Road-safety campaign for THINK! aims to end Christmas drink driving

The work, by VMLY&R and The Department for Transport, wants to shift perceptions on drink-driving

By Creative Salon

02 December 2021

A new spot for THINK! by The Department for Transport and VMLY&R aims to show why friends shouldn’t let other friends drink and drive.

‘Mates for Life’ highlights how appealing to humour, positivity, and friendship when speaking to the young men who are most at risk when it comes to drink-driving is a powerful way to get the message across.

The spot humorously highlights the endless opportunities a life-long friendship can bring - something that is worth protecting.

The campaign is an extension from the 'Pint Block' campaign, which showed the humorous and surprising ways young people can intervene and stop drink-driving.

In the first campaign since VMLY&R retained the government account earlier this year, the Department for Transport aims to combat the shift in risk perception and encourage mates to intervene if a friend is about to drink before driving.

The Christmas and New Year period is one of the most dangerous times of year for drink driving collisions but risk perception of drink-driving has dropped by over ten percentage points for 17-24-year-old male drivers compared to last year.

‘Mates for Life’ launches as an online film and will run across social, with media planning and buying from OmniGov and Wavemaker.

A spokesperson for THINK! said: “Drink-driving remains a serious issue in the UK – and young men are one of the most at-risk groups, especially over the festive season. We know that young men have strong friendship bonds and want to look out for each other. We hope that this thought-provoking campaign will tap into that drive to protect each other when it really matters.”

Tamryn Kerr, creative director at VMLY&R, added: “Pint blocking your mate and stopping them from driving drunk unlocks a lifetime of adventures for you to have together. We wanted to celebrate one of these adventures in a way that would cut through to a notoriously hard-to-reach audience.”

CREDITS

Client: Department for Transport

Senior Marketing Team Leader, THINK!: Rachel Smith

Agency: VMLY&R

Production Company: OB Management

Director: Josh Cohen

Producer: Craig Dixon

Production Manager: Katie Cooper

Production Assistant: Jake Bishop

Executive Producer: Sam Holmes

Director of Photography: Pieter Snyman

Production Designer: Theo Boswell