Create public awareness for the need for Coastguard, and demonstrate the value of the job the organisation does.

We gave the public their own chance to respond to a call to help. We set up a lo fi radio station that played a mayday message on constant repeat on its own frequency, just like a mayday message out at sea. Only this time the coastguard did not come to the aid, and we waited for the public to find the message. As we thought, they did not. So after a week we brought the radio signal to everyone?s attention, by booking a mainstream radio schedule and playing the mayday call. An additional V/O then explained that it had played for the past week, and asked the question, ?if the Coastguard?s not listening to your call for help, who is??

The target audience was Auckland Boaties. The radio schedule targeted the Auckland region, with a skew towards the 30+ male.



?Panic Station? Radio
Entry # 11657

This radio spot has two parts. Firstly, we set up our own radio station and played the following distress signal on constant loop, on 107.6fm.


PART ONE

V.1(panicked male) Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Ballistix, umm? callsign ZM1319, sitting about a kay north east of Kawau, the cabin is in flames, 3 members on board, one injured, request urgent assistance. Over.

(pause)

I say again, Mayday mayday mayday, this is Ballistix located one kilometre north east of Kawau Island requesting urgent assistance, our cabin is on fire, one crew member injured, over.

(Repeats)


After one week, the sixty second broadcast had played over 7,000 times. And not one person responded. So the following spot was then played across major stations to drive home our point.


PART TWO

V.1(panicked male) Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Ballistix, umm? callsign ZM1319, sitting about a kay north east of Kawau, the cabin is in flames, one person injured, request urgent assistance. Over.

V.O This message has been playing to the majority of greater central Auckland
on its own dedicated frequency for the past week, and not one person
responded to the call.

If people like the Coastguard aren?t there to listen, who is? Call 0900 SOS SOS or go to Coastguard.co.nz to donate.