Civilian paparazzi:

More and more people in Germany are stopping at accident sites and taking pictures of the victims. In doing so, they are obstructing the life-saving rescue operations. Although this became a criminal offense in January 2021, action is rarely taken against onlookers. Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, one of Germany’s biggest rescue organisations, wants to change that.

Reality beats fiction:

The gawkers are proud to have captured a story that is real – and really shocking. A real accident, real victims, and real suffering. The sensation-seekers share their pictures and videos on social media to be famous for a day.

Shame instead of fame:

Our strategic approach is to evoke a feeling that overrides the craving for social attention and ensures decency: SHAME. Shame is a very powerful feeling that activates the same brain regions as existential fear. It makes people react immediately.

Breaking the barrier:

For shame to arise, people need to feel exposed. But behind their smartphones they feel protected. The question is: how do we break through the shield?

The solution in the problem:

We develop a camouflaged QR code to enter the smartphones and catch sensationalists in the act. If someone tries to take a picture of a rescue operation, the message “Gawking kills!” will pop up on the screen and the onlooker will be educated about proper behaviour.

Getting it on the road:

We optimise our QR design so that it is clearly visible on the ambulances. We run a series of tests with different lighting conditions, distances and materials. Because every ambulance is different, we customise the QR design based on the technical drawings. In a Germany-wide pilot project, 36 anti-gawking ambulances are being scientifically monitored.

Getting it into the media:

We develop both provocative and educational social media posts to spark a debate that will spill over into news coverage. The centrepiece is a film in which paramedics illustrate the deadly dangers of gawking and the smart idea of stopping it.