In 2007, 97 per cent of the 21 million Vietnamese motorcycle riders and passengers were not wearing helmets. Asia Injury Prevention Foundation's public awareness campaign aimed to reverse that situation. The creative strategy involved turning the poor excuses people give for not wearing helmets into life threats. Using previously unavailable outdoor advertising on buses alongside TV, print and digital, the campaign raised over US$1million, tripled the number of helmet wearers and influenced the government to advance nationwide helmet wearing legislation by six months. This has saved approximately 38 lives per day and has ensured a 99 per cent compliance rate of the new law.
JUDGE'S COMMENT
Faced with a high proportion of the Vietnamese public not wearing helmets, this campaign is a demonstration of how communications effectively accelerated helmet-wearing legislation and changed public behaviour. This is an extraordinary scale of effect as there are still places in Europe that don't have such high helmet-wearing rates.
- Dan Cobley, marketing director, UK, Ireland and Benelux, Google
PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR HELMET WEARING
Title: Winning Vietnam's helmet war
Client: Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
Entrant: Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam
Author: Alex Clegg, Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam
Media used: TV, national and regional newspapers, magazines, out of
home, internet, PR, postcards
IN A NUTSHELL
Heightening awareness among the Vietnamese public of the dangers of not wearing helmets, the campaign influenced the government to advance nationwide helmet wearing legislation by six months and ensured a 99 per cent compliance rate of the new law.
