THE WORLD'S MOST ENTERTAINING POLICE RECRUITMENT VIDEO

Short List
TitleTHE WORLD'S MOST ENTERTAINING POLICE RECRUITMENT VIDEO
BrandNEW ZEALAND POLICE
Product / ServicePOLICE RECRUITMENT
CategoryA01. Direction
EntrantTHE SWEET SHOP Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Idea Creation OGILVY NEW ZEALAND Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Media Placement OGILVY NEW ZEALAND Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Production THE SWEET SHOP Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Damien Shatford Sweetshop Director
Regan Grafton Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Executive Creative Director
Lisa Fedyszyn Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Group Creative Director
Jonathan McMahon Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Group Creative Director
Sam Henderson Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Art Director
Kent Briggs Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Copywriter
Danny Carlsen Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Design Director
Dave Preece Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Design Producer
Siobhan Burke Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Head of Operations
Steen Beech Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Agency Film Producer
Wendy Schrijvers Ogilvy & Mather, New Zealand Executive Director
Ben Dailey Sweetshop Executive Producer
Fiona King Sweetshop Managing Director
Andrew Stroud n/a DOP
Ben Marshall n/a Senior Editor
Tamara O'Neill Liquid Studios Executive Producer
Peter van der Fluit Liquid Studios Head Composer
Craig Matuschka Liquid Studios Senior Sound Engineer

Brief Explanation

The most entertaining police recruitment video on the planet. This is a fast-paced recruitment video that speaks to a wide variety of New Zealanders. But, how do you choose a singular spokesperson when you're trying to talk to everyone? You don't. That's why this NZ Police recruitment film features over 70 actual cops. The Police band, Police dogs and cats, Eagle helicopter, the AOS, William Waiirua, Black Ferns and the police commissioner Mike Bush, all put their hands (or paws) up to be involved in the video to encourage New Zealanders to join NZ Police. t’s a big classic suburban wild goose chase police romp – with a great message! This video celebrates the kind of recruits New Zealand Police want on their team - ones who bring their own unique and diverse qualities, skills and quirks to the job.

Execution

This was all about tone. Usual police comedies are funny because the police are bad at their job. But here, the NZ Police needed to look good - without it feeling smug or like an army recruitment video. So it needed to be serious, but self-aware and able to laugh at itself. By making each officer maintain eye-contact, while executing amazing feats of physical ability, created a collision between physical prowess and awkward vulnerability which allowed for the comedy. The unnatural ease in their presentation allowed them to deliver their message, and to be taken seriously - but let the audience laugh, and most importantly, it made our heroes relatable to the everyday Kiwis we were trying to recruit.