Firth Analysis
New Zealand Transport Agency
“Mistakes”
The Surface Meaning:
A typical rural or subdivision intersection in New Zealand. A Subaru station wagon and a Nissan station
wagon (the minivan of New Zealand) are approaching an intersection with a stop
sign, from opposing directions. Typical
lush New Zealand vegetation and farmland is the background. The Nissan holds a Caucasian
man dressed in business attire that is approaching the intersection
rapidly. The vehicle is shown to rise
from its velocity, over a slight bump, inspiring a belief in probable speeding. A Maori descendent man (native NZ tribesman)
fails to double check the road and pulls his Subaru in front of the businessman
in the Nissan. Through stop motion
effects the two see the impending collision and are delivered a brief respite
from the impending collision, where they exit their vehicles and speak. The Maori man asks the businessman to spare
him, as his son is in the back of the wagon.
The businessman replies “I’m going too fast”. The Maori man states “I just made a mistake”
in referring to his failure to double check the intersection. The advertisement concludes with both men reentering
their vehicles, and a slight loving glance to the boy, before time resumes and
the fatal impact is portrayed in graphic detail from the boy’s perspective. It is clear the Maori man could not survive.
The Advertiser's Intended Meaning: The New Zealand Transport Agency is clearly
advocating for driving slower through this visualization of what can happen
when a driver makes a simple mistake, in conjunction with another driver who is
speeding in excess of posted limits. The
campaign clearly intends to impose a feeling of guilt before any crime has
occurred and forces the audience to view the feelings that occur in motor
vehicle accidents, in a more palatable manner.
The dialogue is clearly intended to produce an emotional reaction and drive
home the belief that slowing down on NZ roadways will save lives. The inclusion of two station wagon’s as the colliding
vehicles is clearly intended to remind the audience of the common existence of
children on NZ roadways, as well as an intended belief that the speeding businessman
is himself a father.
The New Zealand Transport Agency has seen an increase in
traffic collisions that occur with slight, not heavy, speeding involved. The
choice to use a bright sunny day with good weather is clearly a reminder to
audiences that collisions and mistakes occur in even the best of
weather, and that even marginal speeding can be fatal; and that posted limits
exist for reasons not visible to all motorists. The NZ Transport Agency’s
data supports that many are marginally speeding, but still with enough velocity to
overdrive road conditions and impede their ability to react in collision avoidance
situations.
A societal belief
that marginally speeding “Isn’t hurting anyone” is the direct target of this
campaign.
The Cultural or
Ideological Meaning: The choice to use a
Caucasian businessman and a Maori descendent is likely a play on societal
values and customs that many will understand in New Zealand where the stereotypes
in this film can often be true. The
white businessman constantly in a hurry is a stereotype that is certainly true
in New Zealand, and elsewhere, where a type of white superiority over Maori,
and other people of color, can exist from the collision of societal values that
we see between these two “tribes”. The Maori value quality of life and family
much more than “keeping up with the Joneses”, and this advertisement clearly
highlights the laid-back Maori rural lifestyle where “mistakes” happen, and urban attitudes toward law obedience can result in tragedy.
Many would argue that this duality is also an
indicator of urban sprawl encroaching into agricultural areas, with the businessman
bringing his “lifestyle” to the rural Maori farming areas where a slower pace
is the norm.
