A “chilling“ radio advert made for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service to get over a vital fire safety message about the dangers of cooking late at night after drinking too much alcohol has gained international recognition.
The Beacon Radio advert made for the Community Fire Safety Department based at St Michaels Street, Shrewsbury, has won a top award.
It was recognised by the 2010 London International Awards which received 20,000 entrants from across the world.
The “haunting” advert features the voice of a little girl talking about how she is lying in bed on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to visit. But Father Christmas turns into a drunken dad who leaves the chip pan on and then falls asleep in the armchair. The innocent girl’s voice then transforms mid sentence into a woman talking about firefighters tackling a serious house blaze.
“It is a really chilling advert and successfully hammers home our message about the dangers of cooking late at night after drinking alcohol,” said Community Fire Safety team leader Rabinder Dhami.
Beacon copywriter Simon English, who collected the award on behalf of colleague Danny Gwynne, said they were proud to win the prestigious honour as they were competing against “the likes of Saatchi and Saatchi.”
“We are delighted with our award. Once again, the creativity and desire to continually work with the community and produce original, innovative commercials for our listeners has been recognised by the advertising industry. We're pleased we could help the fire and rescue service get such a serious message across.”
Praising the advert, Deputy Chief Fire Officer John Redmond said: “It’s a haunting advert. Cooking and drinking alcohol is a real problem for the fire and rescue service. It is a fatal combination.”
