New Zealand Fire Service launches ‘Could you live with yourself?’ campaign to promote smoke alarms via M&C Saatchi, Auckland
A new multi-media campaign via M&C Saatchi, Auckland driving New Zealanders to make sure they have working smoke alarms is being launched by New Zealand Fire Service this week.
The key goal is to decrease the number of fire fatalities and fires that the New Zealand Fire Service attends that do not have working smoke alarms (currently 90%+ and 80%+ respectively.
LISTEN TO THE RADIO SPOT NZ Fire Service Brand Radio ENG.mp3
The campaign again highlights the consequences of a house fire without having working smoke alarms, but instead of focusing on the fact that a house fire can kill you, focuses on the fact that your loved ones could be harmed and left with long lasting consequences. In this instance, featuring a father who feels responsible for his daughter being permanently scarred.
The reason for this approach is that a large number of Kiwis believe ‘fires’ happen to other people and death from a fire is improbable. Living with the consequences of fire in the form of scarring, however, was seen as far more probable, more believable and far more compelling. The fear of your child having terrible scars as a result of your inaction was the most motivating reason to install or check alarms. (Source: Research International 2010 & 2011).
The line for the campaign taps in to this insight and asks ‘Could you live with yourself?’. The call to action: make sure you have working smoke alarms.
To ensure complete authenticity of the scars shown in the ads, New Zealand Fire Service liaised with the incredible specialist Debbie Murray at the National Burns Centre at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital. Her advice and encouragement was immense.
“We haven’t played the guilt card before,” said Scott Sargentina, Corporate Communications Manager for the Fire Service, “but intuitively we know it will be a powerful motivating factor in changing behaviour. When the agency presented the concept, the immediate attraction for us was we could all imagine how the father would be feeling with this daily reminder of his inaction. I’d like to think this campaign will make New Zealanders ask whether they could live with themselves if something similar happened to them. And then do something about it.”
The campaign features, television, press, outdoor, radio and a large retail component driving people to The Warehouse to purchase long-life photoelectric smoke alarms at a discounted price point kindly being offered by The Warehouse in support of the campaign and Fire Service.
The television spots were shot by director Glendyn Ivin of Exit Films, the stills were shot by photographer Steven Langdon and the radio was produced by sound production house, Franklin Road. The ads were created by M&C Saatchi. All of the other people mentioned in the credits were instrumental in the making of the ads.
Client: New Zealand Fire Service
Client Contacts: Scott Sargentina and Craig Pearce
Executive Creative Director: Dave King
Concept: Dave King
Account Director: Christina Mossaidis
Account Manager: Lacey Swanepoel
Copywriting: Dave King and Wicky Tafau
Art Direction: Frances Cooke
Agency Producer: Joide Hari
Production Company: Exit Films
Director: Glendyn Ivin
Producer: Susie Cole & Declan Cahill
DoP: Ari Wegner
Makeup FX: Andrew Beatie
Offline Editor: Peter Sciberras, The Butchery Melbourne
Online Editor: Jon Baxter, Perceptual Engineering
Music: Stephen Rae, Sydney
Sound Design: Shane Taipari, Franklin Road Audio
Photographer: Stephen Langdon
Medical consultant: Debbie Murray
Media: Julie-Ann Hedges
Retail Partner: The Warehouse
26 Comments
…. again, can someone tell me…. when did the local Kiwi NZ directors suddenly became incapable of directing a script like this?
It’s worrying to see the current trend where creatives are hiring Australian directors for 1 & 2 day shoots – even government clients (LTNZ / Sorted.org / NZ Fire Service). We’re in a recession and the volume of work is low and sporadic. These smaller 1 & 2 day shoots are bread and butter for NZ directors & film companies. They keep us alive and pay our mortgage. Not only that but these are the jobs that enable us to learn and practice our craft and grow. Not much chance of developing the next, Lee Tamahori, Gregor Nicholas, Barry Fawcett, Melanie Bridge, Christine Jeffs, Perry Bradley, Heven Denholm, Amagn Ballantyne, Robert Sarkies at this rate.
Very nice work M&C.
One of those great simple ideas that seems so obvious in hindsight.
Tug at the heart strings stuff. A lot better than the five minute ‘making of’ film that comes with it. It’s a nice little ad, that’s all it is.
I like the idea better than the ad. So maybe should have got a kiwi to direct it.
In response to So…Said, working in this industry, I am all too familiar with scripts going to NZ production companies and directors alongside overseas options and the kiwis coming back too expensive for the client to bear. So it’s not for lack of respect for our own (we have a huge number of extremely talented directors that we would all love to use) but it often comes down to kiwis costing themselves out of the picture. Not always. But often.
house looks pretty straight considering a fire in it burnt the little girl. just sayin’
Flick or Thick or maybe Dick, as it would appear – house burns, what would you do? Repair it? Or rebuild it, maybe? Okay sorry, agency runners have the right to comment too. Anyway, made me think about getting smoke alarms. Not to try to find fault in the ad. Just sayin.
Good point flick
Why do we have to use NZ directors. For example nobody is stopping Steve Ayson directing ads in the UK or the US.
It’s a global industry. You are free to work where and with whom you want.
But, I think this ad will work really well. Irrespective of the prod comp banter, this commercial doesn’t try too hard, the three line script is effortless.
BTW, where was the wife? They’re usually the ones nagging the husband to put smoke alarms in.
The real, other, original Saatchi & Saatchi would have done a better job!
Great insight, nice ad. Good work.
So continues…….Too expensive? That’s food for thought TVP. Not something we’ve ever been accused of but it’s not good enough if we are too expensive. I can’t think of any directors under 40 driving a new Range Rover or Cayenne. So we need to look at why.
With regard to Steve Ayson, he’s unique & brilliant and deserves to work all over the world, and No, you don’t have to use NZ directors – that’s not the discussion point. The point is that a 1 day shoot in a house with 2 actors does not require a specialist offshore director with a unique style. These are the bread and butter jobs the local directors should be doing.
Could it be that the obsession with winning awards has become so great that agencies/creatives have lost sight of the value of nurturing their own industry? Awards = Promotion. It’s self serving & egocentric. Can you see any value in looking after the local directors or is the disconnection already too great?
Look, if we weren’t in a recession this would be a redundant conversation, however we are and we are telling you that we are struggling.
Who?
So….Thank you for continuing this discussion. Thank you TVP for joining in.
Unfortunately, we don’t have another forum to tell you that we are struggling. So this is where it happens.
Please don’t dismiss this as trivial…because it is very serious for prod companies.
Sorry So,
But your protectionist point of view would carry more weight if it wasn’t for the fact that Glendyn’s brief stint in your neighbourhood was not an exception to the heavy one-way traffic of NZ production companies undercutting their Aussie counterparts, thanks largely to the weaker Kiwi dollar. Bit one-eyed, mate.
And your ‘bread and butter’ comment would surely rile even the most docile of clients, who surely have the right to expect the very best product they can afford, not merely be treated as a training piece for the next Kiwi wunderkind.
What DT said. Liking it a lot. Well done.
A better job of what? Installing a smoke detector? They’re not fit to lick the shoes of the M&C creatives.
anyone could have directed that thing. anyone.
Ok people, let’s get real here.
If you think that commenting on any work on this blog is going to get advertising people to listen to the NZ film industry and their situation, then you need to rethink quickly. All this is doing is making people less interested or sympathetic to your point of view.
If this is a big problem, (and I don’t think anyone really wants us to lose the production resources we have here in NZ) then get it into the right channels. Like campaign brief the magazine, admedia or do some face to face research into why agencies are using overseas directors for some of their work. I don’t think it will be for the suggestions people have already made on this topic.
History has shown this blog is not an overly constructive forum, if this is a real problem, it needs proper attention, not anonymous school yard bitching.
For the record.
We did put this out to lots of Kiwi production companies. A number were unavailable and a number were initially interested then something ‘came up’. In the end I felt that Glendyn was the person who wanted to make the spot the most, who embraced the retail that’s also part of this and who I believed would do the best job. I think he did a sensational job and was great to work with.
Cheers
Great insight. And nice ad, that we at M&C are proud of. Also proud of the fact that our ECD came forward and called it how it is. And put his name to it. A rare thing on this blog. Clearly he has nuts. Probably two. Likely ginger.
I would like to email the link for “A house fire will hurt you long after it’s put out” to Melbourne friends because it is so moving and effective. How do I do that, please?
I wonder if they showed a charred, burned white girl if people would accept this as a valid ad? I also think it plays uneccessarily on people’s fears, I dont need to see a burned little child at the bus-stop in the morning- dont we have enough to worry about?
The wording on these ads ” could you live with yourself ” literally means just that , will you commit suicide . With NZ having the highest suicide rate in the Western World , this is a seriously weong message to be promoting . You would be lucky yo find any adult in NZ who hasnt been affected by suicide . Shame on you NZ Fire Service for promoting this type of advertising , asking people if they would suicide after a house fire . What were you thinking ?????
Haya, I’m really interested in talking to someone that produces these adds as we have an amazing dog who was in a house fire 4 years back and has many scars to show. He has a great story you can check out photos on his Facebook Page (Demon’s Story)! We are desperately needing to raise alot of money to get him some specialist care in Christchurch and would love the rest of New Zealand to see just how amazing he is! Alot of people that know him and are following his story think he would be a great candidate for an add like this! Please check out his photos and get back to me on the email supplied or my contact number is 0275339488. Thank you
Sheena Bell.