The campaign to raise awareness of driver inattention has been devised by Manchester Metropolitan University design and art direction students and award winning design firm True North on behold of the Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative.
Posters can now be seen throughout Manchester and Lancashire featuring the bold strapline 'STOP STARING'. These are supported by bus back executions proclaiming 'DONT LOOK AT THIS', 'DONT STARE AT THIS' and 'TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THIS'. The high profile campaign communicates powefully the dangers of distracted drivers labelling them 'the biggest killers on our roads'. The students were briefed to come up with their best ideas, and in February a judging panel consisting of NRSI and media representatives and True North directors, picked the 'winning' concepts.
Meanwhile, Mr Gatso is the latest character to hit the small screen in the first-ever TV advertising campaign from road safety alert system Snooper. The firm has introduced the character in a TV ad which is being shown on 30 terrestrial and satellite stations. Snooper is investing over £500k and working with Manchester agency Citigate SMARTS to launch an ad featuring Mr Gatso, a personified light-hearted take on speed cameras but the underlying message is clear- the only way to stay out of Mr Gatso's bad books is: Dont speed!
Source: Manchester Evening News, May 2005
