Since launch in January 2010, the advert quickly became a worldwide viral smash, gathering over 11.8million views on YouTube in ten months. Created to raise awareness of the importance of wearing a seatbelt, Embrace Life was deliberately developed to provide a counter-point to the hard-hitting ‘shock and awe’ advertising used in road safety.

The campaign scooped a wide range of awards, including YouTube Ad of the Year, a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, Gold World Medal, New York International Advertising Awards; a Bronze Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Awards; Highly Commended from the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation and the advert was also featured in the Advertising Producers Award (APA) 2010 collection.

While working at the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, it was a great privilege to be involved at the creative inception of this idea. Not only was I the Graphic Designer, but additionally in the creative meeting with the comms team and the director I shared a story about playtime with younger members of my family. In this game I become an imaginary rally car. Once seated on my lap, I use my arms a seatbelt to hold them safely before taking them on an imaginary off-road adventure, with tight turns and hump back bridges. It am still amazed at how this idea was beautifully transformed and re-imagined to create such an emotive and powerful advert.