Civil Defence NZ: Time's Running Out

When it comes to emergencies, the first step is simple, start talking about them.

But most people don’t because it feels too distant, too hard, or too unlikely.

So, to mark the anniversary of Auckland’s floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, we chose a date when everyone’s already resetting their clocks. Daylight Saving Weekend.

If people were willing to lose an hour of sleep, maybe they’d give an hour to get storm-ready too.

To drive action, we created a words made out of numbers, to help demonstrate the urgency needed.

Across social and digital placements, these clock updated messages, were geo-targeted based on changing weather conditions, reflecting what the aftermath of a disaster could look like where they lived.

The campaign used digital billboards, social, news media, and search to drive urgency, conversation, and clicks to a homepage where people could download an easy-to-follow emergency plan.

It created a new moment in the calendar that encouraged people to use Daylight Saving as an annual emergency reset. Reminding Aucklander’s to check their kit, update their plan, and start a kōrero (conversation) with their whānau (family).

Because the reality is, if you get ready now, you’ll be ready when disaster strikes.

There was a huge uplift, a record, in Aucklanders heading to the website to download the emergency plan.