Blazed - Drug Driving in Aotearoa

Commercial (Full Length) – 2013

Two cars, one day: directed by Taika Waititi, this extended public service announcement uses humour to address the dangers of motoring under the influence of marijuana. A trio of tamariki imitate their Dads’ stoned antics, driving home what’s at stake when getting behind the wheel while ‘blazed’. Young Julian Dennison was fresh from his acting debut in Shopping. Waititi later cast him to co-star with Sam Neill in his 2016 hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The advertisement was part of a Clemenger BBDO traffic safety campaign made for the NZ Transport Agency.

The campaign is based on a key insight from our target audience [middle-aged Māori men] that when a person uses cannabis, they do things slower than usual. We want them to apply this to a driving scenario and acknowledge that their reaction time is slower and they have less ability to react quickly should the unexpected occur. Ultimately we want them to make the link and start to question their own behaviour behind the wheel.
– Background thinking on this advertising campaign, quoted on website StopPress, 16 September 2016