Mumbai, July 05: Mumbai’s traffic cops are to have new allies in their campaign against drunk driving – and believe it or not, it’s the Zoo Zoos.
Seeing the popularity of the white egg heads, officials from Mumbai’s traffic department have now contacted Vodafone, requesting the use of the characters in public awareness campaigns.
“Yes, we have been approached by Mumbai Traffic Police for the use of Zoo Zoos,” Madhavendra Das, spokesperson for Vodafone, said. “Still, the campaign is at a preliminary stage, and while we do have a team working on the proposal, it would be difficult to disclose details now.”
According to a source in the traffic police, the new Zoo Zoo commercials will make their debut during “a major sporting event, so as to garner maximum eyeballs”.
The campaign would be using the characters to illustrate the dangers of using mobile phones when driving, while a few other TV spots would take up issues such as drunken driving in the characteristic Zoo Zoo style.
And the department is also looking at few more messages that can possibly be conveyed through hoardings, a source disclosed.
Almost two years ago, on June 20, 2007, the Mumbai traffic police had initiated a campaign against drunken driving. And as of July 2, this year, the department has already registered 35,711 cases against offenders. Out of these, 16,282 people were sentenced to simple imprisonment, while the motor driving licences of around 15,816 people were cancelled.
The new Zoo Zoo campaign, however, would be the department’s most ambitious public awareness campaign yet.
An officer from the Mumbai Traffic Department said, “Our department has always been active when it comes to communicating with people through hoardings and signboards. And since the Zoo Zoos appeal to almost everyone, we thought that it would be a good idea to pass on some traffic messages through them.”
Deputy Commissioner of police, SS Solunke confirmed the existence of the campaign, but was unaware of its current status.
“Yes, we do plan in using the Zoo Zoos, but I’m not sure as to how far the project has progressed,” he said.
Rajiv Rao, the creative director at O&M – the ad agency responsible for the creation of Zoo Zoos – disclosed that his team was informed by Vodafone about the new traffic campaign.
“We have been intimated about the project, wherein we are to convey traffic rules in an entertaining way. But we are waiting for a final confirmation,” he said.
About Zoo Zoos
Zoo Zoo, created specially for Vodafone to advertise their mobile phone services, first made their appearance during commercial breaks of the 2009 IPL season – and within no time were a runaway hit with the audience.
At present, there are videos circulating all over the Internet on the making of Zoo Zoo commercials. And the characters even have their own designated fan clubs on social networking sites such as Facebook and Orkut.
–Agencies–