2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenges and Goals
The number of people crossing the street recklessly has increased in recent years, and so have the number of road accidents involving them. To save lives, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec wanted to make pedestrians realize how vulnerable they are. So the Quebec crown corporation launched “Bone vs. Steel” in October 2018, the deadliest month of the year for pedestrians in the province.

Insights and Strategy
The strategy was to reach pedestrians directly in the streets with something visceral and relay something more than a simple message. The idea was to show people how their own bodies and bones would respond to a car collision and make them realize that their bones have no chance against the steel of a car.

Execution
Targeting a bus shelter next to the most dangerous intersection in Montreal, the agency used stereoscopic cameras to detect the human skeleton of a passerby and transposed it on a screen, mirroring the participant’s movements. Having entertained the viewer for a few seconds, an automatic sensor triggered an incoming car that would hit the skeleton and simulate the effect of an accident. Pedestrians could see their own bones respond to a car collision and realize they have no chance against the steel of a car. A message was displayed: “Bone VS steel, you have no chance.”

Results
Hundreds of pedestrians engaged with the bus shelter, and “Bone VS Steel” became the most shared government-led campaign video in the history of the province. Most importantly, the campaign helped decrease the number of accidents involving pedestrians by 8%.

Credits

Luc Du Sault (lg2) - Creative Director
Nicolas Boisvert, Camille Gagnon (lg2) - Copywriter
Camille Gagnon (lg2) - Art Director
Catherine Darius, Alexandra Laverdière, Mireille Côté (lg2) - Strategy
Alexandra Laverdière (lg2) - Account Director
Camille Savard (lg2) - Account Manager
Olivier Labonté Lemoyne (BLVD) - Director
Olivier Labonté Lemoyne (BLVD) - Producer
Olivier Rivard(BLVD) - Sound and engineering
Touché ! - Media agency