Transport NSW faced a critical challenge: reducing illegal mobile phone use and speeding among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Indigenous drivers, who over-indexed in unsafe road practices. Despite awareness of dangers, habitual behaviour and a perception of "getting away with it" persisted. The objectives were to raise awareness of mobile phone detection and speed cameras, deter illegal behaviour, support innovative road safety infrastructure, and drive CALD behaviour change to achieve Towards Zero targets by humanizing the road toll's personal impacts. Primary target audiences included Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin), and Vietnamese drivers aged 18+.
Etcom's solution involved adapting and extending broader campaigns to engage these high-risk CALD audiences. For Mobile Phone Detection, we communicated the world-first AI-powered cameras with urgency: "Phone Detection Cameras Now in Operation," using a bold yellow frame creative to dramatize detection. For Speed Cameras and Towards Zero, messaging was tailored to focus on the human impacts of speeding within CALD communities, sharing personal stories of the road toll's effect on families and health professionals. Messaging ran across TV, radio, OOH, digital, and social, with a consistent call to action: "Know the rules, or face fines and demerit points." Implementation included high-impact OOH in CALD-dense LGAs, programmatic digital targeting by language and behaviour, and in-language radio spots featuring CALD and Indigenous talent.
The Mobile Phone Detection Camera Campaign successfully changed behaviour. 58% of the target audience recognized the campaign, and 81% correctly understood its main message. Behavioural intent was high, with 65% stating they would tell others not to use phones while driving, and 77% believing they were likely to be caught. The campaign generated over 345,000 webpage views and showed strong digital/social engagement, leading to a reduction in mobile phone use and increased hands-free compliance. This success demonstrates that investment in innovative infrastructure is only effective when paired with clear, compelling, multi-channel communications that make consequences real for all users, especially CALD audiences, supporting the mission of safer transport networks.