A giant squid, a ghost ship and a 10-foot fish. Droga5’s maritime safety campaign for Transport for NSW’s grabs attention with its series of larger-than-life water stories. The kind people tell. But each comes with an element that isn’t usually included…the bit where good sense in the water prevailed.

Each of the films is told by the person who lived it, mid yarn – a “salty dog” recounts a wrestle with the kraken, a jet ski rider tells of a ghost ship that sent him into shore at a safe speed, and a First Nations Uncle tells of the prized fish he nearly hooked on country (developed with First Nations-led consultancy, YarnnUp). There’s no finger-waving. No shock tactic. These have been done over and over again.

Live to Tell the Tale entertains first to deliver a message that gets under your skin – the best stories are the ones you live to tell. Director, Leilani Croucher of Revolver, brings adventure to life in each story with the colour and conviction of a well-told sea story. Dramatic details heighten the storytelling, while the safety message remains firmly rooted in reality – making it safely back to shore to tell it.

The campaign carries this storytelling approach across other channels. Outdoor posters pair the storytellers with dramatic reconstructions of their adventures, drawing on the rich characters and ephemera of the nautical world. In radio, sound design dramatises each story and places listeners at the centre of the action.

Live to Tell the Tale will run across film, radio, outdoor, digital and social channels. Individual executions for First Nations audiences and priority culturally and linguistically diverse communities will follow.


Kezia Quinn, principal director, Droga5 ANZ, stated, “Instead of leveraging fear or employing finger waving messaging, we wanted to lean into the positive. Life on the water is adventure and excitement, and that’s what we want to preserve as much as the safety of it. Leilani and team did a brilliant job at creating this feeling on camera across three distinct tales.”

Nicole Watts, executive director, NSW Maritime, Transport for NSW, added, “Part of what people love about being on the water is the freedom, the adventure and the excitement. But to keep enjoying it, we need to respect the dangers, too. Because every great maritime story needs one thing above all else: someone who makes it back to tell the tale.”

Credits:

Client: Transport for NSW
Director, Campaigns: Julie Gillam
Senior Manager, Safety Campaigns: Elizabeth Maroun
Campaigns Manager: Amanda Condoluci
Campaigns Specialist: Nevenka Moulakas

Creative Agency: Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song 

ANZ Marketing Practice Lead, CEO of Droga5 ANZ: Matt Michael
 

Chief Creative Officers: Barbara Humphries & Damon Stapleton 

Creative Directors: Max Rapley, Danny Pattison & Sam Chappell

Senior Copywriter: Lewis Clark 

Senior Art Director: Loz Maneschi

Head of Production: Penny Brown
Senior Producer: Rebekah Lawson
Principal Director: Kezia Quinn
Group Business Director: Patrick Lynch
Senior Business Manager: Ingrid Zhang
Business Executive: Zipporah Susskind

First Nations Creative Consultation: YarnnUp

Production Company: Revolver
Director: Leilani Croucher
Managing Director & Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer & Partner: Pip Smart
Senior Producer: Alex Kember
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Production Designer: Helen Fitzgerald
Wardrobe: Olivia Simpson
Make up & Hair: Mat Hornby
Casting: Citizen Jane
Editing, Grade & Online: Scott Stirling

Sound: Massive Music

Stills Studio: Revolver
Stills Producer: Sophie Hattch
Photographer: Emma Elias

Retouching: Cream

Media Agency: OMD