The moving story of an ignored barrier
Question
Studies showed that people in Belgium often ignore traffic regulations near railroad crossings and tend to ignore barriers. This leads to risky situations and accidents. How can we raise awareness on this topic and encourage people to act safely?
Answer
We chose a less obvious approach and perspective - the one of a barrier itself. Telling the moving story of an ignored and forgotten barrier, as a real person. With feelings and emotions. Meet Jean-Pierre Barrière aka Jeroom Slagboom.
Before officially launching the campaign, we introduced Jean-Pierre Barrière to the public during Infrabel’s main PR event. In a fun teaser, we gave the viewers a glimpse of his life as a barrier. Including an instruction for brushing your teeth without bending an elbow.
A bit surreal, surely intriguing. What happens next?
Railway crossing blues
Jean-Pierre’’s story is about emotions. What better way to convey these than through compelling storytelling? Well, music is also a great medium. We chose to use both. Together with Audiotheque, we wrote an original, hum-worthy song, conveying our serious message in a fun way that sticks. Probably the first railway crossing blues in the world.
Online
For online, we used a full 60 seconds edit and meme-like derivatives as social content. A shorter, 30 seconds edit has been aired on Belgian television, making Jean-Pierre famous.
With Jean-Pierre’s quirky story, we presented a fresh approach to awareness campaigns. Something worth sharing, talking about and remembering.
Dress like a barrier
To bring Jean-Pierre’s story closer to the public, we designed a barrier sweater. Fun, wearable reference that serves as an additional promotion tool. And a great conversation starter.