Historically, workers have been told to follow the rules to stay safe. And, to be fair, they’re great for the basics. But, you can’t write a rule for everything. We needed to make New Zealand’s workers aware of a new kind of safety, which empowers them to be proactive. It asks them to look for the signs of danger and, if they think something could go wrong, to step in and stop it. This sense for danger is a power we all possess – it’s like we each have a pack of inner-meerkats, who stand to attention when something doesn’t feel right.
Our campaign would hero the ‘moment of awareness’ – that point when your inner-meerkats stand to attention and tell you something isn’t right. We set about developing 3D models of meerkats that would feel like extensions of the person they belonged to.
The photography was dramatically lit and composed to give a feeling of suspense, while giving our characters a heroic demeanour. Our typography was inspired by the stamped metal safety signage that’s adorned the walls and fences of hazardous workplaces for decades. Utilitarian and emphatic, while retaining some humanity and approachability.
Our goal for the overall feeling of the work was that it would have an urgency to it. That its surreal construct would draw you in, while our heroic characters and heightened sense of awareness would stimulate viewers to follow suit, and take action in their own workplaces.
Project completed with Melina Fiolitakis and David Shirley at FCB New Zealand