Thanks Driver
Powered by KINETIC
These Guys I Know partnered with Kinetic to create and launch Thanks Driver, a campaign designed to humanise drivers and build empathy by sharing the real people and stories behind the wheel. The initiative kicked off in Tauranga (where on-board incidents had been rising) as the launch region—bringing in a community-cares approach and treating each driver’s story as an invitation to passengers to show their respect and kindness.​​
We developed the full creative concept, social strategy & content production
Our work included:
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Building a bespoke campaign website (thanksdriver.co.nz) as a story hub where passengers could contribute their “thanks” and share personal moments.
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Producing a suite of social assets for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok that brought drivers’ lives off the bus into view.
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Creating a series of mini-documentaries for the Thanks Driver YouTube channel exploring each driver’s story—from passions and family to culture and community connection.
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Rolling out PR and media relations including a significant feature on Seven Sharp profiling Tauranga depot manager George Rhind and the campaign’s safety angle.​​
More than 100,000 people visited the campaign website
Submitting thousands of messages of support. Our mini-documentaries reached 174,000+ YouTube views in just 50 days, with a over 2000 hours of watch time, driving nationwide awareness.
On social, the campaign generated 1/2 a million Instagram views and 90,000 TikTok views with over 4,000 likes, proving that authentic stories resonate across platforms.
Combined with national media coverage
Including Seven Sharp, the campaign spread far beyond its Tauranga launch, creating a movement of gratitude and respect.By combining strategic storytelling, community-driven content and smart go-to-market execution, These Guys I Know helped Kinetic transform a safety challenge into a positive cultural shift, reducing harm by building understanding, connection and respect for the people who drive us.
(Thanks for having us, Kinetic.)​