On this page
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The campaign -
Our approach -
Target audience -
Artefacts: escape planning -
Artefacts: smoke alarms
The campaign
Museum of Fires Past highlights the destruction of a house fire, by showing how a range of belongings can be affected by heat and smoke.
Early 2023, Museum of Fires Past focused on how smoke alarms might not save your belongings, but they could save your life. This August, the creative will be expanded to not only speak to smoke alarms but also to making a 3-Step Escape Plan.
Our approach
The campaign will run across two phases during August and September of 2023:
Phase 1, Escape Planning – having a plan to escape your home when the smoke alarm goes off means you are much more likely to make it out alive, especially if you have young children or other dependents that need help to get out too.
Phase 2, Smoke Alarm – to ensure everyone in the house gets the earliest warning possible, we recommend installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, hallway and living area.
We’ll reach our target audience via online digital placements, out-of-home, Ad on Pause, audio, Facebook and Instagram.
We welcome our partners to re-share our social content through their own channels.
For more information on smoke alarms and where to install them, visit escapemyhouse.nz/sorted(external link)
Target audience
Museum of Fires Past is designed to shift the beliefs and actions of a specific audience mindset, the ‘Intenders’. From our Segmentation Model, we know that the Intenders acknowledge the seriousness of fire and they buy into being fire safe, yet:
- only 34% claim to have smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway and living area vs the national average of 41%.
- only 42% of Intenders have an escape plan for their household in the event of a fire, vs the national average of 62%.
Escape plans are most important in households where there are dependants, either young or old, and the Intenders are more likely to have a young family and may also have parents that might need support (whether they live with them or not). They tend to be busy parents running busy households. They have the best intentions to keep their whānau safe, but they just don’t get around to making an escape plan.
To ensure more New Zealand households have working smoke alarms installed in the right places and quality escape plans, we need the Intenders to act and to see that being prepared to protect their family in a house fire is easy and can’t stay on the ‘to-do’ list.
Artefacts: escape planning
Jayden's Controller
A house fire won’t wait for you to make a 3-Step-Escape Plan. Sort yours today — it’s as simple as two escape routes and a meeting place.
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Dad's Shoe
A house fire won’t wait for you to make a 3-Step-Escape Plan. Sort yours today — it’s as simple as two escape routes and a meeting place.
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Artefacts: smoke alarms
Bella’s Teddy
Bella Williams (b. 2017)
In late 2021, a fire tore through areas of the Williams’ family home, taking everything in its path. The blaze started because their heater was too close to a clothing rack in the living room. This teddy bear belonged to Bella (4) and was just one of the many things the fire robbed that day.
After severe heat and smoke exposure, the teddy’s coat was charred black and ripped open, exposing its once fluffy interior. Its eye then melted out of place. Bella’s once beloved teddy was damaged beyond repair.
Bella and her family escaped before the heat and smoke became unsurvivable, thanks to a smoke alarm in their lounge. A functioning smoke alarm may not save your belongings, but it could save your life. Don’t wait to buy a smoke alarm.
Listen to the Radio Audio [MP3, 1.1 MB]
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Riley’s Collar
Riley (b. 2020)
In early 2021, a damaged extension cord under the couch sparked a fire in Riley’s lounge, destroying most of the house. Being a young Golden Retriever, you’d often see Riley staring longingly at her lead hung up in the hallway. She will never get to go for a walk with this lead ever again.
After being exposed to the smoke and heat, the lead was blistering and peeling uncontrollably, eventually melting into a string of nylon and plastic.
Riley enjoys walks with a brand new lead now. She and her two teenage owners escaped thanks to a smoke alarm in their lounge. A functioning smoke alarm may not save your belongings, but it could save a life. Don’t wait to buy a smoke alarm.
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* The artifacts were recreated. These stories are based on real house fires that happened in New Zealand. Names have been changed for privacy reasons.