TAC gets personal with young Aussie drivers in new immersive social media campaign via SCA

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has developed and produced “Roadtrip Forever” for the Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC).

In an Australian first, this campaign combines traditional storytelling, with social media technology. The result is an immersive online video experience that integrates users and their friends’ Facebook content, delivering a deeply personalised experience for anyone who ‘takes the trip’. The inclusion of the viewer’s friends into the story alongside the user’s personal photos, heightens the impact of the road safety message and packs a punch unlike any other.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Two completely different web films were produced, a male and a female version, based on the TAC’s detailed research about the target demographic and each gender’s unique driving behaviours. This research also showed within the 18-25 demographic a preference for online as the most effective platform for brand communication. This insight formed the basis of the content creation and distribution strategy thereby making Roadtrip Forever available to them on their turf via online and on their terms via social media sharing. This is new territory for the TAC, but one they felt compelled to explore.

The social media strategy of discovery, word of mouth referral and un-paid celeb twitter support, was combined to drive traffic to the site. This approach has resulted in over 60% of users arriving via referrals with the site duration averaging over four minutes per user. The social media shares demonstrate the impact of the content upon our target audience and

their willingness to push this road safety message to their peers; reflected in tweets such as “This is a must see…. Take a couple minutes, kick back and take the trip.”

Says Cathy Thomas, Melbourne general manager said: “Our strength as Australia’s most innovative media entertainment solutions provider continues to evolve – and we’re proud of our ability to continually harness new and emerging technologies to ensure our clients have the best possible platform to speak to their audience. Roadtrip Forever is a fantastic example of SCA’s ability to go beyond traditional platforms and harness social media, which we know is the perfect way to reach teenagers and young adults in 2013. This campaign is truly a testament to the skills and creativity of our hard working team.”

Says Angus Stevens, creative director vision sales, Southern Cross Austereo: “TAC were looking for new ways to reach young adults, and we saw a huge opportunity to reach this core group by integrating their personal data into the narrative of the film, to maximise the impact of the key message. We’re starting to see more and more creative agencies harnessing Facebook data to integrate into campaigns, and we’re really excited to be leading the way from a film perspective.”

Says John Thompson – general manager, Mitchell & Partners: “Roadtrip Forever is a progressive, innovative and creative campaign from SCA that we are really proud and excited to be involved in bringing to life for one of our clients the TAC. Its foundation in social media and connection to friends should deliver a very strong message that resonates with the at-risk young-driver audience.” 

Concept Development: Southern Cross Austereo Integration

Facebook integration: Ben Kanizay – Run Pixel Run