Melbourne’s Yarra Trams has marked the return of ‘Tram Coach’ with a new campaign that aims to reduce falls and serious injuries amongst passengers aged 60 and over.

Senior passengers will now be enthusiastically coached on how to avoid slips, trips and falls when they’re travelling on trams with a revised campaign by Icon Agency across out-of-home and mixed tram media, cinema and social media.

The new executions continue the creative platform launched by Icon in November last year.

The agency’s creative directors, Ed Bechervaise and Rod Clausen said it is possible to engage people of any age with safety without getting hung up on the seriousness of the message.

“We’re on a mission to break stereotypes. The 60-plus audience have a sense of youth and the spirit to get out there,” Bechervaise said:

“We’re playing to that, but in a way that talks to everybody – so it’s all-inclusive, while inherently targeting one sector specifically. Tram coach celebrates safety and being awesome at it, so there’s no heavy vibes happening here.”

Clausen added: “The creative is aimed at getting the elderly to embrace safer behaviour with a smile. The campaign is designed to be accessible to everybody. Love him or think he’s a goof, Tram Coach is here to show us how to be our best ‘tramming’ selves.

Emilie van de Graaff, director of passenger and network innovation at Yarra Trams said: “Reaching older passengers is a critical phase of our ongoing campaign promoting safe tram travel behaviour, because our data indicates that they are more susceptible to falls on trams.”

Icon is responsible for delivering creative strategy, campaign implementation, PR and social media for Yarra Trams.

CREDITS

Client: Yarra Trams

Director of passenger and network innovation: Emilie van de Graaff

Agency: Icon Agency

Creative directors: Ed Bechervaise and Rod Clausen

Art and copy: Aaron Tyler

Art direction: Mal Chambers

Group account director: Hazel Tiernan

Senior account manager: Sam Cairns

Senior designer: Nana Derkyi

Studio manager: Mark Oriondo

Casting director and producer: Naomi Mendoza

Production company: Visible Studios

Director: Nick Kozakis

Directors of production: Carl Allison and Dillon Pearce

Executive producer: Tim Whiting

Illustrator: Ben Sanders