ICBC CounterAttack
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE SPOTS ARE VERY GRAPHICAL!
Some very powerful work for ICBC CounterAttack. These spots are sure to create some conversation, and hopefully get people to stop drinking and driving. What do you guys think?
Agency: DDB Canada.
Posted in TV/Film 
Add to del.ici.us 
Digg It
Blogs that link to this post 
Permanent Link
February 27th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Wow… will definitely stir up controversy. Very powerful.
February 27th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Very good work.
How are the Laws in the us?
In Germany you perhaps loose your license for over a year if you drive drunken….
February 27th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Wow. And I thought “egg + frying pan = brain on drugs” was moving. I wish ads like this would run in the US. But knowing the pansy execs and the FCC…
February 27th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Sometimes it takes a sledgehammer (or a 3-ton truck in this case) to get peoples’ attention.
I am glad someone had the courage to produce something this graphic, because I am certain there was pushback in the process.
February 27th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
WOW .. imagine you view the 3rd spot in a big screen cinema. I doubt you could drive your car home.
February 27th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Wow, these really hammer the point in the most powerful way possible. I wish they’d do ads like this in the US. But everyone is so “politically correct” conscious these days they’re afraid of pissing some remote person off.
I for one, feel the US has not done enough to get the drunk driving situation under control. This would be a great step in that direction. Tougher penalties would help too.
These are really graphic! What a jolt.
I hope it’s a “sobering” jolt for some…
February 27th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
I dont’t think so, Sandro. If you cause an accident driving drunk you probably get sued for homicide in Germany.
February 27th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
These spots should be required viewing in the US for all students learning to drive. Since the “don’t want to offend” execs are calling the shots, it’s the private parties that need to get the job done and I for one think this is a helluva start. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
I doubt we can correct the generation of drivers that actually repeat this offense; rather, we need to educate the new drivers to the realities of driving and likewise driving impaired, be it drunk, on drugs, or just plain sleepy. Having lost a brother to a drunk driver in 1981 and dealing with the reality of 3 driving children, this message cannot get driven home too powerfully or often enough.
February 27th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
OK, these spots are great…truly well done. My hat’s off to the producers.
My question is…how did they do these things? I can usually tell when special effects have been invoked to create a…well…special effect. Any ideas? Any knowledge? Anything that will help me sleep tonight?
February 27th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
THese are for ICBC in British Columbia, Canada. Generally speaking, ICBC runs fairly heavy ads that try to get the message across - these are the heaviest yet.
I hope they do not get pulled.
February 27th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
oh man those are great. its about time.
February 27th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
ads like this have been running in australia for quite some time now. the sad thing is… the drink driving statistics havent changed much.
February 27th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
I think these ads are quite effective. With exception to the second one. It seemed just too fake and hokey and didn’t have the impact as the other two.
They make you cringe too….you just see the wreck coming!
February 27th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
Here his how I see this. It is completely ineffective. Most people will laugh at these just like they laugh at the drug commercials. Yes drunk driving is very bad but these commercials do not sop it. Honestly I looked at the 1st and 3rd ads like this: Those to chicks are morons. How about take the keys and drive since she is sober or DON’T get in the car with someone who is drunk. The problem is that the ads are not real. If I was dead sober I wouldn’t be getting in the car with a drunk person. That is just plain stupid. The second ad is just plain out of control. Pedestrians are 10 points though right?
February 27th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
The first and the last are fine, but the second had me laughing pretty hard. It could be because I have a twisted sense of humor or because it reminded me of Brad Pitt being run over on the terrible “Meet Joe Black”…
Ok maybe I do have a f***** up sense of humor…
February 28th, 2006 at 2:09 am
This stuff is hard to do right, and it did strike me that being in a car and asking the (I assume) drunk driver “when are you going to stop doing it” is pretty far fetched. But then we are looking at these ads through a different lens than, say, people in a theatre, when the impact may be more gut-level than the analytical approach we can take in this forum…
Still and all, I think the middle ad, with the innocent by-stander getting hit, felt hardest-hitting to me.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:29 am
Still and all, I think the middle ad, with the innocent by-stander getting hit, felt hardest-hitting to me.
And you don’t think that the other people in the car, next to the drunk driver are not innocent ??
February 28th, 2006 at 9:48 am
Those aren’t as graphical as some I’ve seen over in Ireland. I think I like the last one the least because she seemed perfectly sober and let him get behind the wheel anyway… if she can’t drive that’s not much of an excuse to let him get behind the wheel.
February 28th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
The UK and Ireland has pulled no punches on this issue for a long time now. Great to see other nations getting the shock tactics in.
I believe that you can go to prison for drunk driving in the UK, even on a first offence.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
[...] Tja.. misschien moeten wij ook maar eens wat harder worden met de BOB reclames… [...]
February 28th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Very “sobering”. I agree, the ads should be run in the US and to high school driver’s education classes. I will be sending this to my driving age grandchildren
February 28th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
Hey Arne, since you started this debate… the guy commenting outside the car is clearly innocent… he was just sitting there. The people next to the driver… maybe they’re innocent too, but my point was that they chose to be in the car, and from what they say in the ad., they seem aware that the driver is drunk. Does that lessen their innocence? Who knows, but that wasn’t my point. I just preferred the middle ad, that’s all.
Sheesh.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:14 pm
the problem with any ads is ,,most that are out “having a good time” don’t think they ARE impaired.. their minds are not all there.. and do irrational things..like drive.. more push needs to go out to maybe public transportation and reduced taxi rates or more along those lines.. my opinion anyway..
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:13 am
[...] Via Advertising/Design Goodness: the ICBC Counter Attack. Shocking footage to make people aware of the consequences of the ‘drink and drive’ attitude. Seriously disturbing, but very powerful. Today’s teens aren’t shocked as fast as teens used to be, so indeed you’ve got to come up with seriously catching images. I think this is a good way to throw the message into their lives. [...]
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:38 am
[...] Er gaat heel wat controverse onstaan rond deze spots, maar ik vind ze goed. Mensen die drinken en rijden zijn retards. [...]
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:37 am
Let me start by saying that this is NOT an attack on the message: don’t drink and drive. It IS an attack on the campaign: how the message is communicated. I repeat: DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.
Almost everyone has driven a car after taking a drink; in the huge majority of cases, nothing happened. In most accidents, even where alcohol is a factor, it is not the cause. Alcohol only multiplies the risk; it is more like buying another lottery ticket than like gravity. Therefore, people watching this campaign will know they are being lied to. And we all know what people do when they think they are being lied to: they ignore the message at best. I am sure that those psychologists who have studied this can confirm that these types of campaigns don’t work.
The message that this campaign could have supported truthfully is: remember that your vehicle is a lethal weapon that could kill you, your friends and maybe other people too. So for f**ks sake behave responsibly when you are in control. And everyone knows that you aren’t in control when you drink - that’s why you drink, isn’t it?
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:04 pm
Think positive. In the late eighties we had such shocking ads on belgian tv. It didn’t help at all, sounds strange, but you get used to seeing it.
Again, think positive, for more than ten years now we have a very succesful campaign.
It does not forbid anything, It does not tell you what not to do.
It simply reminds people of choosing one sober person/driver that does not drink at all during the night out. It works and it’s fully accepted now.
March 2nd, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Crazy commericals, but they all seem the same in a way.
March 6th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
wow.
March 10th, 2006 at 2:47 am
OH MY GOD…..I am a police officer in Australia. Those type of ads are fantastic and straight to the point. If only they were shown on Australian television in prime time. I have e mailed them to the force for their thoughts………
March 10th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
For those who do not know the history: ICBC (the Insurance Corporation of British Corporation) is that Canadian province’s sole supplier of compulsory liability insurance for all drivers. As such, it wants to reduce accidents and claims against its policies.
About ten years ago (during the NDP government) it was rolled into the Ministry of Transportation. Cal it socialism, but it makes sense: this synergy has been very successful (in my opinion as transportation engineer) and has resulted in safety enhancements to infrastructure and a better way to look at things. They are at the forefront in North America (people in the US do not easily agree with that.) I hope these graphic ads work.
March 10th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
esxuse-me,but i am french and i don’t speack english
bravo pour ces spots tres chocs.en france nous n’avons pas de spot qui font peur et froid dans le dos par la realite de l’image ; donc bravo et continuer.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
wow… powerful…
March 22nd, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Those were definitely powerful because they are more believeable than the other anti-ads out there. Are these currently on tv? If they aren’t yet then they should definitely put them on the air. Maybe it will drive home the message a little harder because you actually see want can happen instead of just hearing about it, and that it can happen to anyone at anytime.
April 5th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
I thought the middle one was really strong. it seems to be going the same way so many ads we’ve seen before with the “dude drove drunk, lost his license and has to take the bus and it sucks” rout which makes you pretty comfortable and sure of whats happening, then at the end i think it’s harder because it’s not taking where you think it will.
I also think it is important to bring home the reality that when you drive drunk, it’s people outside of yourself at risk and it’s not all about what happens to you. makes it harder to justify the risks.
April 18th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
The way I interpret the passenger ones narrating is that in actuality, the passenger is not there. They are sitting there simply as narrators, talking in the 3rd person … things that the driver has probablly heard a hundred times from that very same person, their friends, family, etc…
April 27th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Well,i live in Québec,and unfortunately,we dont have taht kind of message on the media,drinking and driving is stupid and that kind of pub is definitely a message of good sense
I just hope our governement will lower the limit to 0 in each province and push forward these advertisments every where
April 27th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Cool ads indeed. Unfortunatly, I don’t think they will change anything to the statistics. There’s a small % of the population who whatever you do, whatever you show them, they will still drive when they are drunk. I think in Canada we achieved that percentage and nothing can be done about it. It is unfortunate but we have to live with those idiots.
The only way I see to prevent 99% drinking and driving is by installing a module that reads either breath or blood for alchool, but even then its easily counterable…
May 24th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Nice ad. I wished the gouverment in our country did a little bit more about this kind of stuff.
Everytime when an ad like this enters the television world, it gets banned because people slept bad because of it or something.
Greets from the Netherlands
August 16th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
An emphatic YES. I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head. We need more of this kind of thoughtful perception.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:27 am
When will you stop talking to the driver?
October 16th, 2006 at 10:35 am
I live in Canada and I think theese commercials are the best thing to happen on getting the point accross I see them on a regular basis but I would like to see more of these because I feel the point of drinking and driving and the dangers of it is a very important issue. And yes other countries should have the same advertisng too many people have died because of unresponsible drivers. Peace dont drink and drive
October 27th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
I like the message of the ads, but I think the two with passengers are a little flawed in the sense that they ignore that an irritating, nagging person in the front seat is equally dangerous. I have twice pulled over and asked people to get out of my car for ranting while I am trying to drive when they have ignored my requests to be quiet so i could concentrate.
I also think these ads would be better if they showed someone refusing to get in a car with someone who is drunk, and phoning the police with the number of their licence plate.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:59 am
I think if they ran in america they’d make a conversation happen. But I really think americans need to talk about drinking at the college level. Kids will always do it the parents or adults will say, well maybe so but it should be in our best interest to educate kids so they dont take others with themselves on these drunken driving experiences. I recently let a friend drive when i was too drunk and he was too drunk and he didnt know when not to drive. Its just as stupid to drive with someone who’s drunk, as it is to drive drunk yourself. I dunno I think this touched on it a bit. Kudos
December 22nd, 2006 at 5:46 pm
These are NOT commercials, they are P.S.A.’s public service announcements. A commercial, coming from the word commerce, to trade, asks you to buy a product or service.
January 3rd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Tony: and so…? commercials generally try to get you into a message, as much as these movies do.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:40 am
[...] Am gasit via Advertising/Design Goodness campanie puternica facuta impotriva bautului la volan care mi-a adus putin aminte de spotul facut de Politia Romana pentru a atrage atentia asupra faptului ca centura de siguranta salveaza vieti. La prima vedere am fost destul de socat si am zis ca spotul cu centura e prea dur realizat, dar dupa ceva timp mi-am dat seama ca pana la urma e doar realitatea si uneori realitatea doare. Dar se pare ca se poate mult mai dur de atat. Vezi mai jos. [...]
January 4th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
ICBC has new drinking & driving spots, here are the YouTube links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq2WqyfYiuI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cliUCHYfChc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqqtmyIjypA
Quiet a departure from the graphic shock ads, more subtle messaging.
June 6th, 2007 at 9:57 am
[...] Via: Advertising/Design Goodness [...]
June 12th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Anyone know how to download them? I need them for a project.
I find them everywhere, but I can’t save them :S
September 24th, 2007 at 10:36 am
That guy in the second video got FUCKED UP.
October 10th, 2007 at 9:43 am
The “shock” psa style is very effective. Check out the original “shock” drunk driving psa. Before and After @ http://www.whosdrivingtonight.com
October 16th, 2007 at 10:02 am
To be fair, if she wasn’t chatting to him he probably would’ve seen the truck coming.
March 25th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
are these adds moral or unethical? how far can we criticise them? i need to make a project on shock adds…
May 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Here is Montana’s new PSA for drinking and driving but it also incorporates not wearing a seat-belt.
http://www.youtube.com/banikMDT
Sad stuff.