Cell phone at the wheel? BMW and M&C Saatchi get the hang of it in Italy
#CoverYourPhone is the name of an initiative in Italy. It aims to achieve great things with a simple idea.
Everyone knows it, yet most people don't stick to it: the smartphone has no place behind the wheel. The temptation is great: a quick glance, a quick message - we are so used to looking at our phones all day that we find it difficult to stop doing so even in the car. Countless campaigns, some of them impressive, have already tried to prove society wrong. Nevertheless, accidents still happen because of this.
M&C Saatchi and BMW are taking a new approach in Italy. It is so simple that it almost has to be promising. The #CoverYourPhone initiative encourages people to turn the protective cover over when they get into their car, making the touchscreen inaccessible. True to the motto: if you can't use it, you won't use it. Alex Zanardi was engaged as an ambassador. The former Formula 1 driver had both legs amputated after an accident. Nevertheless, he then got back into the cockpit for BMW and competed in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
Users are encouraged to share the message with the said hashtag via social media. If the case film is to be believed, this worked quite well - the campaign was also picked up by the media. Constant dripping wears away the stone - at some point, smartphones will disappear from cars. Or made superfluous by all the on-board technology anyway. (hae)
