While it’s not the first public service announcement to be provocative to grab attention the public’s attention, South Dakota’s “Don’t Jerk and Drive” campaign was quickly yanked after being widely misunderstood.
Creators of the campaign were fully aware they were playing on the double meaning of the word “jerk” - also used as a euphemism for masturbation - and thought it would grab media attention and ultimately help drivers navigate the dangers or driving on icy roads.
The idea was an attempt to particularly reach out to young men who tend to overcorrect their vehicle by jerking the wheel when they hit icy patches, which can cause accidents.
But after some criticism that the slogan might be more distracting than helpful, the state’s Department of Public Safety decided it didn’t “want innuendo to pull focus for the main message of saving lives on the road.”
The campaign - conceived by Sioux Falls ad agency Lawrence & Schiller - was apparently getting great visibility and reportedly outperformed previous public safety campaigns 25 to 1 in driving traffic to social media channels.
“The message is that we’d prefer drivers keep their cars out of the ditch and their minds out of the gutter,” said Lee Axdahl, Director of the Department of Highway Safety.
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