ISBN 0 7559 1166 0 (Web only publication)
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Campaign overview
- Research has shown that inappropriate and excessive speed plays a major factor in one third of vehicle accidents 1. Reducing incidence of speeding requires a combination of education and enforcement.
- Launched in November 1998, the Foolsspeed advertising campaign is designed to reduce urban speeding in Scotland. It is designed around the psychological model, 'The Theory of Planned Behaviour'. This model suggests that because the majority of the audience will never have, or witness, a serious accident they are likely to disassociate themselves from advertising that features graphics incidents.
- The 'Doppelganger' Foolsspeed television advert was broadcast from 8 November 2004 - 16 January 2005. Omnibus research was conducted in January 2005 to track awareness of this advert among the general public.
Highlights
- Similar to the previous wave (2004), 58% of respondents said they had seen advertising about speeding recently.
- Regular drivers were slightly more likely to recall having seen advertising about speeding (62%).
- Only 5% of respondents identified that the name for the campaign was Foolsspeed.
Implications
- The main objectives of the Foolsspeed commercials were to effect attitudinal and behavioural changes in speeding. The Foolsspeed brand itself was an advertising endline which helped group the commercials together.
- The Foolsspeed commercial was aired at a low level, running for a 9 week period from 8 November - 16 January on channels Four and Five (and not on ITV).
- The TV advertising period over Christmas and New Year is often one where a number of retailers are heavily investing media spends. It may, therefore, be expected that a proportion of respondents, weeks after the end of a low-level campaign in this festive period would not clearly recall advertising.
EXECUTIONS
There have to date been four TV executions developed. Each one is designed to address an individual component of the Theory of Planned Behaviour:
1) Mirror launched in Spring 1999 challenges beliefs that are commonly held by drivers "I'm a better driver than others on the road, I can handle speed".
2) Friends & Family launched in Spring 2000 focuses on the idea of normative beliefs and the influence significant others exert on driving behaviour.
3) Simon Says launched in Summer 2001 showed how drivers allow themselves to be "pushed" along and pressurised by other drivers on the road. The advert challenges drivers to take control and not allow others to control their speed.
4) Doppelganger launched in November 2004 and was the final strand of the 'Theory of Planned Behaviour'. Unlike the previous three executions this focuses on the benefits of calmer driving and the positive outcomes that can be achieved.
1 In 2002, 116,047 speeding offences in Scotland accounted for 34% of motor vehicle offences recorded by the police (www.srsc.org.uk).