May 2019 is the 60th Anniversary of Volvo’s invention of the 3-point safety belt, an invention so important that it shared the patent with the world. This technology is now in every car.

On the journey home during Ramadhan drivers have typically gone without food or water for 14 hours. Fasting since dawn, physically exhausted, drivers find it harder to remain mentally alert. The is exacerbated by higher traffic levels as millions of drivers rush on their journey home to break fast and make prayer.

Subsequently, Ramadan is the most dangerous time of the year on Malaysian roads according to OPS SELAMAT 2017, MIROS – with an average of 16 fatal road accidents a day.

Brief

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the 3-point safety belt

Objectives

Create a campaign to aid heightened awareness of the importance of safe driving during the most dangerous time on the road

Music that Saves lives – Converting songs into a new form of safety device that can work in any car with a radio. Actively influencing behaviour by aiding focus and concentration during Drivetime.

Research from the London Metropolitan University (2015) found that music impacts driver’s behavior. In the experiment, Dr Simon Moore studied driving skills of drivers with no music for 250 miles.. They then drove a further 250 miles listening to different playlists. Music of 120 beats per minute or above increased aggression behind the wheel, accelerating faster and braking at the last-minute. Concluding that a fast tempo distracts and can cause people to subconsciously speed up to match the beat of the song.

The study found the optimum tempo of music for safe driving is between 60-80 bpm– syncing to the average human heart beat, helping focus, calming and concentrate on the road.

Media Insight:

If you want to deliver a safety message direct to drivers there is no better medium than radio. The Radio Audience Measurement 2018 study reveals that listenership peaked during weekday “drive time” shows between 4pm to 8pm. The study showed 13.6 million people listened to the drive time slots. (source: https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2018/07/18/radio-keeping-malaysians-company-during-rush-hour-traffic

Media Planning

The two largest ethnicities in Malaysia are Malays (70% of total pop.) and Chinese (23%). We partnered with two National radio stations - Sinar FM – Malay, and Lite FM – Chinese. We then negotiated a unique 5-week sponsorship of the Drivetime hour to cover the entire Ramadhan period.

Approach

Paired behavioral insights, we re-programmed the music playlists to only play music between 60-80 beats per minute. This was complemented by on-air DJ reads and interviews and safe driving tips from MIROS

Implementation

Throughout Drivetime a ’60 bespoke radio commercial explained the science and the relevancy of the 60th Anniversary of the safety belt, making drivers aware of the importance.

Launched on 6th May 2019, the Volvo Safe Drive hour ran for five weeks, Monday to Friday .

During Ramadhan, the Drive time hour shifts to an earlier slot of 4pm-5pm due to the need to return home for prayer and to break fast.

The reach of Astro Radio that houses the national radio stations, Sinar FM and Lite FM combined covers all urban centers, covering approximately 77.2% of peninsular Malaysia.

Volvo’s global mandate is ‘Safety for All’ – which extends to every person inside and outside the car.

In 1959 Volvo shared their safety belt technology, now that technology is saving lives in EVERY car, regardless of the brand. To mark this occasion we used science to create a means to continue in this tradition, a use of media that can make every drive home safer in ANY car. The average combined weekly listenership of both radio stations is 12.5 Million nationwide. Enabling a safer drive for everyone.