NZTA’s ‘Mistakes’ via Clemenger Wellington scores International Honour award at AdStars

NZ Transport Agency has been awarded the International Honour award at the AdStars Festival, in recognition of the work ‘Mistakes‘, created with Clemenger BBDO Wellington.

The award is given to the individual or organisation that has contributed to the advancement of the advertising industry and the development of social responsibilities internationally.

Mistakes, launched in 2014, has been replicated around the world and repurposed for local markets for road safety messaging. The work was purchased for use by Transport Authorities in France, New South Wales and South Australia, has been replicated and refilmed in Washington, Portland, Italy, Romania and Iran, and dubbed over and re-shared in countless languages.

Says Emily Beautrais, creative director at Clemenger BBDO: “We are honoured Mistakes has received this award. This piece of work has touched the hearts and minds of many around the world, showing us once again how universal a human truth is and how powerful creativity can be.”

In the 12 months following the launch of ‘Mistakes’, with no change in enforcement, mean speeds in New Zealand dropped to the lowest levels on record.

Says Linda Major, group account director, Clemenger BBDO: “For the first time, we took the argument of experienced drivers who enjoy speeding, and agreed with it. It’s other people who make the mistakes on the road. We think this is why it struck such a chord – they simply couldn’t buy out of it.”

Rachel Prince, principal advisor at NZ Transport Agency, said the team has been proud of its success, and takes the fact that it has been so heavily copied as an honour.

Says Prince: “‘Mistakes’ leads a new era of road safety advertising that doesn’t point the finger of blame at anyone; it recognises we’re all human beings, we’re all fallible, we all make mistakes.”

This recognition adds to a long run of success for the work. It won Gold or Grand Prix at every show in the world including the Effies, was awarded #3 TVC in the world by The Gunn Report, and was chosen as one of 10 Ads worth Spreading by TED Talks in 2014.