Adman’s personal experience inspires The Hello Project

After finding his mother lying on her kitchen floor in September 2021, adman Greg Partington, owner of Waitapu Group (including advertising agency Stanley St), is urging Kiwis to check on their neighbours by launching The Hello Project.

His mother had suffered a debilitating stroke to the left side of her brain. Distressed, hurt and unable to move, she lay alone for 20 hours. Since this tragic incident, it’s become apparent that many of our most vulnerable have suffered a similar fate.

Too often our kaumātua are found alone at home, emotionally or physically hurt, needing assistance and unable to help themselves. In the last year alone, ACC has processed over 300,000 claims for the elderly for injuries in the home.

So Partington galvanised the team at Stanley St to build a campaign that achieved just that. 

The ‘The Hello Project’ campaign has been designed to raise awareness and prevent similar events happening to other families. 

Watch the interview with Greg here.

“If we can change one situation to have a positive outcome, that’s success to me,” Partington says.

“All it takes is a quick hello, or making a plan with family to periodically check in with our elderly, a group to which we often forget we owe so much.”

Written by Simon Shattky, Directed by Robin Walters for Film360 and created by the team at Stanley St, ‘The Hello Project’ is a multi-platform national awareness campaign that will encourage all of New Zealand to stop, think, reflect, and connect with our kaumātua to help broaden the circle of care and improve access to tools and technologies to those in need. 

The campaign launched on 16 December across multiple channels including AV, radio, OOH, digital, PR and content support.

The campaign is centred around a call to action for New Zealanders to be more perceptive of the small cues we can all miss if we don’t look out for them.

The advertisements focus on one sign, a simple porch light left on during the day, a subtle signal of something not being quite right. 

View the TV commercial here.

Partington’s sister and CEO of Stanley St, Siobhan Burke, put the call out to her creative team to bring this very personal story to life.

“Looking out for signals like the one in our Hello Project ad can mean the difference between tragedy and a happy ending. Curtains that haven’t been opened, mail that hasn’t been collected, phone calls that aren’t being answered,” Burke says. 

“We wanted to portray the triggers and warning signs we need to look for in everyday life that can signal that something isn’t right.”

Executive Creative Director of Stanley St, Brad Collett says this is a campaign that all New Zealanders can relate to.

“It empowers us to build networks around any at-risk friends, family and loved ones and to make sure we are all looking out, checking in, to save lives.”

Many New Zealanders and media partners have already committed their time and money towards this cause including Hato Hone St John, who offered staff and the new Waka Manaaki ambulance for the commercial, and key media partners who offered Stanley St inventory and editorial support. 

“Reaching out and checking in with our elderly relatives, friends or neighbours, even if just to say ‘hello’ may not seem like a big deal, but it is,” Pete Loveridge, Hato Hone, St John Deputy Chief Executive of Customers and Supporters says.

“We so often get caught up in the business of our lives, especially at this time of year, that we can forget that for many, a simple conversation can make such a difference to their wellbeing,” says Loveridge.

Head of Media Strategy and Planning at Stanley St, Emily Scovell says, they have been overwhelmed by the support shown by media partners.

“Without their generosity, it would not be possible to create the impact we need.”

The Hello Project launched ahead of Christmas with a clear intent to get families to discuss these issues as they get together for the holiday season, but continues throughout January. It serves as a timely reminder about recognising the role we can all play when we are near someone vulnerable and the signs to watch for to safeguard and protect their wellbeing.

Although it’s early days, the impact of the activity has already resulted in several community focused groups expressing an interest in being part of the building on the initial success of the campaign.

“We are so grateful to those who have helped us bring this important message to life. Mum would have been so moved by this work and we could not have done it without the love and support of so many,” says Partington.

“Massive heartfelt thanks to the whole team at Stanley St for leaning so heavily into this endeavour with Greg and I. We hope through our family’s experience with our Mum that these small gestures can make a big difference in the lives of New Zealand families who need support.

“And again, a massive thanks to our media partners, and the other organisations that have made the campaign such a success to date.”

In loving memory of Mary Josephine Partington.

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