The Australian outback is ferociously beautiful. Ferocious, because it’s a killer of the uninitiated. Year after year.
Ampol and broadcast & on-demand audio company, ARN, are helping Australians to stay alive on one of its most remote and dangerous roads. The campaign, Last Chance Servo, by Saatchi & Saatchi uses ARN’s Dynamic Audio inventory to trigger contextually tailored commercials, drawing on location, time, and meteorological data, to communicate with drivers travelling along the road.
The hero of the campaign is an isolated Ampol “servo” in the small village of Glendambo in outback South Australia. Drivers in the area who are listening to podcasts or streaming radio on ARN’s iHeart app will hear timely reminders to prepare for the potentially perilous journey ahead of them – where running out of fuel and water can escalate into a life-or-death situation.
With hundreds of unique creative variants made possible by the Dynamic Audio decisioning engine, drivers are reminded to fill their tank at Ampol and conduct checks to ensure their vehicle can go the distance; from tyre pressure, oil, or coolant, to watching out for kangaroos at night. The campaign even mentions some of the locals that drivers can expect to meet behind the counter at Ampol and the Glendambo Hotel.
The Last Chance Servo campaign message is reinforced on the ground with point-of-sale collateral at the Glendambo Ampol, so that drivers won’t miss their last chance for food, refreshments, and even their last chance for a toilet break for 251 kilometres.
Michael Dargan, ARN head of creative, commented, “We’ve seen fantastic results from our Dynamic campaigns in cap cities, so we’re thrilled to be extending the inventory beyond regional stations into remote areas. Contextual relevance at scale is a huge focus for us in media, and at ARN we’re thrilled to be right in the middle of that discourse, producing data-driven, hyper-targeted and contextual messages for clients across Australia.”
Noni Guest, head of brand & marketing, Ampol, added, “Last Chance Servo is an audio innovation that ensures drivers are more aware of our uniquely remote roads that can be dangerous without ample fuel and supplies. As Australia’s Own service station, we’ve been by Australia’s roadside for generations, helping all kinds of Australian drivers on their journeys. Last Chance Servo expands this purpose through dynamic digital audio and we see the potential in using this initiative on other remote roads in the outback.”
Piero Ruzzene, creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi, commented, “The heat, inhospitable terrain, and vast distances of the Australian Outback claim roughly 40 lives a year. For this reason, the humble Ampol servo is vital in remote parts of Australia. With ARN, we saw an opportunity to help avoid future tragedies and prove Ampol’s positioning as a brand that understands Australia’s uniquely tough conditions. Last Chance Servo takes dynamic audio technology and reimagines it to alert drivers of the dangers of driving through the Outback unprepared while directing them to stop at a nearby Ampol station to stock up, rest and prepare for their (now safer) journey ahead.”
Kade Robinson, ARN Sydney creative director, noted, “We’ve long known the simple math that relevant advertising is more memorable and engaging, therefore more effective. In this instance, using contextual triggers to communicate with drivers on outback roads is a class-leading use of the dynamic tech. The team at Saatchi & Saatchi are big champions of innovative digital audio campaigns and have been a dream to work with. They just get it. And Ampol are leading the pack when it comes to advertisers meeting their consumers where they are. This is the second Dynamic Audio campaign they’ve done with us, and they really understand the power of contextual relevance in audio.”
Ampol’s Last Chance Servo campaign can now be heard on ARN’s free iHeart App in selected areas in regional South Australia.
Credits:
Client: Ampol Australia
Head of Brand and Marketing: Noni Guest
Client: ARN
Creative Director: Kade Robinson
Mixing Engineers: Anthony Badolato & Todd Falusi
Recording Engineer: Ray Peters
Head of Creative: Michael Dargan
Group Business Director, Agency: Ashley Lush
Account Director, Agency: Jenna Thomas
Senior Account Director, Agency: Susan Dickens
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Group CCO: Dave Bowman
CCOs: Mandie Van De Merwe & Avish Gordhan
Creative Directors: Piero Ruzzene & Carlo Mazzarella
Copywriter: Mac Wright
Senior Integrated Producer: Tamara Kennon
Director: Dave Tang
Edit & Motion Graphic Lead: Joe Giuffrida
Group Account Director: James Tracy-Inglis
Account Director: Suzanne Leddin
Account Managers: Edward Moult & Allie Naylor
