Rail safety campaign wins supreme award at the Axis Awards

17 March 2017

KiwiRail and TrackSAFE NZ’s “Conscious Crossing” rail safety campaign wins supreme award at the Axis Awards

KiwiRail and TrackSAFE NZ’s social media campaign, “The Conscious Crossing”, won big at last night’s Axis Awards, taking home eight Gold Axis Awards and the overall Grand Axis Award.

The Conscious Crossing campaign was developed as part of Rail Safety Week 2016 in response to a nationwide increase in rail incidents involving pedestrians, particularly at level crossings.

“Advertising agency Clemenger BBDO created an innovative and engaging social media campaign that complemented our brief,” says KiwiRail’s Head of Marketing Ahleen Rayner.

“To encourage pedestrians to stay alert when using crossings, Clemengers filmed pedestrians using the Epuni pedestrian crossing in Lower Hutt over the course of a week.

“Moveable rail guards were installed in the lead up to the crossing and were moved each day, changing the approach to the station. This meant that the pedestrians using the crossing had to consciously engage with their surroundings by navigating a different approach to the crossing each day,” says Ms Rayner.

TrackSAFE NZ Manager Megan Drayton says the win is an important safety reminder for pedestrians using the rail corridor.

“The more familiar we are with an environment, the less attention we give it. People get used to signage and become accustomed to an area, and so they tend to forget that when they’re approaching a crossing they’re taking a risk.

“This means that some pedestrians can be more complacent and distracted by phones and headphones. It’s a dangerous mix as it means that people often don’t consciously check for trains,” says Ms Drayton.

The Axis Awards are organised by the Communication Agencies Association of New Zealand (CAANZ) and recognise creative excellence in New Zealand. The Conscious Crossing won in each of the eight categories that it was nominated for: Outdoor and in Design for User Experience, Innovation For Good, Out of Home Special Build, Non-Traditional Outdoor, Promo & Activation, User Experience, Brand Experience/Environmental, Product Design Non-Tech, and User Experience.

Rail Safety Week aims to raise awareness of safe behaviour around the railway corridor. This year’s campaign will run from Monday 14 August 2017 to Sunday 20 August 2017 and will be coordinated by KiwiRail in close partnership with TrackSAFE NZ, NZ Transport Agency, NZ Police, Auckland Transport, Transdev Auckland, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Transdev Wellington.

To see the Conscious Crossings video click here: https://www.facebook.com/TrackSAFENZ/posts/1474132212596932

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