ACC's 'Have a Hmm' Campaign: Patronizing, Inefficient and a Lavish Expenditure

A Taxpayers’ Union Official Information request can reveal that ACC's 'Have a Hmm' campaign has cost taxpayers an astounding $2.4 million from January to July 2023. The campaign's primary objective is to encourage individuals to exercise caution before engaging in potentially risky activities in order to prevent injuries.

Oliver Bryan, Investigations Coordinator at the Taxpayers' Union, said, "ACC’s 'Have a Hmm' initiative appears to be an extravagant undertaking with minimal results, essentially patronizing the taxpayer and billing us for the privilege."

“As part of the campaign, social media videos were created, featuring scenarios such as one person contemplating whether to jump off a waterfall and another pondering the idea of climbing household furniture. This patronizing style of messaging not only raises questions about the campaign's effectiveness but also calls into question its respect for the public's intelligence. The fact that this video series alone cost $549,590, including production expenses of $239,165, gives the impression that this campaign was designed to irritate rather than assist.”

"Despite the campaign's lavish budget, engagement levels have been surprisingly lacklustre. Only 10,640 individuals completed the 'Attitude to risk' quiz, amounting to an approximate cost of $225 per quiz completed."

“Every year, government agencies spend millions of dollars on expensive advertising campaigns with no accountability as to whether this money is delivering results. The new government must ensure that these campaigns actually reducing injuries and if they aren’t the funding for them should be cut.”