Sussex Safer Roads Partnership: Embrace Life Campaign

This is possibly the best commercial I have ever seen. Seriously. Most social awareness campaigns use either fear or humor. I have seen a great deal of fear appeals when it comes to safe driving campaigns. The premise of using a fear appeal is primarily a good one, but it does not translate into an effective result. Let’s use Mothers Against Drunk Driving as an example. MADD might use a clip of a gruesome accident in order to inflict fear and scare drivers into remembering not to drive under the influence of alcohol. However, the problem occurs when many viewers flip the channel because they cannot handle or do not wish to watch such a horrifying scene.  The other complication that exists is those who could stomach the wreck and would qualify as the ideal target for the commercial because they engage in driving under the influence will simply change the channel because they do not want to be confronted with their faults or the issue at hand. The problem is called Cognitive Dissonance. Them’s iz fancy wurdz fur ignoring anything that causes discomfort or comes into conflict with your view of yourself and the world. Because of these issues, organizations have begun to try to appeal to younger generations before their bad behavior becomes a bad habit. In order to do this, they have resorted to using humor.  The humor appeal is good at garnering the attention of their target audience and often spreading the message by going viral; however, the humor often overshadows the message. Sometimes the issue is not taken seriously enough or not even remembered at all. That being said, I believe this Sussex Safer Roads Partnership: Embrace Life campaign is perfect. PERFECT. It emphasizes the issue without trying to attack the viewer with fear. Sure fear might be a byproduct, but it only simmers in the background behind the message of “embracing life”. The campaign reminds you why you want to be careful in the first place and encourages you to cherish those who would care if you were gone. It is beautiful and full of meaning, and most importantly, the message is not overshadowed by any part of the ad. WELL DONE! BRAVO! A TIP OF THE HAT TO YOU!