Is it art? Well, the public certainly thought so.

Clemenger BBDO’s client ACC, wanted to do something really unusual to help raise the public’s interest and awareness of their annual NZ Safety Week. We were asked if we could come up with something.

NZ safety Week is designed to make New Zealander’s think about safety, the reality of ‘accident’ statistics in NZ, and how to protect themselves from unnecessary risks of injury and even death.

The key themes are ‘At work’, ‘Children’, ‘On the road’, ‘At home’, and ‘Sport & recreation’.

We decided to create some intrigue by developing an ‘art installation’ outside the Wellington City Art Gallery. This installation would unfold over three days until the ‘reveal’ as to what it was all about.

Comprising mannequins representing each of the five themes, everything was white, including their clothing and props. This all gave a slightly surreal, artistic air to the display.

On the first day, the installation was set up at 5.30am so it was already in place when the first early morning joggers and commuters went by. There was no signage, nor explanation of what this art piece was all about.

At 6.30am on day two, each of the themed parts of the installation had numbers fixed to their bodies, but no other explanations. By the end of the second day, hundreds of members of the public had stopped to look and try and understand what it was all about. Many people even got friends to take their pictures standing with the exhibits. The security guards were routinely being asked what the ‘art exhibition’ was all about?

Day three was a Sunday, and the official launch of NZ Safety Weekend. We were at the site at 6.30am to carry out the ‘reveal’.

This is when we put up a large banner on the side of the Art Gallery and sandwich boards alongside each of the scenarios, where some quite sobering statistics, coinciding with the ‘numbers’ fixed to the mannequins bodies were revealed about accidents causing injury and even death.

Later in the day, there were also some interesting diversions and entertainment as ACC gave out brochures and other material, asking people to ‘Take Five, and think about safety for the week’.

All in all, we created something that genuinely intrigued and engaged the public of Wellington, making them more receptive to the key messages of the campaign.