Any driver who’s ever been jolted out of their reverie by the sudden CRACK!! of a rock smashing into their car at high speed knows how these ordinarily benign objects can be transformed into vicious windshield-cracking machines without any provocation.

That’s particularly true in Alberta, where instead of salting during the winter, road crews tend to put down what has been described as a “sanding chip mixture” comprised of 97% fine gravel and three per cent sand.

This can have severe repercussions for the province’s motorists, and their windshields: Calgary, for example, has been referred to as one of Canada’s “windshield replacement capitals.”

That’s the basis of “Rocks Jump,” a new out-of-home campaign from Calgary agency TRGR (formerly Trigger) for AMI Autoglass Insurance. It’s running throughout the spring, when these typically dormant pebbles are at their most menacing.

The campaign shows ordinary pebbles transformed into a leaping ninja, ballerina, and skateboarder, accompanied by the “Rocks Jump” message. All of the ads drive to a dedicated website, CoverYourGlass.ca, which outlines AMI’s services and provides a quote based on specific vehicles.

“Reminding people about autoglass insurance doesn’t sound like much fun, which is exactly why we injected some personality and humour—to grab people’s attention and quickly deliver a simple, memorable message that all Albertans know to be true,” said TRGR’s associate creative director, Brad Connell.