ACT Emergency Services
Supporting Canberrans to be emergency ready.
Service
Reputation + brandingWork
Branding
Introduction
In the aftermath of the 2019 Black Summer fires, months of COVID restrictions, and a hailstorm causing millions of dollars of damage, Canberrans were well and truly fatigued by emergency communications… just as the severe weather season was approaching. The ACT Emergency Services Agency urgently needed to combat audiences' tendency to tune out by engaging, energising and empowering Territorians to actively prepare for upcoming weather hazards and be emergency ready.
Challenge
Life-saving life admin.
If emergency services could ask people to do one thing, it would be to prepare a Survival Plan. But it can feel like just more life admin. So, we amplified how little time it could take and brought the idea front of mind in headline messaging of ‘What’s your plan in an emergency?’, with specific executions for each emergency season. This helped to normalise completing a plan and familiarise audiences with the concept, nudging them towards positive behaviours.
Strategic creativity delivered
In sight, in mind.
When the skies are clear and routines are on track, it’s hard to imagine that storms and fires will ever come. We took audiences out of this complacency by using vibrant, compelling emergency imagery and TVC narratives. We kept visuals under the threshold of alarm, sensitive to the psychological environment of the audience.
Success
Humble heroes.
Every day, a special group of Canberrans put on a uniform and respond to unknown emergencies and requests for community assistance. They’re volunteers and they don’t respond to the word hero, even though that’s what they are. We celebrated their real stories to forge a bond with the community they serve. We used inspiring brand TVCs to build brand equity and foster personal engagement with emergency readiness.