Royal Life Saving WA has brought back its successful ‘Mermates’ platform with a fresh and revitalized approach to water safety. The new campaign, ‘Be a Mermate,’ aims to raise awareness among a younger generation of water-goers and promote safer behaviors around water. Developed in collaboration with 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub, the campaign builds on the success of the original Mermates campaign, which launched in 2019.
The ‘Be a Mermate’ initiative targets 18-24-year-old men, a demographic that has proven to be more vulnerable to risky behavior around water, such as alcohol consumption and other safety-related lapses. The campaign’s updated message broadens the focus beyond just alcohol-related risks, addressing a wider range of dangerous behaviors that contribute to water-related accidents and fatalities.
According to Royal Life Saving WA’s Blanche Marchant, factors contributing to fatal drownings today go beyond alcohol consumption, now including environmental factors, swimming ability, inexperience, and even prior injuries. As a result, a new safety awareness message was necessary to address these evolving risks and reinforce the idea that looking out for each other in water-related situations is the best way to prevent tragedy.
The ‘Be a Mermate’ campaign features several young characters, known as Mermates, who deliver the safety message in a relatable and humorous way. The campaign uses absurd humor to connect with its target audience, making the message more engaging without being preachy. It encourages young people to think about the role they play in keeping their friends safe and emphasizes that safety should never be taken lightly, even in the most carefree moments.
303 MullenLowe’s approach to the campaign relied on extensive research into the attitudes and behaviors of the target audience. They discovered that peer pressure plays a significant role in unsafe behavior, particularly among young males. This led to the decision to feature multiple Mermates in the campaign to create a collective message. By showcasing a group of friends working together to keep each other safe, the campaign aims to highlight the influence young people have on one another and the importance of mutual accountability.
The creative concept, including visuals of Mermates basking on rocks, was chosen to bring the characters to life in a fresh and relevant way. The campaign was designed to resonate with the audience while remaining humorous, so it wouldn’t alienate viewers or seem like a lecture. The use of humor, according to 303 MullenLowe’s Ellysia Burton, helps keep the message lighthearted while still addressing the serious nature of water safety.
The campaign has been launched across various platforms, including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Programmatic Video, and GumGum, with Mediahub handling the media strategy. Meg Handley, Mediahub’s Perth media manager, noted that reaching the 18-24-year-old demographic requires a tailored media strategy. The focus was on short-format videos and placing them in contextually relevant spaces where the audience is most likely to engage.
Over the years, Royal Life Saving WA and 303 MullenLowe have successfully collaborated to create campaigns that influence positive change in water safety behavior. With the new ‘Be a Mermate’ campaign, they are tackling a broader range of water safety issues and fostering a culture of mutual care and responsibility among young water-goers. By emphasizing fun, relatability, and humor, this initiative aims to save lives while connecting with a generation that often feels disconnected from traditional safety messages.
This campaign marks another milestone in the long-standing partnership between Royal Life Saving WA and 303 MullenLowe, a collaboration that has helped drive forward significant shifts in attitudes towards water safety in Australia.
Credits:
303 MullenLowe
Matt Oakley – Chief Strategy Officer
Harvey Clarke-Smith – Junior Planner
Sara Oteri – Executive Creative Director
Ellysia Burton – Copywriter
Stephen Hansen – Art Director
Alby Furfaro – Head of Design
Connie Trinh – Business Director
Devon Jackson – Senior Business Manager
Brayden Gallop – Business Coordinator
Johnathan Julius – Agency Producer
Mediahub
Meg Handley – Media Manager
Grace O’Meehan – Media Coordinator
Elyse Simich – Senior Performance Manager
Kathleen Severn – Senior Data and Experience Manager
Paige Crabb – Digital Executive
Clockwork Films WA
Katie Trew – Executive Producer
Jake Coombes – Producer
Anouk Ratnawibhushana – Producer
Director – The Cowboys
DOP – Ben Laguille
