it were physically at the auto show.
“Driving while Black often means you get profiled and pulled over by police, putting your life on the line. To illuminate these issues, we take you on a tour of tragic stories,” said Critical Mass executive creative director Steve Savic. “Our hope is to give people a glimpse into how it feels to drive while Black and spark a conversation that promotes change.”
“There’s a double standard Black people face when being stopped by police that almost nobody sees. DWB illustrates the reality so many of us face while driving.” said Anthony O’Neill, GS&P creative director. “We have a duty, responsibility and obligation to tell these stories in the most real and provocative way we can think of.”
The car won’t be built, because as the film states, “a car can’t solve the problem. Only we can do that.”
CreditsClient Courageous Conversation Global Foundation Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Anthony O’Neill, Rony Castor, creative directors; Ben Burgoyne, art director; TShea King, Alanna Johnson, copywriters; Pedro Zuccolini, Johann Vernizzi, Carlos Hernandez, designers; Nick Bizzack, motion artist (E-Level); Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Simran Kaur, sr. brand strategist; Jim Haight, head of production; Timothy Plain, production department manager; Danielle Riccardi, executive producer; Lorraine Schreyer, sr. producer. Karl Williams, production manager (Detroit). Agency Critical Mass Val Carlson, chief creative officer; Alisa Hansen, chief production officer; Steve Savic, executive creative director; Will Danilow, group creative director; Michael McGrath-Sing, creative director; Peter von Sass, copy director; Tyler Wong, sr. art director; Myrrha Bone, associate designer; William Mincy, technology director; Sarah Pidgeon, executive producer; Carolina Rodriguez, sr. producer; Courtney Ring, technology lead; Jaden Rose, Brendan Azzano, developers; Charlie Doyle associate strategist. Kelly Liu, associate search strategist; Andrzej Milosz, group 3D director; Diego Quesada, Orlando Villalobos, 3D artist; Damian Hadala, tech strategist. Production Company The Mill Andrew Proctor, director; Anastasia Von Rahl, managing director; Scott Tinter, head of production; Daniel Beldy, exec producer, VFX; Esther Montgomery, sr. producer, VFX. Editorial & Color Company The Mill Los Angeles Joe Mackedanz, sr. editor; Al Benoit, editor; Yerlan Tanayev, colorist; Brandee Probasco, exec producer, color; Denise Brown, sr. producer, color; Daymian Mejia, Baptiste Carrara, Alexandra Makarenko, color assists. Audio & Sound Design Yessian Brian Yessian, chief creative officer; Michael Yessian, head of production; David Gold, exec producer; Andy Grush, creative director; Mark Chu, composer. Sound Design & Mixing Lime Studios Dave Wagg, sound designer, audio engineer; Matthew Conzelmann, assistant mixer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer; Cassie Underwood, producer. VFX The Mill Esther Montgomery, sr. VFX producer; Rob Ufer, VFX lead Flame artist; Tim Kafka, CG lead artist; Brian Lesiangi, Ziming Liu, Jay Antonio, Nick Carvalho, CG artists; Preksha Kumar, Praveen Sharma, assets; Jaime Yoo, designer. Voiceover Craig Mitchell
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More