The latest iteration of AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, now in its seventh year, is making sure that everyone hears the message loud and clear during Distracted Driving Awareness Month: No distraction is worth a future.
Oscar-winning (The Fog of War) documentarian Errol Morris directed these two campaign spots via Biscuit Filmworks for BBDO New York, shining a light on the faces of distracted driving by showing us what might have been for two teenage boys.
If Caleb Sorohan and Forrest Cepeda were alive today, they might be pursuing their dream jobs or teaching their kids to play sports. Maybe they’d still be figuring life out. But we’ll never know–smartphone distracted drivers cut their lives short when they were teens. Forensic artists and visual effects teams recreated what Caleb and Forrest would look like today had they not been killed, and each :30 spot tells the story of what each might be doing with his life. The spots end on the line “This is what Caleb Sorohan/Forrest Cepeda would look like if they hadn’t been killed in distracted driving accidents.”
This week’s Top Spot tells us what might have been for Caleb. VFX house on the campaign was The Mill New York.
Credits
Client AT&T Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Greg Hahn, chief creative officer, NY; Matt MacDonald, executive creative director; Kevin Mulroy, Bianca Guimaraes, creative directors; David Rolfe, director of integrated production; Julie Collins, group executive producer; Dan Blaney, executive producer; Bree Hopenwasser, producer; Crystal Rix, chief strategy officer; Charles Baker, strategy director; Claire McCastle, project manager. Production Biscuit Errol Morris, director; Julie Ahlberg, line producer; Shawn Lacy, managing director; Jeff McDougall, exec producer; Rachel Glaub, head of production. Editorial Exile NY Steven Hathaway, editor; Molly Rokosz, assistant editor; Sasha Hirshfield, exec producer; Evyn Bruce, producer. Finishing/VFX The Mill NY Angus Kneale, chief creative officer; Ben Smith, executive creative director; Gavin Wellsman, Corey Brown, creative directors; Patrick Heinen, shoot supervisor; Fergus McCall, colorist; Rachael Trillo, exec producer; Nirad “Bugs” Russell, sr. producer; Sophie Mitchel, Mia Lalanne, coordinators; Krissy Nordella, 2D lead; Corrie Brown, Jamie Scott, Kevan Lee, Rob Meade, compositors; Bobby Ushiro, design. Music Human James Dean Wells, exec producer; Theo Degunzberg, Gordon Minette, composers. Audio Post Human Craig Caniglia, post producer; Sloan Alexander, engineer. Age Progression Art Phojoe Jovey Hayes, age progression; Emanuel Craciunescu, age progression art direction.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The filmโs protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a childโs life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace โ Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the โBullying-Free Schoolsโ program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
โResearch indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
