AT&T: It Can Wait

Mobile phones have fundamentally changed our lives for the better, but they have also created one life threatening consequence: texting while driving. As the role of the smartphone has evolved in our lives, so has the size and nature of the problem. According to the National Safety Council, nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting & driving and it is the cause of 1 in 4 accidents. Here's a terrifying statistic I recently came across: texting & driving is 6 times more dangerous than drinking & driving.

Every year, we have to find new ways of confronting consumers with the dangers of distracted driving. This work is the most important work we do and, every year, I make sure that I sit down with my wife and daughters and make them watch it.

The first It Can Wait campaign I worked on built on the success of the launch campaign in 2013, which highlighted the cataclysmic consequences of a few small letters and words - C U in 5, LOL, BFF........

In 2014, we broadened the perspective on the issue and showed the impact of texting and driving on more than just the deceased and their family. We told the stories from the perspective of the perpetrator, the emergency services and survivors who had to endure the long term consequences of their accident. We created a documentary with the acclaimed director, Werner Herzog. The film, which we edited down into a series of shorter length commercials, is forensic and chilling in equal measure. The story about the Amish family and the father's letter to the man who killed his wife and three children is one of the most moving stories I have ever heard.

This film continues to be used as part of drivers education classes across the country. My daughter is learning to drive right now and she saw it last weekend. I hope she paid attention.

Most public service advertising tends to shame the undesirable behavior. In 2015, we made the conscious decision to shift our strategy and use a more empathetic approach to the issue of distracted driving. In "Closer to home", we showed how a selfless act by a mother helping her daughter could result in a horrific accident. By moving away from frivolous and selfish behaviors, we made a deeper connection with a far broader audience. The thing I find terrifying about this film is that I could see people I know doing something well intentioned, but deadly.

Last year's film was driven by a powerful insight that came out of research groups. One of the men in the groups admitted that he would never use his phone when he was driving his kids to school, but the moment the kids left the car, he'd start glancing at his phone. His honesty sparked a lively conversation and others in the group acknowledged that they were more likely to be distracted by their phone when driving alone. A great insight that led to last year's very powerful film, "The Unseen"