NZ's Fire & Emergency Services target 'cooked' people with a PSA like no other

The ‘You’re Cooked’ campaign, which draws heavily on local slang for someone who is wasted on drugs and alcohol, aims to generate awareness of the dangers of cooking when under the influence.

According to Fire & Emergency Services New Zealand, one in four house fires starts in the kitchen, and 50% of all fatal house fires involve alcohol or drugs.

To generate awareness of the danger and help people avoid starting a fire, Fire & Emergency Services New Zealand worked with the agency Motion Sickness to create a unique cookbook of recipes that do not require cooking to ensure people can safely satisfy late-night cravings.

The cookbook was tested by real people in a test kitchen that was built in Auckland’s popular Britomart Square. Friday-night revellers were invited to don an apron and choose a ‘fire-free’ recipe from the cookbook to prepare. The booze-soaked cooking shows were filmed and will be shared as part of the campaign.

Hilary Ngan Kee, head of strategy at Motion Sickness, said, “In a perfect world, people wouldn’t get drunk or high, but that’s simply not the world we’re living in."

"‘You’re Cooked’ was wholly designed to function in the real world. That’s a world where people do things they’re not meant to do, they live in the here and now, and when they’re hungry, they’re going to want to eat. This is a campaign made to grab attention and engage, but to also show people that the safer option is a good option, in every sense.”

Jordan Stent, creative director at Motion Sickness, said, “From the inception of the ‘You’re Cooked’ platform, we knew a little bit of smoke and mirrors wasn’t going to cut the mustard when speaking to our under-the-influence audience - the campaign had to live and breathe in their world.”

The campaign rolls out across digital, social and outdoor channels.