Take a #HomeSafeSelfie to Highlight Dangers of Un-booked Minicabs

M&C Saatchi and Transport for London (TfL) are set to unveil an integrated campaign using ‘Selfies’ to encourage young women to be safe when travelling at night and to raise awareness of the dangers of using un-booked minicabs.

The Safer Travel at Night (STaN) above the line campaign, launching on 29 September, will run across print, mobile, outdoor, social and bar media. The creative shows a series of selfies in the form of a timeline - with the first frames capturing a group of girls enjoying their evening. The haunting final images show the selfie taker subject to an attack - demonstrating the very real dangers of using illegal minicabs. The posters end with the strapline ‘Where will your night end?” driving home the powerful message.

Meanwhile, the social media campaign encourages people to pledge to never take an illegal minicab home and take a selfie when they are home safe and upload it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter - launching the hashtag #HomeSafeSelfie. A number of celebrities are already supporting the Safer Travel at Night and #HomeSafeSelfie campaign including Londonsinger-songwriter, Little Nikki, and Cuckoo and Doctor Who actress, Holly Earl who have already posted a #HomeSafeSelfie to their Twitter and Instagram followers.

TfL’s Safer Travel at Night (STaN) initiative is a partnership between the Mayor, Transport for London, Metropolitan Police Service, the City of London Police and the British Transport Police set up to improve the safety of travelling at night through industry regulation and licensing, enforcement and education. The 2014 Safer Travel at Night campaign aims to make people aware of the dangers of picking up unbooked minicabs off the street, such as robbery and sexual assault.

Through Safer Travel at Night and #HomeSafeSelfie TfL wants to remind everyone that:

· A minicab that has a licence or sticker in the window (or a driver who has a badge) still needs to be booked in advance with a licensed minicab firm;

· You should never take a minicab offered by a bouncer or someone in a high visibility jacket with a clipboard outside a venue;

· A minicab driver that approaches you directly on the street is acting illegally;

· If you approach a minicab directly, only the driver knows where you’re going, which isn’t safe;

· If any of the above takes place your minicab isn’t booked and therefore is not safe and illegal

Miranda Leedham, Head of Marketing Operations at Transport for London, said; “Working closely with our policing partners we are committed to tackling illegal touting throughout the year and particularly over the busy festive period. Through this #HomeSafeSelfie social media campaign and print and online advertising we wanted to communicate with all young people travelling at night the dangers of using illegal minicabs in a medium they are most familiar with. We know it’s difficult to tell the difference between illegal and legal minicabs, so by highlighting the potential dangers via the relevance of the ‘Selfie’ phenomenon, this is a campaign people can be creative and interact with – at the same time as travelling home safely.”

Elspeth Lynn, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Group, added; “The #HomeSafeSelfie hashtag has the potential to launch a genuine movement in young Londoner’s behaviour, and beyond.