No la abras: Kia rebuilt app logos as roads to warn distracted drivers

Kia Colombia turned six familiar app logos into roads where cars were about to crash, collide or reach a dead end. The instruction underneath said, “No la abras mientras manejas.” Don’t open it while driving.

Released in November 2023, No la abras was created by Proximity BBDO Colombia. The print campaign used the logos of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and Spotify to address the moment a driver feels tempted to check a phone.

Six Logos Carried the Entire Campaign

Each execution started with an app people could recognise almost instantly. However, the logo had been reconstructed using roads and vehicles.

The curves of the Spotify symbol became three roads heading towards danger. The lines inside the WhatsApp icon became part of a traffic scene. Meanwhile, other executions used the shapes of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X to place vehicles on paths that could not end safely.

The images needed very little copy. The app identity attracted the viewer’s attention first. Then the altered road revealed the warning.

That sequence reflected the danger itself. A notification feels familiar and harmless. However, opening it takes the driver’s eyes away from the road.

The Warning Appeared Before the App Opened

The campaign focused on the decision that happens before someone checks a phone.

“No la abras” translates as “Don’t open it.” In Spanish, “la” refers to the application. Therefore, the line sounds like a direct instruction given at the exact moment a notification arrives.

Kia added “mientras manejas,” meaning “while driving,” to remove any doubt. The brand was not asking people to stop using the apps. It was asking them to delay opening one until the journey had ended.

Colombia’s National Road Safety Agency has warned that using a mobile phone while driving can multiply the risk of a road crash by four. The agency also reported that unlocking a phone, finding a contact and sending a message can take around 15 seconds. At 50 kilometres per hour, a vehicle can travel 208 metres during that time. Between January and July 2019, Colombian authorities issued 25,982 penalties for using a phone while driving.

The campaign compressed that risk into a single glance.

The App Logos Became the Media

Recognition gave the campaign its speed.

The viewer did not need to read the name of each platform. Its colour, shape and proportions had already been learned through years of daily phone use. Proximity BBDO used that familiarity to make each ad understandable before the copy was read.

Furthermore, the six executions covered different reasons someone might reach for a phone. A WhatsApp message. An Instagram notification. A TikTok video. A Spotify track. The danger came from the act of looking away, regardless of which app caused it.

Kia remained small within the compositions. The app logo carried the first moment of attention, while the car brand signed the road safety message at the end.

The Craft

No la abras is a simple print idea with a clear visual rule. Every execution uses the same structure, but the roads are redrawn to suit the shape of each logo. That consistency allows the six images to work as one campaign.

Still, the public record is limited. No verified reach figures, behaviour change results, major media placements or awards have been published for the work. Ads of the World records it as a six-part print campaign released in Colombia in November 2023.

Its value sits in the economy of the idea. The logo creates recognition. The road introduces danger. The line tells the driver what to do next.

Credits

No la abras / Don’t Open It (2023). Kia Colombia. Agency: Proximity BBDO Colombia. General Creative Director: Gina Lee. Creative Directors: Oscar Ramirez and Manuel Rojas. Copywriter: Daniela Cruz. Art Director: Manuel Arrieta. Account Manager: Laura Chaparro. Post-production: Los Manuel’s.