Fire & Emergency New Zealand Urges Kiwis to Create a Plan in Chilling ‘Escape Week’ Campaign

This week sees the launch of Fire & Emergency NZ’s ‘Escape Week,’ in partnership with FCB New Zealand. Escape Week encourages New Zealanders to understand the very real risk of house fires and to create a plan for every member of the household to escape safely, in the event of fire.

Communications highlighting the fact that a house fire becomes un-survivable in less than three minutes drive people to Fire & Emergency’s Escape Planning Tool. The step by step process points out potential blind spots in helping people to prepare their own life saving escape plan.

“Using our Escape My House tool will make you think about important things that you may not have considered,” said national advisor, fire risk management, Peter Gallagher. “Things like a second exit in case your normal exit is blocked, making sure you know where your keys are if doors are deadlocked and having a safe meeting place for everyone in your household.”

To support the campaign, FCB created a three-minute TVC, which uses a unique soundscape to tell the story of a family trying to escape a house fire, also extending its use across radio. Partnering with TVNZ, FCB also delivered a first of its kind ad-break takeover. Smoke and flames fill what looks like a normal break of 30” spots from TVNZ and other FCB clients until smoke totally eclipses the screen – demonstrating the speed of fire and the importance of an escape plan.

In addition to the three minute ad takeovers, the promotion of Escape Week includes:

- A partnership with NZME, sharing the story of a real family losing a loved one to a house fire, plus a 'Faces of Fire' article featuring NZers who have lost loved ones in a house fire and those who have escaped – to encourage New Zealanders to make an escape plan themselves.

- A partnership with TVNZ featuring book ends during Breakfast with Matty McLean addressing the importance of escape plans, throughout Escape Week.

- '720 word story' full page press ad – telling the story of a house fire breaking out in the middle of the night. The average person can read 720 words in three minutes; the amount of time a house fire can kill you.

- 'Escape the Paper' press executions – the story of a house fire which unfolds over several harrowing pages of the newspaper, helping to build the disorientation of being trapped in a house fire.

- Digital and social elements – with thought-provoking questions such as ‘what if your way was blocked’?

- 30” radio and Spotify partnership, exploring the speed of fire.

FCB executive creative directors, Peter Vegas and Leisa Wall, concluded: “We wanted to build on the work we created last year and thanks to the great opportunities our media people created for us we’ve been able to do that. We’re thrilled with the results.”