Car drivers vs cyclists. It’s one of the greatest road rage triggers. Rage is an automatic response to a stressor. Behind that rage are often much more important feelings, feelings that could help Mayor of London’s Vision Zero objective of having zero deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041. VCCP has tapped into this in its campaign for Transport for London (Tfl) for Safety Week.

In the new campaign, TfL targets all road users, encouraging them to See their side and be more considerate of each other. The campaign is led by a 60-second hero film which is designed to highlight the lack of empathy and understanding that road users often have for each other. It reminds road users that everyone else on the road is a human being just like them.

The film, directed by celebrated HLA Director, Simon Ratigan, appeals to the audience’s emotions with the presentation of a very real, albeit disturbing interaction between a car driver and cyclist who narrowly escape a collision. Watch how that argument evolves:

Simon Learman, Creative Director at VCCP London, stated, “We set out to create a film that directly tackles the tribal culture which currently dominates London’s roads. By dramatising how we really feel in moments of tension on London streets, we start to break down the barriers between road users and engender a greater spirit of understanding and generosity. This campaign speaks to VCCP’s challenger nature and if ‘See their side’ can encourage road users to be more mindful with their behaviour, then we’re confident we will eventually move towards a London which is safer for all.”

Miranda Leedham, head of customer marketing & behaviour change at Transport for London, commented, “At TfL we want to make London safer for all. We’re incredibly passionate about this objective and ‘See their side’ is a film we wanted our audience to resonate with. The end product is a film that pulls at the heartstrings and really encourages all road users to wake up and think about the potential of their actions. We’re fully behind helping The Mayor achieve his Vision Zero ambition to eradicate deaths and serious injuries from our roads and make London a safer place to live.”

The campaign will run in London for a number of years, as part of the longer goal to have zero people killed or seriously injured on London’s streets by 2041. The film will be aired on TV and in cinema, supported in OOH.

Credits:

Client: Transport for London
Head of Customer Marketing & Behaviour Change: Miranda Leedham 
Customer Marketing Behaviour Change Lead: Rebecca Langdell 
Customer Marketing Behaviour Change Manager: Phil Jepson

Agency: VCCP London
Creative Director: Simon Learman 
Senior Creatives: Mark McCall & Richard Dorey
Executive TV Producer: Simon Plant
Group Head of Planning: Andrew Perkins 
Planning Director: Jennifer Cownie
Business Director: Lindsey George 
Senior Account Director: Lucy Hatton 
Account Manager: Murray Borthwick  

Production Company: HLA
Director: Simon Ratigan 
Producer: Tim Nunn 
Production Managers: Daniel Carter & Claire Adcock
Creative Producer: Jermaine Bossman 

Media: Wavemaker