Since 1942, the Ad Council has offered trusted advice and inspiring calls-to-action. In fact, they created the category of public service advertising, and their icons and slogans are woven into the very fabric of American culture. The Ad Council is where Smokey Bear lives. The Ad Council saw that “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” and reminded Americans that, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” 

Today, they are working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on preventing distracted driving. 

Americans are highly aware of and concerned about the issue. More than nine in ten Americans believe texting/emailing (94%) while driving is unacceptable. There have been many efforts to educate and convey the potential consequences of distracted driving using scare tactics or preachy messaging. And, while research shows that people are convinced that the behavior is dangerous, they are still doing it. According to the Ad Council’s Texting & Driving Prevention annual tracking survey, 44% of 18-34 year olds said they have texted while driving in the past month. 

In order to address the disconnect between awareness and behavior, we need to go beyond showing people the potential crashes and gruesome results. We need to address the fact that individuals are choosing to engage in a behavior that they know is dangerous. 

PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION ON MESSAGING FORMAT: 

• Check out the "Good Habit" video from the Ad Council's existing campaign against texting & driving. This is a good example of the tone the Ad Council is looking for.

***Please Note that only U.S. Residents are eligible to submit for this project.***

For many drivers, using a phone behind the wheel is second nature, but being distracted while driving is dangerous. Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your risk of collision. From 2012 to 2018, nearly 23,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver.

Using your phone (whether it's texting, filming, posting, using social media, emailing, browsing, etc.) while driving is a bad idea. However, instead of focusing on the negative outcomes of distracted driving, or shaming those who multitask with their phone behind the wheel, Ad Council wants to celebrate drivers who make the right choices - and that's where you come in. We need your help coming up with short video concepts on how we can encourage and reinforce positive driving habits by putting away distractions.

The greenlit concepts will be turned into :30 and :15 digital videos as an extension of Ad Council's existing campaign against texting & driving.

EXPOSURE: Social media

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Drivers ages 18-34

 

TONE: Positive, lighthearted (but not flippant), and straight-talking

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Keep it positive and celebratory (e.g. celebrating the driver’s decision to not text and drive). Consider showing someone else (e.g. a passenger, partner, etc.) celebrating the correct behavior with the driver.
• Show people doing the positive, correct behaviors. Do NOT show anyone driving distracted. 
• Do NOT submit concepts that revolve around car crashes. AVOID any negative messaging that would allude to death or serious injury.
• Your concept can include a car and/or visuals of people driving, but should really focus on the behavior of putting away distractions (not the act of driving). 
• Despite the perception, be careful NOT to reinforce the social norm that everyone is texting and driving.
• While we cannot show the negative behavior of texting and driving, we CAN build tension around the idea that texting while driving is dangerous.
• Highlight peer support for positive behavior; make people feel proud when they make the right/good decision to not text while driving.
• AVOID concepts that rely on or reference statistics, since those can frequently change and don’t capture any emotional response.
• AVOID concepts that are scary or stressful.
• AVOID concepts that are too metaphorical or take a long time to reveal the connection to distracted driving.
• AVOID concepts that rewind or go back in time to show the right decision.
• NO profanity or allusion to inappropriate behavior or action. Do NOT use language that could be considered racist/homophobic/misogynistic.
• NO references to politics, individual policymakers, or elected officials. Do NOT make any references to religion or religious figures (including "God" or “oh my god”).

Tell us your Concept in 250 characters or fewer. Remember, a concept is not a detailed script - it is a spark of inspiration or distillation of what will happen in the video. As always, concepts should be clever and engaging.

1. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
2. BY SUBMITTING AN ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
3. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
4. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
5. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
6. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
7. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
   
   
8. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
   
   
9. Winners must submit the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment.
   
   
10. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.