The drink driving message is quite well embedded in most drivers’ brains but cannabis driving? Well that’s growing among young people in Denmark. Roughly one-third of serious or fatal accidents involving a driver of a motorised vehicle under the influence of drugs or medication, the driver is between 17 and 24 years old, and research shows many Danish youth don’t appreciate the risks of drug driving, or are aware of the penalties it incurs. 

Rådet for Sikker Trafik (Danish Road Safety Council) and Worth Your While have taken on the challenge of reaching a difficult audience. Their campaign, Op i røg (Up in Smoke), contains two film PSA, both edgy in their execution and uncompromising in their warning, and a provocative new product – a pack of rolling papers designed to look like Danish driver’s licences. The custom-branded Up in Smoke smoking papers are printed with mocked-up drivers’ licences. They will be distributed to key influencers and media as part of the initial PR phase of the campaign.

Lukas Lund, founding partner & creative director, Worth Your While, stated, ”It might sound wild to turn a driver’s license into rolling paper. But sometimes you need to do something just crazy enough to make young people stop and think. For us, it’s not about glorifying anything, but rather creating a small hook that can open up a difficult conversation.”

The campaign transforms an abstract legal threat into a thought-provoking question for young Danish adults – is drug driving really worth it? 

The campaign films, directed by Casper Balslev and produced by new-land, combine emotional storytelling with the campaign’s signature green aesthetic to create a cinematic feel, punctuated by impactful visual metaphors such as licences dissolving into smoke.

By opting for a full animation approach over documentary-style footage, the agency avoided any sense of ‘staging’ in the films – instead allowing them to tell authentic stories based on real cases, while protecting identities. 

Behind the campaign is the strength of deterrence research into drunk driving and the principles behind successful interventions. The resulting campaign portrays the tangible consequences of drug driving through real cases showing routine detection, as well as the devastating outcomes including three years without a licence, the inconvenience of using public transport and the disappointment of family and friends.

Karina Petersen, VP, Danish Road Safety Council, commented, “Our surveys, the police charges, and the accident statistics all clearly show that far too many young Danish drivers have an overly relaxed attitude toward driving under the influence of cannabis. That’s why we are launching the campaign to warn the target group that their behaviour can have major consequences for themselves and others.”

Christian Berthelsen, police assistant, corporate communications, the Danish National Police, added, “Every year, the police charge thousands of people with drug-driving, and a large proportion of them are under the influence of cannabis. When you choose to take mind-altering substances and then go out into traffic, you put not only yourself but all other road users at risk. Drugs and traffic are a very bad combination, and with the constant attention society gives this issue, I’m disappointed that so many still choose to drive – fully aware that, in the worst case, it can cost them or others their lives.”

The full campaign is running across youth-targeted streaming channels, TV2 Play, Viaplay, HBO Max and digital channels, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, mobile games and digital screens at schools and technical colleges.

Credits
Client: Rådet for Sikker Trafik
Vice President; Karina Petersen
Senior Project Managers: Morten Wehner & Lisbeth Sahl
Project Manager: Sally Elvekjær Urquizu
 
Creative Agency: Worth Your While 
Creative Directors & Partners: Lukas Lund & Tim Pashen
Design Director & Partner: Carl Angelo
Creatives: Isa Bella Madelena Normark, Frederik Emil Vedersø & Alexander Winge Leisner
Chief Strategy Officer: Tali Madsen
Account Manager: Christine Lorentzen
Account Director & CEO: Morten Ingeman

Production Company: new—land
Director: Casper Balslev
Executive Producers: Sara Samsøe & Gareth Warland
Producer: Gareth Warland
Production Manager: Julie Seifert

Animation: Partizan Studios
Animation Director: Jack Brown
Animation Producer: Leo Green
Director of Photography: Niels Thastum 
Editor: Olivier Bugge Coutté
Colourist: Hannibal Lang
Sound Design: Brian Dyrby
Music: Andréas Pfannenstill 
Stills Photographer: Oliver Knauer