How Cummins&Partners Flipped the ‘Bro Code' to Tackle Drink-Driving
The Road Safety Advisory Council, in collaboration with cummins&partners, launched the ‘Know the Bro Code’ campaign to reduce drink-driving among young Tasmanians by leveraging the power of positive peer pressure.
Featuring Tasmanian YouTube star Ella Watkins and directed by comedian Mark Bonanno, the campaign redefines mateship to encourage responsible behaviour, using media placements, social media, and community partnerships to promote safe alternatives to drink-driving.
Cummins&Partners art director Alice Tran and copywriter Becky Worley spoke to LBB about reframing the Bro Code to promote positive peer pressure and planning, balancing humour and sincerity to make a serious message relatable, and using gamification to creatively reinforce safe driving habits.
LBB> What inspired the idea of rewriting the ‘Bro Code’ instead of taking a more traditional approach to drink-driving messaging?
Alice and Becky> As part of the strategic phase of the project, the team did extensive research on the specific audience, their attitudes towards drink-driving, and the realities they face that are unique to Tasmania.
What we found was that this audience already has responsible attitudes to drink-driving, but they could find themselves stuck with fewer options for getting home safely. With this in mind, we knew it wasn’t necessary to educate this audience about drink-driving. Instead, we needed to reframe the idea of making a plan to get home to be just as important as planning the night out itself.
LBB> How did you ensure the campaign resonated authentically with young Tasmanians, rather than feeling like just another government warning?
Alice and Becky> We made sure that, at every touchpoint, there was an authentic and relatable voice speaking to the audience rather than an authoritarian person or body. At no point did we want to lecture anyone about the dangers of drink-driving. It’s a practical and relatable reminder of all the ways you can prepare.
LBB> Ella Watkins plays a key role — what made her the perfect choice, and how did her involvement shape the campaign’s tone?
Alice and Becky> Ella is a well-known figure in Tasmania with a strong social following. Her trustworthy but relatable voice meant we could speak to the audience in more of a peer-to-peer way and still inject her energy and colourful character into the spots.
LBB> Mark Bonanno’s direction brings both humour and sincerity – how did you strike the right balance between the two?
Alice and Becky> Mark Bonano is well known for his surreal comedy with Aunty Donna, but when we spoke to him about this idea, he knew straight away how to bring it to life. With the subject matter and audience in mind, he brought a more relatable, down-to-earth kind of humour to this spot. We wanted groups of mates in Tasmania to see themselves in the work.
LBB> The campaign highlights positive peer pressure – how do you think this compares in effectiveness to fear-based messaging?
Alice and Becky> The strategy team found that fear-based messaging in road safety comms is actually the least effective amongst the people who most need to change their behaviour. For higher-risk drivers, this kind of messaging is more likely to provoke a defensive response, whether that's through denial or ridicule of the message and how it applies to them.
LBB> With Tasmania’s limited transport options in some areas, how does the campaign address practical barriers to avoiding drink-driving?
Alice and Becky> Those practical barriers were front-of-mind for us in creating this campaign. We knew that in rural parts of Tasmania, sometimes it isn’t possible to just get an Uber home. That’s why we pivoted the message to be about planning how to get home with as much attention as planning the night out and reminding people that there’s a community out there willing to help if they still find themselves stuck. It might be an inconvenience for parents to pick their kids up in the middle of the night, but at least they’ll be alive.
LBB> The ‘Bro Code’ traditionally has a very male connotation — how did you ensure inclusivity while still appealing to young men?
Alice and Becky> Although young men are the primary audience, it was important to include all the people that make up a group of mates, as well as the wider community in Tasmania.
Ella was a great casting for us. As a recognisable face in the campaign, we wanted to make sure she was just as much a part of this friendship group as the guys. We were also keen to include a parent figure. They’re the unsung heroes of making sure their kids are safe and having them as the last port of call can save lives – even if it annoys them at the time!
LBB> What was the biggest challenge in executing the campaign, and how did you overcome it?
Alice and Becky> Finding the right balance between humour, cut-through, and the importance of the message was probably the biggest challenge. But working with such great partners in Haven’t You Done Well Productions, the team here internally, and an invested client kept us on track.
LBB> The campaign includes a Snapchat game — how does gamification help reinforce safe driving habits?
Alice and Becky> The gamification was a fun addition to the campaign, but a very practical one too. We wanted to create something that would spread the message further than our budget alone would allow and interrupt that pre-night-out planning stage with a reminder to plan how to get home too.
LBB> What impact do you hope to see from this campaign, and how will you measure its success?
Alice and Becky> RSAC collect data on serious injuries and fatalities throughout the year, as well as conducting a major behaviour and attitudes study each year. In that, people from around Tasmania will anonymously discuss the topic of drink-driving. We hope to see self-reporting of drink-driving among the audience go down, and positive pre-planning behaviour goes up.
