GET OFF THE PHONE

Copy: "Don't talk while he drives"

This print ad for the Bangalore Traffic Police created by the Mudra Group in India is a refreshing new angle on the effect that the product/problem has on its participants. A public awareness ad could communicate a common formula like: "if you talk on the phone while driving, this bad thing will happen to you." Or, as this ad does, it could communicate: "if you talk on the phone while driving, this bad thing will happen to the person you're talking to." We are reminded that car accidents resulting from distracted drivers are not just the fault of the driver.

The concept is good because it is unexpected. However, the art direction could use more work in composition and staging. The desaturated tones of the image allow the red blood to stand out, but the blood itself could use an increased level of gore by being a bit heavier and thicker, maybe even with some clots, since it looks like thin paint as it is now. Compositionally, the diagonals of the blood line, the arm, and the side of the woman's body effectively guide the eye from the focal point of the phone. The only problem is that the woman seems distorted from the angle of her head, as the hairline is uneven and is shaped to make the head appear elongated. It is really is quite annoying once you notice it. Also, her expression could use a touch of disgust. Check out this other execution in the same campaign.