City Hall Of Curitiba: ART ON THE CROSSWALK

Credits & Description:

Category: Public Sector

Advertiser: CURITIBA CITY HALL

Product/Service: ROAD SAFETY

Vice President: Edson Athayde (Master)

Creative Director: Victor Afonso (Master)

Copywriter: Felippe Motta (Master)

Art Director: Eduardo Tavares (Master)

Designer: Marcos Minii (Master)

Web Designer: Jimmy Nisgoski (Master)

Agency Producer: Thaysa Bono (Master)

Vice President: Flavio Waiteman (Master)

Copywriter: Victor Afonso (Master)

Media placement: Ambient - Crosswalk - 19 September 2010



Summary of the Campaign

In general, Brazilians believe that only people behind the wheel are responsible for traffic safety, and so pedestrians ignore basic rules, such as using the crosswalks. That’s why Curitiba City Hall created the "Arte na Faixa" project (Art on the Crosswalk) and invited 20 artists to use the city’s busiest crosswalks as a canvas for their art in order to draw people’s attention. The crosswalks, that once were ignored, became a subject during National Traffic Week helping reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians.



The Situation

In 2009, 896 pedestrians were hit by cars in Curitiba, the city with the most cars per capita in Brazil. One of the main reasons for such accidents is that Brazilians don’t respect the crosswalks.



The Goal

Curitiba City Hall chose the crosswalks as the subject of National Traffic Week 2010. The problem: they had a limited budget to make a hyper cynical audience realize the importance of the city crosswalks during a time when the media is cluttered with similar messages on various aspects of traffic safety.



The Strategy

Twenty of Curitiba’s most influential artists were invited to participate in Art on the Crosswalk. Each artist was responsible for multiplying the project's exposure in their own networks, including blogs, photographs and documentaries. Their social network profiles became a media channel that helped spread the idea.



Execution

The city's busiest crosswalks were simultaneously painted on the Sunday that opened National Traffic Week. The buzz generated on social media, through the artists’ profiles, also attracted traditional media attention and Art on the Crosswalk was featured on TV, newspapers, magazines, radio stations and news portals.



Documented Results

US$2,618 was spent on paint and duct tape, generating US$122,915 worth of free media. Curitiba City Hall managed to reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians by 21.8% in comparison to the same period the previous year. 2010 registered the fewer number of people hit by cars in the last 5 years.