Beyond the Brief: How FEDERATION and Maritime NZ’s cheeky “spokes-buoy” became every complacent boatie’s best mate on the water
Every summer, Kiwis hit the water – confident, capable, and sometimes a little too relaxed about safety. But most fatal boating accidents in Aotearoa don’t happen far offshore; they happen just a few hundred metres from land. That insight sparked the recent launch of Buoy-Boy – a cheeky, two-metre-tall “spokes-buoy” created by Maritime NZ and independent creative agency FEDERATION for Safer Boating Week. Floating close to shore, he’s part safety marker, part personality, and a whole new voice for water safety. The success of Buoy-Boy has led to a longer-term Summer approach. In the latest edition of Beyond the Brief, CB chats to Brad Collett, FEDERATION’s Chief Creative Officer, about the success of this behaviour-changing campaign.
Brad, excuse the pun but how did this idea float to the top? Why was it important for Maritime NZ to have a spokes-person for water safety?
BC: A lot of New Zealand brands have had success with a single spokesperson, a voice that consistently delivers a simple message. And because we don’t turn up as often as a Pak’nSave Meat Week, we needed to be clear and consistent. We also wanted to give water safety a voice people would actually listen to, not a lecture.
Kiwis love the ocean; it’s part of who we are. But that familiarity breeds complacency. Buoy-Boy became that mate on the water who’s funny, disarming, and reminds you to do the right thing. And on the theme of wordplay, having a ‘spokes-buoy’ to help keep boaties out of danger was a no-brainer.
Seeing it get picked up by local media has also been exciting, because getting it into the communities is the biggest challenge.
What was the creative unlock that led to turning the sea itself into the media channel?
BC: We realised most accidents don’t happen out on the open sea, they happen within a few hundred metres of land. So instead of buying media about the problem, we used the location of the problem as the media. That’s why Buoy-Boy lives right there, bobbing where behaviour needs to change most.
Boaties need reminders right before they head out. There’s no point talking to them a week earlier, they need to know what the marine forecast is doing at the moment they launch.
Behaviour-change campaigns are notoriously tough. How did you make this one hit emotionally and socially?
BC: We used behavioural science, specifically visual priming. When you see something that reminds you of a behaviour, your brain reacts instantly. Buoy-Boy acts as that real-world trigger for ‘System 1’ thinking: grab your lifejacket, check the forecast, and take two forms of communication. It’s awareness through humour and immediacy.
The build looks huge, what was it like trying to make a flotilla of two-metre-high Buoy-Boys around the country?
BC: Controlled chaos is the best way to say it. We wanted them made locally, which meant everything from 3D printing to marine-grade engineering had to happen fast before summer. It was like producing a small fleet of floating influencers, each hand-made, weighted, and GPS-tracked.
Getting them on the water couldn’t have been done without amazing FEDERATION partners like Wade Blow at Osmand Signs. His wife was ripping me, saying, “Thanks for making Wade work ‘til 3am!” What she didn’t realise was that he wasn’t the only one! It took a lot of passion and heart to get this done. Everyone on the journey understood the importance of it. It wasn’t just an ad campaign.
We even had someone taking Buoy-Boy to the local pools during the build, to make sure he wouldn’t sink, or topple over and embarrass us.
He’s already getting a lot of love online. How did you plan to make him so shareable?
BC: We treated him like a celebrity. He’s got teaser films, a social voice, and opinions reacting to weather conditions and local forecasts. People are taking selfies, tagging mates, and spreading the message themselves, which was the goal. When Buoy-Boy becomes a meme, you know the behaviour change feels effortless, and he’s working.
Maritime NZ campaigns have to deliver a serious message but Federation has been having success using humour to hit home.
BC: Totally. Buoy-Boy is light-hearted, but the message lands because it’s woven into Kiwi humour and context. He’s part safety marker, part personality, that combination makes the message travel further and stick longer.
What’s next for Buoy-Boy?
BC: He’s just getting started. We’ve gone from one Buoy-Boy promoting Safer Boating Week to one in every major water hotspot around New Zealand. We’re also looking to bring him from the water into people’s homes, with buoyant keyrings, education packs, merch, and more.
And because he’s built as a 3D element, voiced using AI, we can drop him into new scenes, crafts, and weather-reactive placements. He’s a flexible, always-on, cost-effective creative platform for Maritime NZ long-term.
With over ten Buoy-Boys now floating in harbours, bays, and boat ramps across Aotearoa, the campaign is already proving that the best place to change behaviour is exactly where it happens. Supported by VOD, PDOOH, radio, live weather updates, merch, and a social content series, Buoy-Boy is turning the tide on complacency, one selfie, one smile, and one saved life at a time.
Because before you leave the shore, the message is simple – be sure, be safe, and be like Buoy-Boy. Wear a life jacket, check the marine forecast, and take two waterproof comms.
Client: Maritime NZ
Agency: FEDERATION
Producer: Kate Olive
Director: Clayton Carpinter
Drone: Echo Valley
Editor: Mike Carpinter
Production: Osmand Signs
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