St John Ambulance Victoria launches ‘Emergency Charades’ showing why first aid is not a guessing game in new campaign via Town Square

St John Ambulance Victoria has launched ‘Emergency Charades’, a new campaign from independent Melbourne agency Town Square highlighting the consequences of not knowing first aid and encouraging Victorians to book training or update their accreditation.

While more Victorians are completing initial accreditation than ever, there remains a disproportionate amount of the population who have never done first aid training, or have allowed certification to lapse, eroding confidence to act in emergencies. With emergency services under continued pressure, the ability for bystanders to respond quickly and confidently can be critical.

The campaign dramatises common emergency scenarios as a game of charades, placing audiences in the uncomfortable position of trying to interpret what’s wrong, without the knowledge to help. Retargeted executions then shift from the ’emergency’ to the ‘response’, demonstrating the correct first aid actions delivered by St John Ambulance responders and prompting viewers to get or complete their training.

Designed to appear in contextually relevant moments such as mobile and digital OOH, the executions break the fourth wall, directly appealing to viewers to respond, using entertainment and comedy tropes to keep audiences engaged, create memorability and drive action.

‘Emergency Charades’ is the latest in St John Ambulances ‘Know First Aid’ campaign platform which was developed by Town Square. It follows ‘Do You Live with a Paramedic?’ launched in October last year which used humour to drive awareness of a seriously unfunny subject – sudden cardiac arrest.

Says Brendan Day, executive creative director, Town Square: “Emergency Charades is a playful yet confronting metaphor for the game people play by not knowing first aid. It places the viewer in the middle of an unfolding situation, mirroring the uncertainty you feel when you do not know what to do.”

Says Emma Klinakis, marketing and community manager, St John Ambulance Victoria: “Victorians understand how important first aid is, but confidence fades when training lapses or never happens in the first place. This campaign from Town Square is a reminder that confidence in an emergency comes from knowing first aid, not trying to figure it out in the moment.”

The campaign will run across digital OOH, social platforms including Meta, LinkedIn and YouTube, and News Corp digital and print.

Client: St John Ambulance Australia (Vic)
Chief Executive Officer: Gordon Botwright
Marketing and Community Manager: Emma Klinakis
Performance Marketing Manager: Lorraine Meehan
Marketing Coordinator: Eve Buttigieg
Communications Executive: Damila Salles

Creative & Media Agency: Town Square
Executive Creative Director: Brendan Day
Art Director: Peter Crawford
Copywriter: Samuel Nicolaci
Video Editor: Jimmy Walker
Client Service Director: James Debono
Account Director: Jacqueline Smith
Head of Production: Anna Morris
Junior Producer: Cameron Baker
Head of Media: Adrian Tan
Performance Manager: Dylan Emrose
Director: Jemma Cotter
Photographer: Robert Geary

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