TBWA\Chiat\Day NY
Thu, 08 Oct 2020 13:23:59 GMT
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This Comic Book from Travelers Is Inspired by Boy Who Was Tragically Killed by a Distracted Driver
Metaverse and TBWA\Chiat\Day NY to honour a life cut short by distracted driving with story inspired by three-year-old Navajo boy who loved superheroes
The Travelers Companies, Inc. today announced the release of 'Zaadii: The Legend of Z-Hawk', a comic book inspired by three-year-old Zaadii Thozon Tso, who was tragically killed by a distracted driver in 2015.
Zaadii’s greatest joy in life was superheroes, so the company commissioned renowned comic book writers and artists Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore and Jeffrey Veregge, and worked closely with Zaadii’s family, to design a story honouring the young boy as one of the first Navajo superheroes.
'Zaadii: The Legend of Z-Hawk' will be revealed at New York Comic Con’s virtual event, happening 8th - 11th October. The comic is the latest in Travelers’ Unfinished Stories series, which aims to honour lives cut short because of distracted driving. The company’s ongoing campaign is meant to encourage people to stay focused while driving.
“It breaks my heart to think about a young life needlessly lost because of a distracted driver,” said Lisa Caputo, executive vice president, marketing, communications and customer experience at Travelers. “By honouring Zaadii’s memory in this comic, we are continuing to educate people across the country about the very real and sad outcomes that can occur when drivers engage in high-risk behaviours. We greatly appreciate the talented team who created Z-Hawk and hope this story compels people to pay closer attention to the road.”
Simone, Calafiore and Veregge, along with John Morris, senior vice president of enterprise integrated marketing at Travelers, will take part in New York Comic Con’s Metaverse during a virtual panel session, streaming on YouTube on 11th October at 1:50pm ET. The panelists will talk about the inspiration for the project, the making of the comic and the larger goal of calling attention to the risks of distracted driving.
Simone, a New York Times bestselling author, said about writing this project: “It's an honour to get to tell this story, in memory of this very special child. With the help of his wonderful family, we feel like we are sharing his dream with the world, while hopefully reminding people of the dangers of distracted driving.”
Despite the known dangers, drivers are taking their attention away from the road. A recent survey of consumers in the 2020 Travelers Risk Index found that while many acknowledge distracted driving as the cause of most vehicle crashes, drivers continue to engage in the behaviour at significant rates. Nearly 40% of Generation-Z respondents believe they can safely drive while distracted, and one-third of millennials report that they have nearly crashed because of distracted driving.
A separate study conducted by Travelers found that a significant number of people continue to engage in risky behaviours while driving during the Covid-19 pandemic, including:
- Shopping online – 36%
- Updating social media – 37%
- Recording videos or taking pictures – 37%
- Texting – 47%
- Making or receiving phone calls – 74%
These and other distractions have prompted the National Safety Council to designate October as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
“The dangers of distracted driving are real, and we commend Travelers for drawing attention to this issue,” said Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “The comic book paying tribute to Zaadii is a heartfelt, creative way to further communicate the importance of driving distraction-free, and we are hopeful that it will lead to safer drivers on our roads.”
Click here to access a digital copy of 'Zaadii: The Legend of Z-Hawk'. Click here for more information about Travelers’ efforts to combat distracted driving, including the Travelers Institute’s education campaign Every Second MattersSM.
Travelers
EVP, Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience: Lisa Caputo
SVP, Enterprise Integrated Marketing: John Morris
VP, Planning and Execution, Enterprise Integrated Marketing: EJ Conlin
VP, Integrated Marketing, Digital: Jim O’Brien
2VP, Enterprise External Comm: Matthew Bordonaro
Sr. Director, Integrated Marketing: Kate Hernandez
Sr. Direct, External Comm: Sperry Mylott
Sr. Director, Digital Marketing: Heather D’Amico
Agency
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day NY
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Beresford-Hill
Executive Creative Director: Walter Connelly
ACD, Art Director: Alexander Holm
ACD, Copywriter: Avi Steinbach
Associate Copywriter: Alli Walker and Josh Peterson
Associate Art Director: Louis Prenaud
Head of Integrated Production: John Doris
Executive Producer: Chris Klein
Senior Interactive Producer: Steven Kreuch
Producer: Sarah Haroldson
Associate Producer: Alexa Pagano
Redslash Executive Producer: Tricia Higgins
Redslash Producer: Pietra Cangialosi
Social Content Director, Editor: Andrew Nethery
Editor: Gary Fraser
Business Lead: Carrie Lipper
Business Director: Mark Donohue
Business Manager: Dan Erazo
Executive Strategy Director: Tom Hyde
Strategy Director, Digital and Social: Lesley Parks
Senior Strategist: Sophie Engelstein
Strategist: Elise Reichard
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Thalia Tsouros
Senior Integrated Business Affairs Manager: Stephanie Ambroise
Communications: Asheden Hill
CEO: Rob Schwartz
President: Nancy Reyes
Collaborators
Author: Gail Simone
Artist: Jim Calafiore
Illustrator (Variant Cover): Jeffrey Veregge
Zaadii’s Mother: Rachel Tso
Zaadii’s Aunt and Popular Activist: Jeneda Benally
Genres: Storytelling
Categories: Awareness, Corporate, Social and PSAs
TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, Thu, 08 Oct 2020 13:23:59 GMT
