A brand new "haunting" integrated campaign for the NSW Rural Fire Service will seek to highlight the severe dangers of bush fires.
Developed by J. Walter Thompson Sydney and GPY&R, who won this specific work following a competitive pitch process, the main message of the unnerving campaign is to make people who can be slightly blasé aware of the speed and unpredictability of bush fires.
“We needed to reframe risk and discovered that people are less afraid of a risk they think they have some control over and more afraid of risks that are personified than anonymous," said J.Walter Thompson's executive planning director Angela Morris.
The campaign will feature a range of TVCs, with a single one-minute video supplemented by two 30- and two 15-second spots. This will be backed up by radio, digital banners, print work and a bespoke pre-roll ad.
As part of the integration, GPY&R were tasked with developing the online hub 'MyFirePlan.com.au'. This gives preventative information with regards to bush fires, and seeks to educate people on best practice when confronted by that danger.
“Research has shown that most people, even some of those living in high risk areas, do not consider themselves to be personally at risk from bush fires, said NSW Rural Fire Service's corporate communications director Anthony Clark.
"Around half of those in at-risk areas believe their property would survive a bush fire, even if they had made no preparation."
That is why J. Walter Thompson took the tack they did with this campaign.
“Entitled ‘Fire has a plan’, this campaign makes it brutally clear that since fire has a plan for your destruction, you also better have one for your own protection," said the agency's executive creative director Simon Langley.
"The creative approach of personifying fire as a sinister force that knows exactly what it’s going to do and how it’s going to do it, was developed to make people feel personally at risk.
"Combined with compelling facts about what fire is capable of, including how easily and quickly it can move and take down homes, we hope it will drive NSW residents to get prepared for the upcoming bush fire season."
Credits
Creative agency - J. Walter Thompson Sydney
Simon Langley – Executive Creative Director
John Lam – Associate Creative Director
Laurie Geddes – Creative Group Head
Simon Cox – Senior Art Director
Angela Morris - Executive Planning Director
Amanda Slayter – Broadcast Director
James Tracy-Inglis – Group Account Director
Rachel Wintle – Account Director
Amanda Porritt – Account Manger
Rachel Townsend – Production Manager
Hatti Apps – Digital producer
Thanh Lu – Studio Director
Renee Robertson – Senior Project Manager
Production Company - The Pool Collective
Director: Simon Harsent
MD: Cameron Gray
Line Producer: Kare Godsell
DOP: Ross Giardina
Pyrotechnician: Lou Stefanel, Pyromania
Post Production Company - Heckler
Post producer: Georgina Selby
Executive Producer: David Kelly
Edit: Greg Constantaras
Colourist: Yoomin Lee
Vfx Sup: Garry Jacques
Design: Luke Carvell
Compositing: Chris Jackson
Online: Jamie Watson
Sound Post - Nylon Studios
Sound Designer: Simon Lister
Studio Producer: Emma Hodge
Media: UM
Digital Hub: GPY&R
Research: GFK
NSW Rural Fire Service
Campaign manager: Laura Ryan
