Hasta La Creative!

I think we all realize by now that using your phone while driving is a serious safety issue for everyone on the road. As people have come to this realization, they’ve been creating all kinds of ways to try to stop it. The folks over at San Francisco-based EVB are the latest to take on texting while driving, with a new side project offering people a way to remind themselves to put the phone down.

EVB executive creative director Steve Babcock (who took over that role last February) and company are asking people to paint their thumbs red as a reminder that “one thing stands between a life-threatening accident and your phone – and that’s your thumb.” In the above video, Babcock explains that he used to be “one of the worst offenders” on the road when it came to distracted driving, but that the Red Thumb Reminder worked for him and he no longer feels the compulsion to use his phone while on the rode. As a bonus, Babcock also found that the red thumb acted as a conversation starter, and when people curiously asked him about his red thumb he was able to pass on the technique. Babcock calls it “an old-school approach to a new-world problem” and hopes it will work for other people as well, while sparking conversations about distracted driving.

So if you’re a habitual distracted driver, or you know someone who is (and I think most of us do), tell them about the Red Thumb Reminder. And if this method doesn’t work for you, find something else that does, because the icy winter roads are dangerous enough as it is.

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More dispatches from the ether as we wind down our quick trip to Austin. After spending just 10 months in L.A. at 72andSunny, where he served as ACD/copywriter on efforts for Samsung including last year’s LeBron James–heads-to-get-his-ring spot and the “Unicorn Apocalypse” saga, Patrick Maravilla has headed up north to join up with San Francisco-based Evolution Bureau as creative director. Regarding the new hire, EVB ECD Steve Babcock, who himself has recently joined the shop from CP+B, says, “Patrick is one of those naturally talented guys. From stand-up comedy to screenplays to solving brands’ complex marketing problems, his skill set across all mediums, combined with his big heart and personality, make us extremely fortunate to have him.”

Maravilla is no stranger to to CP+B either as he spent four years at the agency serving as an ACD, working with clients including Coke Zero and Burger King. During his career, the self-proclaimed “stand-up comedy instructor” has held a similar position at AKQA SF, where he helped lead creative on Xbox and “Your Interview with the President” YouTube effort.

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