Think that everything that could be said and shown about driving safely has already? That would underestimate the greatness of creativity. FCB New Zealand has created a striking story for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, through the eyes of a police officer who has to listen to drivers’ speeding excuses again and again and deal with the carnage of accidents.
The campaign, Through My Eyes, is the first work by the agency, since it was appointed as lead strategic creative, along with MBM as media agency, in June 2022.
The campaign forms part of the wider Road to Zero* strategy and Safe System approach, that highlights the problem of speed as the cause and determiner of the severity of accidents.
Lauren Cooke, national manager, education and marketing at Waka Kotahi, stated, “Sadly far too many New Zealanders continue to drive at unsafe speeds on our roads, resulting in unnecessary deaths and devastating consequences for families, whānau and communities. This important mahi serves to remind New Zealanders that there is no excuse for speeding and we need to slow down so that everyone can get where they’re going safely.”
Leisa Wall and Peter Vegas, chief creative officers at FCB, added, “Drivers don’t get to see what the Police deal with on a daily basis. In this film we wanted to bring the consequences of speeding to life. Nathan’s execution started with using a real officer as the main character and this brings the two worlds together in a brutally simple but powerful way.”
*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% by 2030 (based on 2018 levels). It is guided by the “Safe System” approach, the international gold standard in road safety, and recognises that while 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.
Credits:
Client: Waka Kotahi
Creative Agency: FCB New Zealand
Media: MBM
FCB Cultural Creative Partner: RUN
Production Company: Film Ruskin
Director: Nathan Price
Producer: Yolande Dewey
Casting: Auckland Casting & Yvette Reid
DOP: Ziga Zupancic
Offline Editor: Tim Mauger
Online: Jon Baxter
Sound Design: Cam Ballantyne
Original Soundtrack: Cam Ballantyne
