Kiwi Police force goes on recruitment drive in new campaign via M&C Saatchi New Zealand
August 6 2012, 5:21 pm | | 21 Comments
On a wall near Auckland’s Otara market M&C Saatchi New Zealand created a stencil depicting Constable Sanalio (Lio) Kaihau comforting a distressed woman. She saw demons urging her to commit suicide. Lio saw a way to help.
By talking of their shared beliefs and praying with her, Lio calmed her, reassured her and prevented her from acting on thoughts of suicide, an example of how empathy plays a critical role on the front line.
21 Comments
Will the Police Force have a ‘swap a ginga’ offer too?
kind of incredible that while the ginger story is all over the national press, our own industry press chooses to shut it down. m&c must have lobbied hard.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10824507
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/marketing/news/article.cfm?c_id=14&objectid=10824744
Mr Adman from M&C was quoted as saying, he came up with the idea because his son( a redhead ) was being bullied . I have no idea how this was supposed to help the cause .It’s probably made it worse or was it an Award opportunity ?
It was clearly an award opportunity only. And not a good one either.
How was the Swap your ginga kid’ idea ever going to actually HELP them?
The campaign would have been more appropriate if it was to sell licenses bullies to ‘Have-a-go-at-a-Ginga’
When you have an ad that’s saying even their parents don’t want them, you’re saying they’re fair game.
Worse still, they’d swap them for a bottle of ginger beer?
It doesn’t get more misguided or misfired than that. Nor was it funny.
I felt sorry for the ginger been brewery owner who got sold this pup.
South Park did ginger kids well.
Lobbied hard? Nar. We’ve just chosen not to post our ginger ad out of respect to our client. As far as we’re concerned, Swap Your Ginger has been a huge success. It was intentionally outrageous to create the discussion. And the headlines (Campbell Live was my fav). Which will result in Hakanoa making a lot of sales. Obviously we knew there would be complaints (we don’t expect them to be upheld). What we didn’t expect was criminal harassment of our client. Hence the involvement of our other client the Police.
Having said all that this police spot is pretty darn cool – beautifully shot
Your ‘client’ (the company you found and offered the campaign to for free) was not exactly proclaiming it to be a big success. All of those parents you offended, are they all now getting in touch now to say how brilliant you are? In taking a position of “aren’t we clever” you only make yourself look more stupid.
I thought ginger beer was made out of ground up red headed children. Is it not?
You can strut and prance all you like on the industry blog. But you can’t deny that the campaign achieved mass awareness on minimal budget and was based on a creatively led insight that actually worked.
Good luck with your shelf wobbler. Mr cynical.
“The public backlash left Hakanoa Ginger Beer maker Rebekah Hay frightened and in tears.”
Yes James, a huge succes.
Fair enough, you’re one of the few people who uses your own name to defend your work on here. Pity it’s always so shit.
Right on, James Bowman. Everyone’s been thinking about it. Job done.
Come on guys…
Wanted to do a scam. GIngers are always good for a laugh. Managed to convince some poor client. For free. Got caught. End of.
No-one minds – it’s the ‘bullying’ justification that makes us all barf.
I have done some stinkers in my time, but I can honestly say I have never done an ad which left my client frightened and in tears.
The fact is, getting attention is easy. I notice the nutcase wandering down the street twitching and muttering and playing with his private parts much more so than I notice ordinary-looking guys walking past. That does not mean it is desirable to be the nutcase. Attention is easy. Just drop your pants or do something crass. Relevant or positive attention is what we are paid for.
James, I really hope you do not repeat this ‘success’ with your other clients. I also hope you apologised to her.
i made a client cry once. we had cast a gay maori for a role – he was the best at it by far. we weren’t looking for gays or maoris but got both. bonus!! anyway she walked on set and burst into tears. i never had to work on her shit (but gigantic) piece of business again. wonder if she cries when tamati comes on the tele?
Hello fellas
Hope you’re well. We had three goals when doing this. Get Hakanoa known. Get Hakanoa liked. Get Rebekah seen as standing up for gingers. Based on how happy Rebekah was as she dropped off ginger beer on Friday, I’d suggest we achieved all three. That a few bods online think otherwise is pretty much par for the course in this country and on this site in particular (sorry Michael). Go the ginger. And grow balls and use your real names you weak fucks. Not you Paul. Or you James.
Cheers
Expecting to read about coppers looking all Banksey and shit. WTF just happened here?
James Bowman you sure you weren’t involved in the abstain for the game idea also?
And here’s DK trying to justify the campaign – http://www.idealog.co.nz/blog/2012/08/dissecting-flop-hakanoas-swap-ginger-campaign-falls-flat
Not abstain from the game, but we did the St Matt’s Mary & Joseph billboard that was the lead story on BBC news that Christmas Day (and was covered by every major media on the planet). We do controversy that leads to debate and success. Not flops. Last year’s Police Street Art campaign achieved 277% more direct response than the year prior.
http://auckland.concreteplayground.co.nz/news/72674/swap-your-ginger-for-six-the-taste-of-controversy.htm
Dave and James ,I’m just curious. Can you please explain how this was standing up for gingers ,when you were asking for them to be given away and how was it supposed to gain awareness to bullying ?