Go easy on our streets.

In recent years, Quebecers have been bombarded with public service messages, new rules and regulations, and appeals to change their driving habits.

While road safety and prevention campaigns send a strong message, they all have one thing in common: their effect wears off as soon as their broadcast cycle ends. To make a more lasting impact, we needed to come up with something disruptive that would live beyond the campaign and media buys. An action that everyone in Laval could adopt.

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Rather than produce a “shock” campaign about the risks and consequences of speeding, we used a gentler tactic based on civic activism and a memorable call to action. A disruptive approach, in both substance and form. The result? We developed a creative territory featuring a pop song with a quirky music video full of plush textures, inviting people to Go easy on our streets. We also invited Laval residents to play an active role in the effort by providing them with prevention materials, yard waste bags, and lawn signs to increase the message’s visibility. In total, Laval residents picked up nearly 7,000 signs and close to 10,000 bags.

From the very first week, politicians and the media unanimously approved the ad and the campaign’s cleverness. The same went for citizens, starting with Laval residents who made the campaign their own, posting the signs on their lawns and sharing the music video widely on social media. As far as influence marketing goes, we couldn’t ask for more. Mayors across Quebec celebrated the campaign’s boldness and relevance, promoting the message among their own citizens, who asked their elected officials to produce similar campaigns for their municipalities. The campaign was mentioned in the media some 20 times, in addition to the repeats in news bulletin loops. It created a warm and fuzzy snowball effect, driven by the involvement of the people of Laval.