Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety Case Study
Challenge:
The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is the largest locally based road safety project of its kind in the UK. Its objectives are to meet the road casualty reduction targets set by Government by changing the public’s attitude and behaviour towards road safety, predominantly focusing on speeding and speed cameras, followed by drink driving and wearing of seat belts. By 2005 the Partnership is aiming to reduce deaths and injuries by 1,380
The brief set to K+R was to use a variety of marketing tools including PR and advertising to:
- Create a positive public mindset towards the introduction of speed cameras, understanding of, and support for them in Lancashire
- To make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving
- To raise awareness of the dangers of drink driving and the need for seat belts as secondary messages
- To encourage all drivers to be more careful and socially responsible on Lancashire’s roads
- To help reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Lancashire’s roads
Strategy:
The efficacy of cameras was demonstrated through an evidence-based campaign to build up a picture of their positive benefits and highlight the real need for them. The campaign was implemented through a mix of advertising, media relations, educational events and literature. K+R took the approach that no apologies were to be made for the use of speed cameras or the way the money from fines was used, because cameras work and there is evidence to prove it. From the outset we took an approach of complete openness on camera locations around the county. Close relationships with the police and other partners were developed, which were key to helping us to identify stories and source information. Research and focus groups were held to establish drivers’ attitudes and beliefs and what would elicit a reaction. The results showed that wherever possible drivers will find an excuse to show why a crash or the possible consequences would not be relevant to them. These findings were used to shape the theme of the campaign by focusing on logical, factual messages that can’t be disputed or denied, and backed up by emotional imagery and case studies. Research also revealed that cameras were a contentious issue and to use the medium of advertising would be counter-productive at such an early stage in the campaign. The approach taken by K+R was to use advertising to warm up the public with general messages around speed and to use media relations to tackle the issue of cameras to create a debate to give the Partnership the opportunity to present the other side of the argument
Tactics:
The theme of ‘excuses and consequences’ was used for the advertising campaign, on the basis that drivers are more likely to identify with phrases they have used themselves (as identified by research). These familiar throwaway excuses were presented alongside hard-hitting images to emphasise the consequences
These images were used in a variety of highly visible mediums, and were changed on a monthly basis in order to avoid message fatigue. In order to create maximum impact within the allocated budgets, the campaign was focused around local media on the basis that national media was too cost prohibitive and would be used by the national DfT’s Think! campaign
As a result advertising was booked on:
Outdoor posters: 48-sheet, 6-sheet and Ad Vans at sites where drivers would be travelling at lower speeds or would be static, to ensure safe reading and avoid distraction from the road
Radio: to reach drivers in their cars, homes, workplaces and football grounds
Local newspapers
Cinema projections: an effective way of getting coverage in an otherwise expensive medium, which would otherwise be outside our budgets
Ambient: bar washroom poster panels and beer mats
Advertising activity was supported by an aggressive media relations campaign. K+R sought to break through the public’s natural apathy by stimulating a debate through the letters pages of local and regional newspapers. Keeping the issue current through this channel provided us with a regular in-road into the news and features pages. A number of one-to-one interviews across local print media and radio stations were set up to further communicate the Partnership’s side of the argument
A direct mail campaign was also undertaken to enlist the support of local employers through displaying posters and providing a further medium to communicate our messages. We partnered with a number of large local companies to run a series of ‘education’ days to reach people likely to be driving to and from work and promotions at shopping centres were also set up. A leaflet was produced answering common questions on cameras and an initiative with local schools was created to protect children from speeding drivers and target their parents who are likely to speed on the school run.
Results:
In the longer term, the success of the campaign will be measured against whether the road casualty targets have been met and whether road deaths and injuries have decreased. In the shorter term, success was measured on the basis of public research undertaken to ascertain whether driver attitudes and behaviour was changing and by measuring the amount of positive and negative media coverage secured. At the end of the second year of activity:
- Total media coverage achieved reached a circulation of 83,408,408 In the first year positive coverage increased by 95% and included a number of front page stories
- Negative coverage was limited to 21% of all coverage of which over half was from letters pages - very low given the controversial nature of the campaign and heated public views.
- The number of positive responses towards speeding and cameras increased by an average of circa 5% in public opinion research carried out
- Value added through collaborating with local organisations: a third of the top 200 largest employers display A3 posters support in kind secured from two more large employers through distribution of material worth £1,800
- A free, previously unshown television ad was secured worth over £104,000
- Free airtime secured from five local cinemas worth over £3,000
