In its 'Don't Smartphone and Drive' distracted driving ad campaign, Volkswagen clearly demonstrates that it's impossible for your eyes and attention to be in two places at once. The large print ads are set up two images that are spread widely apart, separated by a piece of text that poses the challenge: "Try looking at both at the same time." The images are so purposefully small, it's not even like you can stand back and see them from a distance.
On each of the ads, one of the images is of a friendly text message, while the other is an emoji of someone that's in danger of being struck by a car, like a child on a scooter, a woman pushing a baby stroller or a lady on a bike. There's not much text on the ads, but it would still be enough to cause an accident.
What's Driving This Trend
- Distracted Driving Awareness
- Opportunity for companies to create ad campaigns that highlight the dangers of using smartphones while driving.
- Visual Attention Enhancing Technologies
- Potential for developing technologies that can improve individuals' ability to focus their visual attention on multiple stimuli simultaneously.
- Text Message Safety Features
- Opportunity for mobile device manufacturers to develop safety features that limit distractions caused by text messages while driving.
Who This Affects Most
- Advertising
- Advertising agencies can capitalize on the demand for effective campaigns that discourage distracted driving.
- Technology
- Tech companies can explore the development of innovative visual attention enhancing technologies to reduce distracted driving incidents.
- Mobile Devices
- Mobile device manufacturers can incorporate safety features that minimize distractions caused by text messages while driving.
