E-scooters are legal in only some Australian states. Victoria is one of them. Annoyingly, a misconception has grown that they are fun and frivolous ‘toys’, when in reality they’re powerful devices and misuse is dangerous.
Clemenger BBDO is helping Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) to strip away the misconception with a toy-themed campaign encouraging people to ride e-scooters safely. The stop-motion films feature a cast of toy characters riding e-scooters recklessly with devastating consequences.
Clemenger worked with Mighty Nice to create the films, featuring a cast of toy characters riding e-scooters unsafely around different Melbourne streetscapes. The moment the toys crash, they transition into real people with very real and painful injuries.
The films and radio also feature a catchy toy-style jingle which was created with Squeak E. Clean Studios. In radio, each spot begins as upbeat toy commercials before taking a sombre turn.
Clemenger BBDO senior copywriter, Ellie Dunn, commented, “We wanted to shock e-scooter riders into reality. Going from joyful toy world to painful reality achieves this in a bold way. It’s been a brilliant campaign to be part of.”
Clemenger BBDO chief creative officer, Adrian Flores, added, “We’re always looking for the talkability factor in our work. Twisting classic toy tropes to create an arresting campaign about e-scooter safety creates a distinctive mnemonic that lives on in people’s minds.”
The campaign comes after the TAC insights revealed that a large portion of e-scooter users are still deliberately taking risks and choosing to ignore the rules. And that young people (16-34 years), and males in particular, are the most likely to engage in dangerous e-scooter riding and rule-breaking behaviour.
“Right now, too many e-scooter riders are underestimating the serious risk of injury. Through this campaign, we are asking all Victorians to do the right thing every time they ride an e-scooter. With the festive season fast approaching, it’s also a good opportunity to remind parents and guardians to reconsider buying an e-scooter as a present for children under the legal age of 16 years,” stated Jacqui Sampson, executive General manager community, TAC.
The campaign will run until January 26 2025 across online video, social, digital and radio.
Credits:
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Chief Creative Officer: Adrián Flores
Creative Director: Derek Anderson
Senior Copywriter: Ellie Dunn
Senior Art Director: Lisa Dupré
Chief Strategy & Experience Officer: Simon Wassef
Senior Strategy Director: Ness Quincey
Behavioural Scientist: Len Duniec
Group Business Director: James Kerr
Business Director: Tony Dediu
Business Manager: Caitie Jackson
Radio Producer: Alana Teasdale
Client: Transport Accident Commission (TAC)
Executive General Manager – Community: Jacqui Sampson
Senior Manager, Marketing, Sponsorships and Engagement: Angela Hann
Acting Team Manager Marketing and Advertising / Campaign Manager: Katrina Nedeski
(Former) Campaign Manager: Lucia Brisolla
Marketing Advisor: Michaela Bradley
Acting Director – Behaviour, Education & Community: Paul Tierney
Acting Manager – Behavioural Insights and Programs: Samantha Buckis
Production: MADE THIS
Head of Film: Ainslee Littlemore
Producer: Callum Smith
Production Manager: Lachlan Beattie
Director: Tom Stephens
Production: Mighty Nice
Director: Darren Price
Executive Producer: Tina Braham
Producer: Chloe Marshall
Head of Studio: Ben Seager
Animators: Pete Nizic & Duncan MacLaren
Stop Motion Director of Photography: Simon Higgans
Art Director & Model Maker: Jacqui Hudson
Sound: Squeak E. Clean Studios
Sound Engineer: Paul Le Couteur
Executive Producer: Ceri Davies
Executive Creative Producer: Karla Henwood
