ASB celebrating Clever Little Life Savers in latest ad campaign

Almost half a million Kiwi kids have been taught life-saving first aid skills thanks to the ASB St John in Schools programme, and ASB is celebrating this achievement by putting children at the centre of its latest ad campaign.

The current programme was launched in 2014 with the aim of equipping kids with the skills and confidence to act in emergency situations. The campaign highlights the importance of the training provided to school children which includes first aid, bandaging and CPR, disaster preparedness, and injury prevention.

"We have seen and heard first-hand the difference a programme like ASB St John in Schools can make, and we believe this is incredibly important not only for the children involved, but for their families, friends and the wider community," says ASB head of community and sponsorship Mark Graham.

"In an emergency situation, every minute counts and it's about making sure our young New Zealanders have the confidence to take action, and to provide them with these skills which could help save someone's life."

The commercials, which will be running through November, were created by advertising agency True. Chief creative officer Craig Pethybridge says the idea behind the campaign was to showcase the tangible difference the skills from the programme could make outside of the classroom.

"The ASB St John in Schools campaign provided us with a great opportunity to leverage one of ASB's most loved and recognisable brand assets, Clever Kash, in a way that is relatable and engaging for the audience."

"By showing how clever Kiwi kids can be just like the Clever Big Life Savers at St John, we hope to move beyond the classroom and show the benefit of that first aid knowledge in the real world."

Since ASB St John in Schools began, more than 450,000 Kiwi kids have attended sessions.

"This is about improving health outcomes for all New Zealanders, starting at a young age, and building the preparedness and resilience of all New Zealand communities," Graham says.

St John Director of Community Health Services Sarah Manley says every school child should have the opportunity to learn the vital skills.

"St John receives over fifty 111 emergency calls from children every week, often calling in highly distressing situations for a parent or loved one who has fallen, is unconscious, or is having convulsions."

"ASB St John in Schools equips young New Zealanders with the skills and confidence to deal with these emergency situations, and to be advocates for the health and wellbeing of themselves and their communities," Manley says.

"We believe that every child should have access to basic first aid training and we are repeating our call for ASB St John in Schools training to be rolled out to every school across the country, which aligns with the Labour-led Government's objectives in its 'School Leaver's Toolkit' policy."

In addition to providing first ASB St John in Schools first aid kits, ASB this year launched the ASB Super Saver Bravery Award into the programme to recognise brave acts.

This year, ASB celebrated ten years of partnership with St John. ASB is involved with St John in many ways; from volunteering on area committees or as Caring Callers, to contributing to the St John Annual Appeal fundraising. 

Additionally, all ASB branches nationwide are equipped with an AED (or defibrillator) and AED-trained ASB staff.

For more about ASB and St John please visit https://www.asb.co.nz/community/stjohn.html

To view the ad please click here

About ASB St John in Schools

ASB St John in Schools provides learning experiences for pre-school, primary and intermediate aged children to empower them to act in an emergency. With a commitment to driving community health outcomes, ASB St John in Schools educators provide young people with the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for their own health and well-being and the well-being of others.

The programme has been developed with expertise from ACC, SafeKids Aotearoa, Civil Defence, CORE Education and St John and supports today's school curriculum.

In consultation with individual schools, a trained community educator will plan and deliver the programme to a class, or group of classes, at school, in response to a request from a teacher or school administrator

In September this year, the curriculum was updated and translated into te reo and St John is working with kura kaupapa and kōhanga reo to tailor the programme for their tamariki. 

Students who takes part in an ASB St John in Schools session will receive an ASB St John in Schools first aid kit. The first aid kit contains: gloves, cleansing wipes, elastic bandage, roll of tape, plastic tweezers, plasters, sterile gauze and bandage triangle.