FCB NZ launches new ‘Road to Zero’ campaign for Waka Kotahi

FCB, in partnership with Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency, has launched the first public awareness campaign as part of the Road to Zero strategy. 

Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy was launched by Te Manatū Waka, the Ministry of Transport in 2019 and Waka Kotahi is the government agency leading its delivery. Underpinned by a vision of zero deaths and serious injuries in Aotearoa Road to Zero specifically aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads by 40 percent by 2030 (based on 2018 levels).

Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Education and Marketing, Lauren Cooke, says: “We want all New Zealanders to get where they are going safely whether they’re walking, cycling, driving, motorcycling or taking public transport. Zero deaths might sound impossible, but Road to Zero is New Zealand’s plan to get there.”

Road to Zero is guided by the Safe System approach which remains the international gold standard in road safety.  It recognises that whilst mistakes are inevitable – deaths and serious injuries from crashes are not and seeks to create a safe and forgiving transport system that makes the safety of people a priority.

The new campaign from FCB, to support Road to Zero rolls out to New Zealanders in three phases, with the first phase, a mass reach television commercial airing from the February 13 across the main TV networks, online video and cinema.

Commenting on the work, the first for Waka Kotahi from FCB, Sean Keaney, Managing Director of FCB Wellington, says: “Road to Zero is a bold and strategic plan to essentially save New Zealanders lives. The challenge is that we have become complacent around road safety and almost numb around the phrase “road toll” – it becomes just another number, when the toll itself is actually payment in human lives. It’s no longer acceptable that the cost of our mobility should be paid with the lives of hundreds of Kiwis every year. It’s time to create a disruptive, step change in our attitude towards this horrifying figure. The first part of this campaign seeks to do just that.”

Education about the Safe System approach is a critical part of the wider campaign and the marketing  and supporting advertising activity will ask New Zealanders to get in behind Road to Zero to support making roads in their communities safer. Everyone has a role to play, not just the individual driver for example, or the Police, but also infrastructure providers and local community leaders.

Peter Vegas and Leisa Wall, Executive Creative Directors at FCB, understood the importance of challenging people to think about what the road toll number actually means.

“The Road Toll is something we’ve become used to, something we hear in the media during the holiday spikes of the year, almost like the weather forecast. We’ve become immune to it. We accept it.

“But each number represents someone’s child, father or wider whanau. It’s actually totally unacceptable, and that’s the creative trigger we needed to pull in the advertising. It’s not a number, it’s a human life. You need to be confronted by that. We’re hoping for that reaction from the New Zealand public from the first initial TVC and are looking forward to the rest of the campaign rolling out.”

The campaign targets all New Zealanders [aged 16 and over]and launches across TV, online, print, cinema, OOH, digital/social and partnerships.  

Credits

Client: Waka KotahiNZ Transport Agency
Creative Agency: FCB Aotearoa
Media Agency: FCB Media
Production Company: 3&7
Director: Steve Ayson
Producer: Larisa Tiffin
DOP: Marty Williams
Editor: Luke Haigh
Online: Blockhead
Music: Cam Ballantyne
Photographer: Steve Boniface

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