Initiative details
Road deaths and serious injuries continued to increase in 2023 and it was projected to have the highest fatalities in six years. Preliminary Analysis of Road Traffic Fatalities from 1 January to 26 July showed that was a 10% increase in road fatalities compared to the same time the previous year. Increases were in driver, passenger and pedestrian deaths and the biggest increased was among those aged 16-25 years old. It also showed the counties that were experiencing the largest increases and that 49% of fatalities occurred between 8pm and 8am in 2023 and almost half of fatalities between Friday and Sunday.
Armed with this information we were challenged to develop a campaign that would help to curb the road fatalities trend in Ireland.
Armed with this information we were challenged to develop a campaign that would help to curb the road fatalities trend in Ireland.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Young adults 17-25
Topic
Create awareness
Organisation details
Road Safety Authority Ireland
Association
Ireland
Ballina, Co. Mayo
Contact name
Christine Hegarty
Telephone number
0879143104
chegarty@rsa.ie
Website link
Project activities
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
We developed a young male audio and AV campaign that consisted of existing and new creative that focused on providing a message to the younger audience about the consequences of dangerous driving behaviours such as drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, using a phone while driving and speed.
We tried something different with the media placement strategy to speak to the audience in the environments that they were. We developed late night audio strategy that targeted men 16–25-year-olds on youth orientated radio stations between 10pm and 6am, we placed the creative on streaming sites such as Spotify and podcasts to ensure cut through to the audience.
We also targeting this audience across social media platforms such as TikTok, snapchat, Instagram and Facebook with video messages that focused on the same dangerous driving behaviours. We upweighted the targeting of these messages in the counties that were experiencing an increase in road fatalities. We started to develop the campaign in October 2023 and it ran until end of February 2024.
We also developed a media partnership with a youth orientated media group ‘Media Central’ and we produced the SAY IT campaign that encouraged family members and friends to talk to their loved ones about their dangers driving behaviour but coming from a place of love rather than coming for an authority. The partnership also focused on dangerous driving behaviours and it included print, social media and radio.
We tried something different with the media placement strategy to speak to the audience in the environments that they were. We developed late night audio strategy that targeted men 16–25-year-olds on youth orientated radio stations between 10pm and 6am, we placed the creative on streaming sites such as Spotify and podcasts to ensure cut through to the audience.
We also targeting this audience across social media platforms such as TikTok, snapchat, Instagram and Facebook with video messages that focused on the same dangerous driving behaviours. We upweighted the targeting of these messages in the counties that were experiencing an increase in road fatalities. We started to develop the campaign in October 2023 and it ran until end of February 2024.
We also developed a media partnership with a youth orientated media group ‘Media Central’ and we produced the SAY IT campaign that encouraged family members and friends to talk to their loved ones about their dangers driving behaviour but coming from a place of love rather than coming for an authority. The partnership also focused on dangerous driving behaviours and it included print, social media and radio.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
The quick turnaround on booking media when booking deadlines had already passed and the quick turnaround in producing new copy was a challenge. We were really glad that we did as the new copy was really well received and it provided the message in a way that was easily understood and used language and a context that was of their generation.
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
We produced the copy with assistance from our creative and digital agency ‘In the Company of Huskies’ and tour media planning and buying agency ‘Spark Foundry’ negotiated the media placements for us.
We partnered with a media group ‘Urban Media’ to produce the SAY IT aspect of the campaign.
We partnered with a media group ‘Urban Media’ to produce the SAY IT aspect of the campaign.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
A post campaign analysis was conducted for each aspect of the campaign: the late-night audio, the geotargeting on social media and the SAY IT campaign . This looked at the number of impressions received on social media and video videos and reach through audio.
Tracking research with an independent research company Behaviours and Attitudes was conducted on each aspect of the campaign.
Tracking research with an independent research company Behaviours and Attitudes was conducted on each aspect of the campaign.
What has been the effect of the activities?
Post campaign analysis on the Late-night audio campaign showed it reached 118,640 adults on radio and 1,945,303 impressions on Spotify.
Post campaign analysis on the geo targeting AV campaign showed that it received 38,090,64 impressions on social media and 3,882,496 impressions on video on demand and 1,346,363 impressions on digital audio.
Post campaign analysis on the SAY IT campaign showed:
• 38% (933,000) adults had the opportunity to hear the RSA SAY IT messaging at least once
• 37% (909,000) adults had the opportunity to hear the RSA SAY IT messaging 3+ times
• 40+ No. of times Avg frequency or no. of times, our audience heard the message across the total campaign
• RSA display on FM station websites has generated a total of: 1,019,992 impressions, 1,584 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.16%.
• This HPTO activity has generated a total of: 558,470 impressions, 1,125 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.19%.
• This HPTO activity has generated a total of: 865,155 impressions, 1,071 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.12%.
• On digital audio, it received 1,200,197 impressions with a listen through rate of 97.9%
Tracking research on the late-night audio campaign of under 35-year-olds showed:
• 86% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drink any amount of alcohol before driving
• 88% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to ask my friends to wear a seatbelt
• 88% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to use my mobile phone when driving
• 78% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drive under the influence of drugs
• 84% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to slow down
Tracking research on the geo targeting campaign of under 35-year-olds showed:
• 86% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drink any amount of alcohol before driving
• 88% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to ask my friends to wear a seatbelt
• 85% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to use my mobile phone when driving
• 86% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to slow down
Tracking research on the SAT IT campaign showed:
• 23% of adults were aware of the campaign rising to 34% of those under 35 years.
• The message take out from the campaign is very clear in encouraging passengers to take action. 54% of adults also strongly agree they are confident they can ‘follow the road safety advice given in these advertisements’.
Post campaign analysis on the geo targeting AV campaign showed that it received 38,090,64 impressions on social media and 3,882,496 impressions on video on demand and 1,346,363 impressions on digital audio.
Post campaign analysis on the SAY IT campaign showed:
• 38% (933,000) adults had the opportunity to hear the RSA SAY IT messaging at least once
• 37% (909,000) adults had the opportunity to hear the RSA SAY IT messaging 3+ times
• 40+ No. of times Avg frequency or no. of times, our audience heard the message across the total campaign
• RSA display on FM station websites has generated a total of: 1,019,992 impressions, 1,584 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.16%.
• This HPTO activity has generated a total of: 558,470 impressions, 1,125 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.19%.
• This HPTO activity has generated a total of: 865,155 impressions, 1,071 clicks and an overall CTR of 0.12%.
• On digital audio, it received 1,200,197 impressions with a listen through rate of 97.9%
Tracking research on the late-night audio campaign of under 35-year-olds showed:
• 86% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drink any amount of alcohol before driving
• 88% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to ask my friends to wear a seatbelt
• 88% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to use my mobile phone when driving
• 78% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drive under the influence of drugs
• 84% motorists agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to slow down
Tracking research on the geo targeting campaign of under 35-year-olds showed:
• 86% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to drink any amount of alcohol before driving
• 88% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to ask my friends to wear a seatbelt
• 85% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now less likely to use my mobile phone when driving
• 86% motorists under 35 years agree - As a driver, I am now more likely to slow down
Tracking research on the SAT IT campaign showed:
• 23% of adults were aware of the campaign rising to 34% of those under 35 years.
• The message take out from the campaign is very clear in encouraging passengers to take action. 54% of adults also strongly agree they are confident they can ‘follow the road safety advice given in these advertisements’.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
This initiative was directly addressing an issue that had been highlighted-it was targeting an audience at a time they were being killed on the roads and targeting them through the mediums that was most used by his audience. Provisional analysis of road fatalities to date in 2024 show that there was a slight increase in road fatalities during 10m and 6am in Q2 of the year. we were sharing the message only with those who needed to hear it so it was efficient and effective use of public money.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
We have shared the results with the Board of the RSA. We have shared them also with the senior leadership team in the RSA to secure funding to evolve the campaign and possibly look at a local level campaign.