Since 2012, 218 NZ vehicles have collided with trains. The majority of these crashes involved rural males between 40-59 years, with many happening on familiar roads, close to home. A simple look right, then left is all that’s needed to prevent bad things from happening. To remind this tough rural audience of the right behaviour, we leveraged some famous people, their infamous moments, and the unfortunate situations they found themselves in just because they didn’t look both ways.

The well-known New Zealanders and Australians referenced in the spots are household names in New Zealand. Our audience would instantly recognise them and their infamous moments. The campaign is designed to evolve over time; as more stories are added to the campaign, our message is strengthened in the minds of our audience. Every time they hear a new spot, it’s yet another reminder that bad things can happen when you don’t look right, then left.

For more cultural context on each famous figure featured in the spots (Jordie Barrett / Sir John Key / Professor John Burrows), and their infamous moments, please see the included award board.

If New Zealand’s Ex-Prime Minister had looked to his right at the twenty-eleven Rugby World Cup prize-giving, he’d have seen the captain of our triumphant national rugby team stretching out his hand. If he’d looked to his left, he would’ve seen the chairman of world rugby doing the same. He also would’ve seen that neither of their outstretched hands were moving towards his.

Unfortunately, he didn’t look right or left. And was unanimously elected by the line-up of winning players, the home crowd of 60,000, and a global audience of millions, as world leader of awkward three-way handshakes.

Bad things can happen when you don’t look both ways. Especially around railway level crossings. Whenever you’re approaching, look right, look left for trains.

The campaign leverages famous, instantly recognisable moments in New Zealand culture. Using humour to make a serious message cut through and resonate with our tough rural audience – and making our message stick.

The campaign launched on 5-Dec-2018. It played on radio stations with a bent towards a rural male audience, with targeted spots playing at high commuter times. It ran in the lead up to the summer holidays, a time where traffic numbers typically increased and crash risk was elevated. Delivering our message to our audience at the moment it most mattered: while they were behind the wheel, at the highest risk time of the year.