IfxWeekday

Background

In Scandinavia, it got really dark during the winter months and pedestrian-car accidents increased dramatically. Wearing a reflector reduced the risk of being hit by a car by half, but studies showed many young adults wouldn't wear them, largely due to vanity. Campaigns telling people to use reflectors had been made for years but behaviour hadn't changed.

Idea

To encourage use of reflectors, If Insurance initiated yearly fashion designer collabs. The aim was to create cooler alternatives to more traditional reflectors, to make young adults choose to make themselves visible in traffic. If's partner for this year's collection was the fashion brand Weekday.

The campaign — TV, OOH, digital — combined the very practical aspect of actually saving lives with the conscious cool of Weekday's typical style.

Results

This campaign ran in the winter months of 2017 so results were not ready by time of going to press; but product sales were already massive, target group reactions were overwhelmingly positive and research showed the idea tested well against If's overall brand KPIs: e.g. liking the campaign is as high as 76% while 45% have a better opinion about If.

Our Thoughts

Some might say this is behavioural economics at work, a psychological insight into the mindset of young people. They spend a fortune on clothes, wanting to be noticed, to stand out, to look good and then avoid wearing exactly the sort of reflective clothing that would make them noticed on the road at night.

So the solution is, make reflective accessories fashionable. Collaborate with a suitable hip label and there you have it, an advertising idea that people will buy both literally and figuratively.