There is never only one victim in a drunk driving accident, says ICICI Lombard's new campaign

Drinking and driving is not a new problem. Everybody knows the risks and the penalties but still accidents caused by drunk driving claim lives every day. What drunk drivers probably don’t understand or think about is the number of lives they shatter because of one rash moment.

Focusing on this aspect, ICICI Lombard’s new campaign #IWillDriveYouHome approaches the problem of drinking and driving through the eyes of a father who lost his son to a drunk driving accident.

The campaign video, conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai, starts with Hemraj Sharma speaking about how he lost his only son to a drink driving accident. The scene shifts to an eatery where people are enjoying a few drinks. They are given a card that says Hemraj Sharma will drive them home. Happy and a little tipsy as they come out, they see Sharma waiting to drive them away. But he is also wearing a T-shirt that says “I lost my son in a drunken driving accident”. This obviously shocks the patrons. Sharma in the course of the journey tells them about his loss and the dangers of drunk driving.

Talha Bin Mohsin

Speaking about the idea behind the campaign, Talha Bin Mohsin, Group Creative Director, O&M Mumbai, said, “ICICI Lombard has always supported different road safety initiatives. This year, they chose to take on the problem of drunk driving and wanted to do something that would make an actual difference. Drunk driving is not a new problem. People are well aware about just how dangerous drunk driving could be. Yet, the superman syndrome runs strong in us. People still believe it wouldn’t happen to them or anyone they know. This was the thought process we would have to challenge and change. And we realised that perhaps the best way to do this was to bring people who were about to drink and drive face-to-face with someone who had actually lived through the pain of losing someone to a drunken driving accident, in a setting where they just couldn’t ignore him.”

“We created #IWillDriveYouHome and after a lot of searching we finally found Hemraj Sharma; one of the most inspirational people we’ve ever met. He lost his son to a drink driving accident last year and has now made helping others his life’s sole purpose to avoid the same fate. He was completely on board as soon as he heard the idea and his fervour and courage helped us take it to the next level,” added Mohsin.

Mohsin believes that any idea that revolves around real people is always full of challenges.

“I think the biggest challenge we faced was to find someone who had lost somebody close to them and who would also be willing to talk about such an obviously painful memory. In a way finding Hemraj Sharma is what made this campaign possible,” said Mohsin.

Peer reviews

Shekhar Mhaskar

“It's an interesting and different take on drunk driving where the victims of the accidents are not just the drunk driver, but someone, and families not even related to the drunk driver. It's quite heart wrenching and strikes the right chord with anyone who would watch it. The makers of the video should take a bow. Wish to thank ICICI Lombard for the initiative and wish them all the best,” said Shekhar Mhaskar, Vice-President, Isobar India.

Shazia Shaikh

Shazia Shaikh, Team leader, Integrated Services, Digital L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, "This campaign really helps bring out the fact that the real victims of drunk driving are the families who have to endure the pain of losing their loved ones. It hits you strongly when you actually meet these family members and realise their loss.” 

“The recent hit and run case of Siddhartha Sharma is something we all must have come across a few months back. The sad truth is you cannot take any preventive action to not become a victim. It's a great effort by the brand to remind everyone that we need to be responsible especially since all of us today have accessibility to hire drivers or just book a cab," Shaikh added. 

The TVC:

Credits:

Client: ICICI Lombard

Agency: Ogilvy Mumbai

National Creative Director: Rajiv Rao

Executive Creative Director(s): Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar

Group Creative Director(s): Talha Bin Mohsin, Mahesh Parab

ACD and Creative Team: Shahvan Kaikobad, Ajit Sahoo

Copywriter: Talha Bin Mohsin, Shahvan Kaikobad

Art Director: Mahesh Parab, Ajit Sahoo, Harshal Walawalkar, Hari Rawat

Account Management Team: Sushma Singh, Sayed Yusoof, Amritesh Kumar, Sohil Kothari

Brand Planning Team: Prem Narayan, Preeti Shetty

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