At a glance...

Objective:
The goal of this campaign series was to sustain long-term engagement with distracted driving as a safety issue by evolving narrative framing, tone and audience focus from year to year. By adapting the campaign’s emphasis and language yearly, the initiative aimed to deepen understanding of how distraction occurs and why it matters for people from different walks of life.
My Role:
Campaign Series Lead & Strategic Director
Action / Approach:
Each year’s campaign was shaped to respond to the limitations of the prior messaging and the broader cultural context around distracted driving. Early years highlighted that distraction is preventable and a product of everyday choices. Later iterations shifted toward themes of personal responsibility, emotional consequence and specific risk environments, all while maintaining consistent core safety principles. Strategic editorial direction ensured that messaging remained clear and evidence-based.
Result / Impact:
Over multiple campaign cycles, the series achieved sustained national reach and engagement across earned, owned, and paid media. Since 2019, campaign coverage has reached more than 11 million Canadians through traditional and online media, while digital platforms have generated over 250,000 website visits and more than 2.3 million social media impressions.
Skills / Tools Used:
  • Campaign Strategy
  • Communications Planning
  • Editorial Judgment
  • Bilingual Content Coordination
  • Digital Publishing
  • Safety Communications
  • Audience Segmentation
  • Stakeholder Alignment

National Distracted Driving Campaign Series (IBAC Partnership)

Organization: Canada Safety Council & Insurance Brokers Association of Canada

Date of Publication: December 1, 2025

Link:
Gone in a Flash — 2025 campaign

Description:

Since 2019, I’ve led the communications strategy for a multi-year national distracted driving campaign delivered through the Canada Safety Council with sponsorship from the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada. From the outset, the challenge wasn’t simply awareness — it was relevance. Distracted driving is a well-known risk, but one that audiences quickly tune out when messaging becomes repetitive or moralizing.

Each year’s campaign was designed as a deliberate response to that problem. Early work focused on reframing distraction as preventable behaviour rather than inevitable risk (“Distraction: Dangerous, Careless, Preventable,” 2019). As digital fatigue and pandemic-era habits shifted attention patterns, the messaging evolved toward responsibility, intentionality, and the false sense of control drivers often feel (“Not a Part-Time Responsibility,” 2021; “Technology Is a Tool, Not a Focus,” 2022).

Later campaigns leaned more heavily into emotional consequence and misperception — challenging assumptions about safety, preparedness and impairment. This included addressing family vulnerability (“Your Family Isn’t Built for a Crash,” 2023), normalization of impairment beyond alcohol (“Head in the Clouds — Don’t Drive High,” 2024), and attention collapse among younger drivers (“Gone in a Flash,” 2025).

Across all seven campaigns, the work required reassessing tone, audience, metaphor, and cognitive load every year — deciding when to push emotionally, when to simplify, and when to shift focus entirely. The result is a campaign series that feels cohesive without feeling repetitive, and responsive without chasing trends.

Return to Home Page