Practising road safety.
South Australia Police are encouraging young male drivers to be safer on the road in a new campaign via Showpony.
“Sucks to be you,” is directed by David Ockenden for Proetic Productions.
“Young male drivers are overrepresented in fatal and serious car accidents in South Australia,” Government Advertising and Insights Hub Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Road safety, manager Richard Blackwell said.
“But research shows these drivers – despite the evidence to the contrary – believe they have everything under control.
“The most compelling proposition to motivate young people remains the loss of licence. Or put another way, they fear social death more than death itself.”
Using humour, the campaign highlights the real-world consequences of dangerous driving, with grown men who’ve lost their licence portrayed as literal “man-babies,” forced to rely on their mates, mums, girlfriends and co-workers just to get around.
“We know our target isn’t motivated by traditional scare campaigns,” Showpony creative director Rory-Kennett-Lister said.
“So we decided to use the only thing that genuinely frightens them – being uncool.
“When you lose your licence, you don’t just lose your wheels – you lose your freedom.
“Unless you can bankroll Ubers everywhere, you become a burden on everyone around you.
“This campaign uses comedy to make a very real point; if you act like a child behind the wheel, you’ll end up being treated like one.”
The campaign is rounded out by statics featuring the man-babies and rewritten lullabies for radio.
“We know what works on TikTok is different to what works on YouTube,” Account director Gail D’Arrigo said.
“We built creative that felt natural within each medium.”
Credits
Client:
South Australia Police
- Manager, Road Safety, Government Advertising and Insights Hub, Department of the Premier and Cabinet: Richard Blackwell
- Senior Advertising Campaign Officer: Elke Brintrup Krueger
- Campaign Coordinator: Laura Perry
Agency: Showpony
- Executive Creative Director: Parris Mesidis
- Managing Director: Jamie Scott
- Creative Director: Rory Kennett-Lister
- Senior Creative: Andy Scott
- Art Director: Annika Turon-Semmens
- Junior Copywriter: Albert Hopkins
- Account Director: Gail D’Arrigo
- Senior Account Manager: Julia Palombo
- Agency Producer: Alex O’Neil
Production Company: Proetic Productions
- Producer: Erica Ockenden
- Director: David Ockenden
- DOP: Riley Scott
- Sound Recordist: Lachlan Coles
Sound Design: Scott Illingworth at Seeing Sounds
Animation and CG: Sam Matthews
Photographer: Neasan
Retoucher: Jonathan Eadie
Media: Wavemaker
