60 Second Hero
The background
Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) faced a critical challenge: every year, over 120 people drown outside the flags at Australian beaches. In an effort to reduce these preventable deaths, SLSA approached Banter to create an ATL campaign that would engage beachgoers and shift their behaviour. Historically, SLSA had relied on fear-based campaigns to communicate the dangers of swimming outside the flags, but this time, they needed a fresh, more relatable approach, especially to connect with younger audiences.
The nuts and bolts.
Rather than focusing on fear, we developed a campaign that urged Australians to "Give An F About The Flags." The campaign cleverly celebrated everything beachgoers love to do at the beach—whether it’s frolicking with friends, freestyling for fitness, or fumbling with a footy—all while driving home the message that the most important "F" is to swim between the flags.
The integrated campaign included a variety of content formats, from 60-second, 30-second, and 15-second TV spots, to cinema ads and online videos. Additionally, Out-of-Home (OOH) assets were deployed across high-traffic areas. The creative direction was playful yet purposeful, using humour and relatable scenarios to make beach safety feel more engaging and memorable.
To measure the effectiveness of the campaign, a 1,200-person panel control and exposed Omnipoll study was conducted, yielding impressive results:
- 90% of viewers agreed that the ad made them more likely to swim between the flags.
- Awareness of beach hazards increased by 2.5 times for those who saw the ad.
- The percentage of people who saw the coast as hazardous rose from 35% to 62% upon exposure.
15 Second Cut
30 Second Cut
