There’s a lot of great digital work coming out of AMV BBDO at the moment, but I’m especially proud of the Driving Challenge viral we have just launched for Think! Road Safety - a remarkable project I have been involved in since my very first day here.
Just over a year on from the introduction of the tough new penalty of three penalty points and a £60 fine for using a mobile phone whilst driving, the Driving Challenge directly builds upon a film made by the University of Illinois 10 years ago which demonstrates the psychological principle of ‘inattentional blindness’. Essentially, the interactive game uses this concept to demonstrate that your driving is impaired when talking on a mobile phone, either hand held or hands free. In fact, the game reveals that if you use your mobile phone whilst driving, you are four times more likely to crash! Its whole aim is to encourage drivers to be more vigilant. If you haven’t come across this phenomenon before, I can’t tell you too much without giving it all away, so I encourage you to take the test here.
Some of you more industry savvy readers will probably have come across WCRS’ similar ad for TFL - www.dothetest.co.uk. This is aimed at protecting cyclists rather than mobile phone safety, but essentially both ideas are based on the same psychological phenomenon. There is a fair bit of controversy surrounding this ad within our industry - a glimpse of this debate is over at Scamp blog here. Its not all too surprising that there are two creative ideas about road safety based on this same principle: all road safety communications boil down in some shape or form to mental focus and to paying more attention to the road, and this is also what underpins the psychological phenomena at the heart of the strategy for both pieces of communication.
The gorilla / basketball video is one piece of stimulus illustrating what is the best-known study on inattentional blindness, conducted by Daniel Simons of the University of Illinois, and Chris Chabris of Union College, whilst at Harvard in the late 1990s. The video is now widely used in interventions for traffic offenders and other training roles where it is important that people appreciate the limitations of the human brain. For more information and to see other videos relating to Professor Simons’ research, please visit this link. We worked closely with Dr. Burgess throughout this project, consulting him at each stage of development. His support was crucial in enabling us to develop the most effective and therefore behaviour-changing piece of communication possible. If the Driving Challenge and Do The Test even saves one life, then it’s worth the fury of the blogosphere.
Love it or loathe it, please share your thoughts here…
Oh yeah, should probably mention again - all the views expressed here are solely those of my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of AMV BBDO and/or our clients.
Penguin 007 = Illustration and Typography heaven
June 3, 2008
Following the gripping ‘we tell stories’ transmedia campaign from Penguin, here’s yet another post from me about Penguin. They’ve been rather busy of late - leaps ahead of other publishers in my opinion.
They’ve re-issued fourteen of the original Bond novels under the new imprint of Penguin 007.
Here are several of the illustrations. They’ve simply nailed it. The designs, by Michael Gillette and Jon Gray, evokes the earlier Bond flicks. Enjoy more at the Penguin blog here.
Wii love wii jacking
June 2, 2008
Johnny Lee, hero to the Wii-jacking community, demos his amazing Wii Remote hacks. He transforms the £30 “wiimote” into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen (think Tom Cruise moving computer files with his hands in Minority Report), and a head-mounted 3-D viewer. Simply amazing.
Electronic Arts has already unveiled a new Wii game designed by Steven Spielberg, ‘Bloom Blox’, which incorporates a similar technique using Lee’s head-tracking programme.
Check out the video as I can’t quite put my amazement into words. He gets a standing ovation (I almost joined in at my desk!).
There is no justice, only stress!
June 1, 2008
I have been following French electronic band Justice’s 80’s retro happy music videos at this post here. But their new video ‘Stress‘ replaces all this happiness with a deep, brooding, violent, and highly controversial video. The so-called “pop video” sees an extremely tough-looking gang of youths smash their way through the streets of Paris. Knocking down anyone and anything that gets in their path - they even turn on the filmmakers themselves, that’s if you can watch till the end.
Members are identified by hoodies adorned with Justice’s cross logo. It sparks controversy about the glorification of violence and racism.
I can’t quite realise whether I actually like it or not, but it definitely makes for compelling viewing and I’m not going to forget it. And it certainly makes me feel somewhat stressed! I guarantee it won’t be on TV, so check it out here (if you dare). Some people will be offended, you have been warned.
Director: Romain Gavras
Electronic band: Justice
Record Label: Ed Banger Records
