Nothing quite illustrates the wreckage of a car crash as a crash dummy, a mangled body in a mangled car.
Except perhaps a real dummy.
Great idea, thought Britain's safe driving people as Christmas was approaching and they were puzzling over how to get people through the holidays without the usual smashups from drunks behind the wheel.
The message: Don’t let that pint come between you and Christmas.
The messenger: a convicted drunk driver held under a giant pint glass, literally.
There he was, under the glass, telling all comers, including plenty of press, how that extra pint ruined his life by costing him his job, girlfriend, car and a good amount of cash.
“What we did this year was a big change of strategy away from the usual crash advertising,” says Richard Bookey, account director at Leo Burnett London, the agency that executed the campaign.
“So instead of showing a crash, we changed the campaign to highlight the personal consequences of drinking and driving.”
After the initial stunt, the display went on the road, and actors filled in as the drunk driver trapped under the pint glass. It made stops in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, all known for their heavy-drinking soccer fans.
An accompanying backlit sign laid out the various consequences of drinking and driving to passersby.
The displays were up during the lunchtime and evening hours in each location, delivering plenty of walk-by gawkers, as well as media coverage.
Leo Burnett says for every $1 spent on the stunt, nearly $4 came back in media value.
