R(Return) Plates is a brand experience for mycar Tyre & Auto that simultaneously links to their brand platform ‘People First’ and highlights a societal issue to drive safer road behaviours.

By creating a physical plate (to be placed on a car) we were able to highlight the psychological impact of road trauma and encourage empathy for those returning to driving after suffering a traumatic incident.

The plate makes a difference where it matters on the road connecting drivers with psychological support, while the campaign that wrapped around it highlighted the broader need for awareness of mental health on Australian roads.

There’s never been so much discussion of our mental health. But in Australia there was one place where we weren’t talking about the psychological impact of an accident or incident. The road.

There were two problems at play; People weren’t acknowledging or seeking help for the psychological trauma that they were suffering after an incident, and when they did return to the road other drivers had no idea they were still experiencing it. We needed to develop an idea to overcome these issues.

Few other automotive companies had considered the issue, so mycar Tyre & Auto - with their brand platform ‘people first’ - were perfectly positioned to lead the conversation.

To highlight the importance of supporting those recovering from road trauma, and to help Australians get back behind the wheel with more confidence we created R (Return) plates.

A physical plate to recognise drivers returning to the road after a traumatic road incident.

The plate itself became a brand experience on and off the road - as well as highlighting an unseen problem in society, we were able to create a national conversation around psychological road trauma.

Within 48 hours we had run out of plates (ordered through the mycar website), and every plate connected users with psychological support.

The R Plate asks people to consider their behaviour toward other road users in the moment and encourages society to have empathy for those returning to the road - ultimately changing a nation’s driving experience for the better and truly demonstrating mycar’s brand purpose ‘People first’.

We knew it wasn’t enough to explain the concept of a new Plate, we had a job to do to convince people that the trauma was widespread and then to normalise the use of the plates.

We had two audiences - those suffering in silence, and those lucky enough to have not experienced trauma on the road, blind to the difficulties people were facing as they returned to driving.

Earned raised the unseen issue and gave us a platform to unpack the idea fueling conversation across national broadcast networks.

Paid online and digital films targeted those who hadn't experienced trauma themselves and demonstrated how widespread the problem really was. Paid social media encouraged conversation with those who had experienced road trauma firsthand, while drive-time radio served as a reminder.

The plate itself was media raising awareness of the issue and encouraging behaviour change where it really mattered on the road.

The nationwide PR launch was supported with emotional film showing how it feels to return to the road, while long-form films of real stories allowed people to deeply engage with an individual's experiences.

Paid social and digital media created conversations that bleed back into Broadcast media.

All assets led to the mycar website where people could learn more about the psychological impact of road trauma explore real stories download their own plate and seek professional help.

QR codes connected drivers to psychological support, while the physical plate itself communicates the issue in real time where it matters on the road.

Drive time radio gave listeners an insight into what it’s like to get back on the road after trauma, in the place where we needed them to be most empathetic.

Every touch point created an experience of the brand’s ethos and supported their goal of creating safer roads for drivers everywhere.

The R plate isn’t just creating a cultural moment for the mycar brand – demonstrating ‘People first’ it ultimately aims to change a nation’s driving experience for the better.

522 pieces of coverage with a reach of 239 million, effectively hitting every person in Australia nine times.

In addition myCar website traffic was up 56%.

We are in our second print run of R Plates and research showed 25% of Australians said having a plate on their car would help them return to the road***.

Earned and social sparked a national conversation exposing bullying behaviours and creating conversation about how we treat others in a place where the stakes are much higher, on the road.

On TikTok alone, dozens of UGC posts attracted nearly 5 million views with a 10.9% engagement rate.

To date 8 industry bodies have joined the campaign, and we will lobby government for support in 2023.

In Australia when you are learning to drive you place an L (learner) Plate on your car to signal to others that you are gaining confidence on the road. The R plate takes advantage of this local behaviour, allowing drivers to communicate that they are returning to the road after trauma and are also looking for empathy and care from those around them.

While Aussies seem laid back, our roads are anything but. Road rage is a problem, with the average Australian taking up to six months to get back on the road confidently after a road incident.

When the work launched we had an overwhelming response across broadcast and social media, with people finally questioning the widely accepted bullying that is rife on Australia's roads.