AXA campaign at Zürich main station

A change of perspective helps drivers recognise the dangers children face in road traffic.

Video (Vimeo)

At the heart of the «Grösser als gedacht – den Schulweg wie ein Kind erleben» campaign, meaning «Bigger than you think – experience the journey to school as a child», was a three-day experiential event at Zürich main station. A carefully built oversized street scene filled the station hall, complete with a pedestrian crossing, traffic signs and a giant car as its centrepiece. Even the tallest adults could experience a child’s perspective.

The making-of video

Video (Vimeo)

Footage: made Marketing, VAS Promotion

Concept

Together with Publicis Zürich, we developed and delivered AXA’s concept for the three-day presence at Zürich main station. The 300-square-metre space, open and accessible from all sides, was divided into two zones.

The oversized street scene included a car at 1.6 times normal size, a pedestrian crossing, traffic light, traffic island with a bollard, and other road users represented by an XXL scooter, bicycle and Vespa.
The idea was to let adults feel like a child in roughly the first year of school, experiencing the scale of road traffic and the dangers it can present.
A digital photo activation with the XXL car gave participants a campaign keepsake to take home.

The GIFs were incorporated into the campaign on the same day, appearing on digital out-of-home displays around the main station and at other stations.

A second zone, modelled on a car-free neighbourhood street, reinforced the campaign message with further activities:

• A reaction test with Max der Dachs, developed by made Marketing
• VR headsets showing dangerous situations from a child’s perspective, provided by the City of Zürich
• A market-research study about parents driving children to school, conducted by AXA

Street-café seating, park benches, bunting and trees reinforced the neighbourhood atmosphere. Ice cream was also handed out.

Gamification

Experiential gamification communicates a learning or advertising message through play. With the digital reaction game developed for this prevention campaign, we wanted to show how and why children react differently in traffic. We used the familiar game Pong, played first in adult mode and then in child mode. Child mode added three difficulties: slower paddle reactions, a narrower field of view and flying balls to simulate distractions, which affect children more strongly. Players could experience some of the difficulties and dangers children face on the road.

Video (Vimeo)

Delivery

• Advice
• Concept
• Project coordination
• Game concept and development
• Car and XXL street-scene concept, built by Atelier Melchior
• Coordination with SBB
• Planning the campaign installation at the station
• Set-up and take-down

Time-lapse of the set-up

Video (Vimeo)