The Advertising Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are continuing their drunk driving prevention effort with a new series of television public service advertisements (PSAs), designed to remind viewers that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.” The campaign is an extension of the highly successful “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign and the new PSAs debuted in time for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, a time when drunk driving fatalities are at their highest.
Since the 1983 inception of the Drunk Driving Prevention campaign, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped significantly. However, despite the progress that has been made, according to NHTSA, impaired driving remains one of the most frequently committed crimes in the U.S., killing one person every forty minutes. In 2007, nearly 13,000 people died in crashes where a driver or motorcycle operator had a .08 BAC or higher.
The Ad Council and NHTSA began focusing the campaign on individual responsibility in 2005 with the “Buzzed Driving” campaign. The “buzzed driver” is one who drinks too much and drives, but does not consider himself a hazard on the roadway. The campaign is designed to correct that perception by instilling the notion that if you are “buzzed,” you’re too impaired to drive safely. In 2007, 21 to 34 year-olds accounted for 44 percent of alcohol-impaired drivers (BAC of .08+) in fatal traffic crashes. The PSAs therefore target young males, the group most likely to engage in this risky behavior.
“All too often, people believe they can drive safely because they’re ‘just buzzed’ and not drunk,” said Acting Administrator David Kelly of NHTSA. “These new ads will help convince drivers that buzzed driving is the same as drunk driving.”
Created pro bono by Massachusetts-based ad agency Mullen, the new PSAs are a continuation of the buzzed driving messaging, with this round of work depicting the tragic consequences. The ads conclude with the tagline “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.” To view the PSAs, please visit www.adcouncil.org.
“Our drunk driving prevention efforts with NHTSA have been incredibly successful in educating Americans about the dangers of drunk driving and changing attitudes and behaviors, but far too many people still believe that driving while ‘buzzed’ is safe,” said Peggy Conlon, Ad Council President and CEO. “This new compelling creative, and the media’s ongoing support of this critical campaign, will continue to make a difference and save lives.”
The Ad Council and NHTSA are partnering with the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) for the fifth straight year on an industry “roadblock” in which all local broadcast television stations are being encouraged to donate airtime for the TV spots during the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. The new TV spots are debuting exclusively on local broadcast television stations as part of “Project Roadblock 2008.” This year’s Project Roadblock will also include a viral text message that will be deployed on New Year’s Eve to remind local TV viewers to refrain from drunk driving.
“We made a strategic shift to focus on the consequences of buzzed driving this year, said Michael Ancevic, SVP, Group Creative Director at Mullen. “If last year’s campaign focused on the party, this year’s campaign shows what can happen when the party’s over. The viewer is sucked right in by being placed in the middle of a chaotic medical situation which turns unexpectedly comedic. Comedy has been a core element of our campaign from the beginning. It’s critical in connecting with this hard to reach target. These spots try to deliver their messages with stunning surprise.”
Last year’s roadblock with TVB reached stations in media markets representing more than 99 percent of the country. As a result of the media’s ongoing support, according to Ad Council tracking studies conducted annually, the proportion of young men who reported having refrained from impaired driving recently nearly doubled, from 17 percent in January 2006 to 30 percent in January 2008.
The new TV spots were distributed digitally to stations nationwide last week via Adspot and FastChannel. The PSAs will air in advertising time that is donated by the media. Since its launch, the Drunk Driving Prevention campaign has received more than $1.2 billion in donated media support.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The agency’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes. NHTSA provides leadership to the motor vehicle and highway safety community through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity. For additional information visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Mullen
Mullen is a full-service agency and an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. Mullen’s client portfolio includes General Motors, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Stride Rite Children’s Group, Orbitz, The Stanley Works, MassMutual, La Quinta Inns & Suites, T.J. Maxx, U.S. Department of Defense, HSBC, Panera Bread, LendingTree, Match.com, Embarq, National Grid and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Headquartered in Wenham, Massachusetts, the agency operates offices in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more on Mullen, visit www.mullen.com.
The Advertising Council
The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.
