TAC launches hard hitting activation ahead of the holiday season via Graffiti, Melbourne

In the lead up to the festive season – a particularly busy, high-risk period on Victorian roads – Melbourne based brand experience agency, Graffiti, launched an immersive five-day activation called Press Rewind in metro and regional Victoria.

Launching in St Kilda, then to Ballarat, Press Rewind brought to life Transport Accident Commission’s ‘The Lucky Ones Get Caught’ creative campaign. The emotional and thought-provoking experience aimed to captivate the Victorian road user audiences to reflect on the reality of dangerous driving, and what an alternative outcome could have looked like.

St Kilda and Ballarat residents awoke to a confronting crash scene, an upturned car with smoke billowing from the bonnet, cordoned off by Police tape. A haunting soundscape with police radio and crashed metal sounds, drew people closer to discover remnants of a family driving to their Christmas holiday destination strewn across the scene. A stark reminder about driving safely over the holiday season.

Viewers were then invited to use the augmented reality app Press Rewind to discover a luckier outcome. By holding their phone up to the crashed car, the app is activated to provide a sliding doors moment juxtaposed to the devastating scene in front of them.

Tragically, 240 lives were lost on Victorian roads throughout 2022 – an increase on the 233 in 2021, but the fourth lowest since the TAC started keeping records.

Acting Head of Marketing, Communications and External Affairs at the TAC, Kylie Grzybek said, “The TAC has always used the style of campaign that our research indicates is most likely to be effective at influencing the specific behaviour being targeted. Whether it’s dramatic and confronting, or thought-provoking and emotional, we’ve always used a range of approaches.”

“We know hard-hitting advertising, like The Lucky Ones Get Caught campaign, captures attention and can be effective in changing behaviours.”

“This campaign brings home the reality home of what happens when you’re not focused on driving, and we hope this makes a difference in people thinking about speeding, or picking up their phone or drinking and driving.”

Graffiti Creative Director, Katie Inglis said: “It’s hard to feel ‘lucky’ when you get pulled over by the police. The frustration of getting a fine takes over all rational thinking. We took that insight to create an experience that feels hyper real but also gives Victorians the chance to reflect on their own lives and loved ones.”

“An experience needs to do more than just shock people to create real behaviour change, it needs to be something you’re moved by and you remember the next time you get in the car”.

Graffiti has created many thought provoking behaviour changing activations for TAC and understands the importance of amplifying the message to the broader community.

Katie Inglis – Creative Director
Hannah Avent – Senior Producer
Ash Mellington – Production
Vito Midolo – Production
Eliza Crosara – Integrated Producer
Ladesha Dromgool – Styling and Design
Unbound – Augmented Reality
Soundwaves – Sound Engineer