Mistakes
NZ Transport Agency2014
Mistakes is a 2014 90-second television and cinema commercial (also cut to 60 seconds) for NZ Transport Agency, created by Clemenger BBDO, Wellington.
The line
Other people make mistakes. Slow down.
Why it works
Two cars are about to collide: one driven by a man in a shirt and tie, late for work and going a little too fast, the other by a father who has made a misjudgement, his young son in the back seat. Time stops. Both men step out and talk in the middle of the road, each owning his mistake, the father pleading for his boy, before they get back in and the crash happens. Clemenger BBDO Wellington aimed it at competent drivers who sit just over the limit and do not call that speeding. Rather than argue with their faith in their own skill, the film accepts it and points out that they cannot control anyone else's errors. Directed by Derin Seale for Finch, it travelled far beyond New Zealand, with some 20 countries asking to use it. It won a Gold Lion at Cannes, a One Show Gold Pencil and a D&AD Yellow Pencil, and D&AD describes it as the most-watched video in New Zealand's history.
Techniques
- Fear appeal Freezes two cars moments before a collision to show that driving a little too fast leaves no room for other people's mistakes, so slow down.
- Storytelling Time stops, both drivers step out to own their errors and the father pleads for his son, before they get back in and the crash happens.
Sources · 4
Updated
