Turning the Youth's Phone Obsession into Firework Safety

Challenge
The challenge we faced was formidable: how do you persuade young Dutch men aged 16 to 24 to prioritize safety while indulging in their beloved New Year's Eve fireworks tradition? This demographic notoriously disregards rules and regulations, especially when they originate from the Dutch Government.

Case video

Concept

Inspired by the reluctance of 747,000 Dutch young men to follow traditional safety rules on New Year's Eve, we devised a unique strategy. Leveraging their deep attachment to mobile phones, we partnered with internet sensation 'Mr. Biem' to create a revolutionary video app. This app cleverly replaced firework sounds with a distinctive 'Biem' effect, and videos were 'Biemified' only when filmed from a designated safe distance.

8 o'clock news

Results

2.090.244 video plays (within 5 days)
50.135 app downloads (within 5 days)
#2 most popular app Google Play Store
120.021 ‘biemified’ videos (within 5 days)
But most important; the target group was lighting fireworks from a safe distance without even realizing it.

Dutch Creativity Awards
Finalist - Digital/Social

Finalist - Media
Finalist - Mobile

Esprix

Finalist - Not for Profit

Team a.o.
Rens Quirijnen

Bjorn van den Hout

Frank van Rooijen

Lionell Schuring

Dutch Government