Are you idiot safe?

A new ad campaign in India highlights “idiots” as the chief danger riders face on the road, suggesting the superior grip offered by CEAT tires is the best way to avoid them. The campaign demonstrates a level of creativity, personality and use of mixed medias not often seen in the two-wheeled world, but is most interesting for its glimpse inside Indian bike culture. Did you know that “The Overweight Constable” is one of the main risks you should watch out for?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEvrJzRba-E

Told in a whimsical style reminiscent of Rhode Dahl or Neil Gaiman, the Be Idiot Safe campaign is centered around video shorts that act out the unique risk posed by specific types of idiots. This is backed up by a landing page with a really nicely illustrated interactive diorama complete with breakdowns of each type of idiot — the Thinking, the Undecided, the Deprived, the Spraying, the Amateur, the Easily Amused, etc — and a space for user-generated content in the form of videos and images of Idiots in various real life situations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RuANNF0yY

Typically campaigns of this nature — witness Subaru’s “Fight Mediocrity” — lose the message in the creativity, but Idiot’s message is so simple and easily expressed — grip — that it’s not diluted by the delivery. The only problem is that the secondary road safety message is somewhat confused, suggesting that your safety, or lack thereof, is the responsibility of others.

Mostly, it’s just nice to be reminded that, somewhere in the world, someone involved with motorcycles is still creative.

Be Idiot Safe