Fire and Emergency New Zealand launches new ‘Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies’ campaign to promote smoke alarms via FCB NZ

To promote smoke alarms, Fire and Emergency New Zealand has launched a new campaign ‘Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies’ via FCB New Zealand.

You have less than three minutes to escape a house fire, or you die. And the difference between those two endings… is having a working smoke alarm.

But people are complacent about smoke alarms and the speed of house fires, because they’ve only seen Hollywood’s version.
The movies show characters stepping through neatly flaming doorways, people heroically running back in to save their children and everyone making it out just in time. But that’s not how it goes. Fire gets real, fast. And no one knows that better than the firefighters who’ve seen the real story.

Says Pete Gallagher, national advisor fire risk management: “What the movies don’t tell you is that it’s the smoke that incapacitates people in real house fires. You don’t have time to talk or plan heroic escapes.”

FCB executive creative directors, Peter Vegas and Leisa Wall liked that the “Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies” campaign was a new take on the category: “We were instantly taken by this fresh new insight and the team have brought it to life beautifully.”

The 60” TVC was shot by Wade Shotter of FINCH.

Says Shotter: “My main focus was to bring the powerful voiceover to the screen in a sensitive way that invited the viewer to feel, rather than telling them to feel.”

The ad features Aaron Jackson, a full-time career firefighter at Ellerslie Station in Auckland (and also an actor who may be familiar from his role in Shortland Street). The spot launches March 7 and a Te Reo version will screen on Maori TV.

The “Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies” thought was continued through press execution “Return to Script Department” and the campaign will appear in environments where the movie comparison works hardest. FCB Media have partnered with TVNZ to show a Fire and Emergency warning before four Hollywood movies featuring misleading depictions of fires. These films will play on Saturday nights on TVNZ 2 later in March and April. In addition, this campaign includes online video, social, digital, post-trailer cinema ads, and placements in online movie environments: flicks.co.nz and NEON.

Client: Fire & Emergency NZ
Agency: FCB New Zealand
Media Agency: FCB Media

Production Company: FINCH
Director: Wade Shotter
Executive Producer: Rebekah ‘Bex’ Kelly
Producer: Sarah Cook
Casting: Catch Casting
DOP: Ziga Zupancic
Offline editor: Nathan Pickles
Online: Creature Post
Sound design: Nick Buckton
Original Soundtrack: Arli Liberman
Craft – Press: Ben Lockwood, Craft Shop