Helmet has always been a good idea
Danish Road Safety Council
Issue 62 | March 2022
Agency
&Co./NoA
Creative Team
Creative Director Thomas Hoffmann Art Directors Ole Hoffmann, Kristoffer Winther S rensen Copywriter Kristian Eilertsen Graphic Designer Peter Vojnovic
Production Team
In-house Producer Filippa Borg In-house Editors S ren Jespersgaard Albrechtsen, Frederik Tops e Jensen Production Newland
Other Credits
Client Director Thomas Christenson Account Team Louise Brinkland F rch, Louise Rasmussen, Anne Sophie Vendal Strategist Nynne Sille Hansen Planner Katrine Thamdrup Client Vice president Karina Petersen Senior project managers Lisbeth Sahl, Michelle, Lykke Laviolette
Date
2021
Background
Danes love their bikes. In fact, 90% of the population owns one and bikes an average of 3.46km per day One third of all journeys across Copenhagen, ranked the world’s most cycle-friendly city, are made by bike. One problem; helmets have never been popular - only 47% of cyclists wear a helmet though they account for 70% of all road injuries.
Idea
There is not one good excuse for not wearing a helmet but there is a long list of poor ones.
Research indicated vanity and complacency (‘it won’t happen to me, I’m a good cyclist’) were to blame.
The idea was to poke fun at helmetdeniers.
And who better to talk about helmets than the Vikings, who wore their helmets with pride.
The film takes place in a Viking village in 893. A raiding party is due to plunder England again. The Viking leader announces that he won’t be wearing his helmet because it is too itchy, wrecks his hair and that he is a safe rider of horses and never falls off, thus, exposing all the common excuses cyclists use.
Results
Nine out of ten people who saw the film agreed that wearing a helmet when biking is a good idea. 86% concurred that wearing a helmet was more important than vanity.
Seven out of ten non-helmet users found the film relevant and 33% of them were seriously considering purchasing a helmet.
4% did so.
Our Thoughts
This is ‘Vikings’ meets ‘Life of Brian’. All the attention to detail of the Netflix series with Svend, the Viking Chief, a very naughty boy.
As a campaign it’s not particularly innovative but it is bloody funny. And given there is so little humour in advertising right now (see pages 3-7) this two-and-a-halfminute film is worth celebrating. It’s had at least two million views on YouTube, which is very good going for what is normally a finger-wagging exercise.
Also, my wife is Danish. What always gets her goat are helmets with horns sticking out of them. At least the helmets in the film are authentic.
