In the past few years, we have visited many events targeting young people with safe messaging and campaigns. ‘Road safety is not attractive or appealing’, has been an expression bandied around working groups who map the challenges facing their road safety efforts. It is this ‘stereotype’ given to traditional road safety activities that organizations, especially YOURS is working to change. How can something that can potentially safe your life so you can continue to enjoy it be ‘uncool’?
We know that young people take risks, that risky behavior is often the thrill of activity but sometimes, risky behavior can be life threatening, especially when it comes to young people on the road. The reasons for risky behavior amongst young people has been a subject of psychology study for many years, some of the reasons have been explored by TAC Australia;
Passengers are central to risky driving, especially for young men:
- Young male passengers rarely discourage their male peers from engaging in risky driving behaviours and often actively encourage it.
- As a driver, many young males say they drive in a risky way to show off to young male passengers, even if the passengers haven’t asked them to.
- Young male drivers are less likely to engage in risky actions with female passengers because they want to protect them, don’t feel as much need to impress them, female passengers are more willing to speak out and because they listen to their girlfriends.
With this in mind, a range of road safety campaigns have been developed to work on these pointers and engage young people in a road safety message that inspires action rather than being instructive.
From YOURS’ perspective, last year, the Embrace Life Campaign encouraged young people to show us how they ’embrace life’ and therefore commit to road safety. This action of reflecting on what is important in our lives and to acknowledge our precious lives was a powerful way of engaging young people in a personalized effort for road safety. You can read more about this here. Last year, YOURS also released the Surreal Poster Series, a fresh and dynamic approach to road safety with ‘surreal’ imagery of a thought provoking nature.
The conception that road safety has been traditionally ‘dry’, something that is ‘boring and for small children’ is a view which is becoming just that, something ‘that used to be’.
We have seen, through the meeting of young people engaged in road safety around the world and the registration of engaging project to our MINE Section that road safety is no longer boring. ‘Road safety can be sexy’, is a phrase that has emerged in the last two European Youth Forums for Road Safety and this is trend is certainly something that youth and road safety campaigners are actively undertaking.
Take for example; Team Alert who, through their creative campaigns and videos have become on of the biggest road safety organizations reaching thousands of young people in the Netherlands. Their website is youth oriented and geared towards young people in a lively and engaging manner. Or take Vaah! Theory Room who work directly with young people in driving schools to promote road safety and market themselves in a stylish manner on Facebook to attract young drivers in Botswana.
Many of us will have seen advertisements on television promoting road safety and although some of these can be rather unsavory in approach, many have are creative and transmit a powerful message to their audience. With the use of the internet, shooting and sharing a video has created the concept of viral marketing with road safety videos ‘going viral’. A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email. Glassboy by Roni Kleiner is an incredibly example of visionary creation with high-level production and imagination to transmit a powerful road safety message about speeding. More examples of powerful road safety videos can be found in the right column!
We live in an age of sharing information at a click of a button but often messages can go unseen in the commercial noise of the internet. Therefore, creative campaigns should be well thought-out and well planned with a clear strategy plan.
Top 10 tips for creative campaigning have been listed below:
- KNOW YOUR STUFF – Make sure you research your road safety topic area thoroughly. Every argument must be supported by robust evidence if it is to be convincing.
- BUILD A TEAM – A great campaigner is someone who can take people with them on their journey. Build a team of people who have the right mix of skills you will need to achieve your goal.
- MAKE A PLAN – A campaigner should always know, and be able to articulate, precisely what they want their outcomes to be.
- SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER– You will need a campaign target. Who directly has the power to make the change you are campaigning for?
- MAP YOUR ISSUE – It is helpful to map the forces that will influence your campaign target e.g. who and what will be supportive or resistant to your objectives?
- BUILD ALLIANCES – Check out whether other organisations are pursuing similar objectives. Making alliances can be an effective way to strengthen your message and broaden your reach.
- USE THE RIGHT TACTICS FOR YOU – Think carefully whether your proposed tactics will help you achieve your objectives. Tactics that worked for one campaign might not be right for you – there is no one recipe for success.
- TIMING IS EVERYTHING – Timing your tactics to coincide with activities taking place by either supportive or opposing forces can increase your impact or exposure. Always be aware of the environment in which you are operating.
- SWOT – Analyse your Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats to help strengthen your objectives and mitigate potential problems.
- EVALUATION – Setting clear targets at the beginning of your campaign will allow you to monitor your progress and assess whether you are making not just an impact but the right impact.
YOURS is set to publish Youth and Road Safety Action Kit which will become the definitive tool for budding road safety campaigners! Stay tuned for it and stay creative!