Firth Analysis of New Zealand Transport Agency's "Mistakes" campaign

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.