Pointing out the obvious in a new injury prevention campaign

Who: The Community Against Preventable Injuries (Preventable), with Wasserman for creative and media, Boldly for production, Sequence for animated graphics, PostPro Media for post-production and Wave Productions for audio.

What: “Pointing out the Obvious,” a reminder campaign about everyday health and safety hazards at a time when people are still largely focused on COVID.

When & Where: The campaign launched in March and is running until the end of June on TV, as online video and digital banners, and out-of-home posters.

Why: In a normal year, more than three million Canadians are seriously injured, according to Preventable. “Right now, all of us are rightly focused on keeping ourselves and our families safe from COVID-19,” said Dr. Ian Pike, co-executive director at Preventable in a release. “Unfortunately, hospital data is showing us that all this attention we’re paying to COVID can distract us from other injury risks.”

How: The campaign uses “light-hearted exaggeration” in the form of a bright flashing warning sign to point out unnoticed hazards in everyday scenarios. There are three 15-second video ads—one each for home, work and on the road. The ads all close with the message: “Don’t forget the obvious. It’s still time to get serious about preventable injuries.”

“By quite literally pointing out the obvious, we’re reminding people not to forget the basics of injury prevention,” said Wasserman president Stefan Hawes in the release. “Having a little bit of fun with it allows us to ask people to be vigilant without being condescending.”

All creative pushes to the Preventable.ca website, which contains content and tips about staying safe at home, work and play.

David Brown