You too can do something extraordinary
Issue 20 | September 2011
Agency
M&C Saatchi New Zealand
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director: Dave King; Art Director: James Bowman; Copywriter: Nicci Doak
Production Team
Finished Art: Woody; Digital Production: Matt Ravenhall
Other Credits
NZ Police Client: Campbell Moore; Account Director: Christina Mossaidis; Account Executive: Lizzie Yates
Date
July 2011
Background
NZ Police were looking for a new breed of recruit, young people who are bright, fit and good communicators. In particular they wanted more females and more applicants from Maori, Pacific and other ethnic groups.
Idea
The Christchurch earthquake changed the definition of ‘community’ for many young Kiwis, when the whole country responded as one to the tragedy of the stricken city.
Many young people had wanted to help but had found themselves only able to stand by on the sidelines.
These were the people NZ Police wanted to talk to, young, socially aware and patriotic. And ideal police recruits.
Real stories were chosen of police officers doing ‘extraordinary’ deeds.
A young Japanese officer comforting a bereaved relative of an earthquake victim.
A Maori officer demonstrating incredible bravery in the earthquake red zone.
A female detective working to prevent child abuse.
But rather than use predictable photography to bring the stories to life, each was recreated as a street-art installation by well-known artist Otis Frizzell.
Spray-painted on walls in the actual locations where the evnts took place, the images were then photographed for use in other advertising.
Web-links, online banners and QR codes on adshel posters linked through a campaign page where each story was told in video.
Results
Conversion results are not yet available, as the campaign has only just launched. However, social media postings and press items have already been plentiful. Headlines in national papers have included: ‘Awesome job immortalised in alleyway art’, ‘Police street art, do something extraordinary’
Our Thoughts
What gives this campaign added life in social media is the placing of the four ‘posters’ in the locations specific to the events shown.
The earthquake story is the most dramatic, the victim being pulled from an actual heap of rubble.
If the ads had been put together as photographic recponstructions, they wouldn’t have had anything like the same impact as graffiti art.
The real insight, though, is in talking to young people on the streets about the real difference they can make to their communities at a time when they were most disposed to listen.