Ungiven Gifts
TAC
Issue 30 | March 2014
Agency
Grey Melbourne
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Michael Knox Creative Director Nigel Dawson Creatives Rohan Cooke Laura Petruccelli
Production Team
Production Red Exhibitions Studio57F1
Other Credits
Photographers Louis Petruccelli Guy Lavoipierre Producer Kath Regan Account Director Jodi Gubana General Managers Randal Glennon Kerrie Spaargaren
Date
November 2013
Background
Christmas is the most dangerous period on Australian roads.
Idea
A timely reminder to drive safely over the holiday period was set up outside the State Library in Melbourne. 209 symbolic ungiven gifts were placed round the base of a Christmas tree, one for each of the lives lost on the roads the previous year.
Behind each of the gifts was a heartbreaking story of a life lost and of Christmas ruined for loved ones. People were invited to leave their own tribute to a loved one on the tree or to share it online. Hundreds of photos, tributes and drive safely messages were left at #ungivengifts.
RESULTS
The campaign reached over one million people through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as people shared tributes to those who had lost their lives. The installation featured on every TV network and in all daily news publications.
The campaign helped contribute to the lowest number of fatalities in Victoria of modern times.
Our Thoughts
Grey Melbourne has a long history of doing great work to promote road safety in Victoria for their client TAC and this poignant Christmas installation is no exception.
Nothing is more tragic than an unopened gift. All of those who visited the installation would have felt for themselves something of the huge sense of loss hundreds, if not thousands, of people would be experiencing over Christmas. And all so avoidable.
I was pleased to see that viewers were able to become participants in the idea through #ungivengifts, where they could share their sympathies.
It was the shortest write-up of all submissions to this issue of Directory and it didn’t need any more.