2015 is AT&T’s fifth anniversary of the “It Can Wait campaign”. For years, AT&T has been focused on curbing texting while driving, but a recent survey found that 7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving, sparking the campaign to evolve to include other forms of smartphone distractions including social media, web surfing, video chatting and more.
Today, as part of the It Can Wait movement, AT&T announced a new Virtual Reality simulation app, 100-city VR tour, long-form video and advertising spots to coincide with the evolution of the campaign.
The It Can Wait Driving Simulation (VR app), developed by Reel FX (a Golden Globe-nominated animation studio), provides an unprecedented level of immersion by using virtual reality to give viewers a 360-degree account of what it is really like to text/post/video chat while driving and the potentially deadly consequences of glancing at your phone while driving.
.@ATT‘s #ItCanWait virtual reality simulator shows the dangers of texting & driving. #ATTimpact https://t.co/3EvUQnUNPE
— Connect To Good (@ConnectToGood) July 14, 2015
As a tech company, AT&T is bringing this mobile-first experience to all drivers by providing a free app (available for iOS and Android) that works with Google Cardboard allowing drivers to use their own smartphones to experience the VR simulation at ItCanWait.com/VR.
The VR simulator will embark on a 100-city tour across the United State visiting schools, fairs and partner companies. The tour setup is delivered through Samsung Gear VR, with premium sound from Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones.
To help broaden recognition of this issue, AT&T and BBDO have developed a compelling long-form video “Close to Home” and series of three 30-second ad spots that showcase the consequences of smartphone distracted driving behaviors.
Through slow-motion cinematography (shot at 1000 frames per second), viewers are able to see the jarring aftermath of taking their eyes off the road to glance at or tap on a smartphone while driving. The video contextualizes a normal day that turns life-threatening when a driver makes an unsafe choice behind the wheel. The scene plays back in reverse, showing the actual cause of the tragedy at the very end, where the simple cause of using a phone while driving is revealed.
The 30-second ad spots that will run nationwide beginning today July 17 and can also be viewed here: “No Post”, “No Email”, “No Glance”