ISBN 0 7559 1167 9 (Web only publication)
This document is also available in pdf format (36k)
Campaign overview
- The Home Reading campaign was designed to raise awareness among parents of the importance of reading with their children. It was particularly targeted at parents of children between two and eight years old.
- A secondary objective was to communicate that reading need not just be about books and that taking any opportunity to read was beneficial.
- The campaign was part of a much wider initiative, which was aimed at providing resources to groups and individuals to encourage adults to spend time reading with children.
- The campaign had two phases: Phase 1 (launched in Jan - Feb 2003) and Phase 2 (Oct 2003 - Jan 2004). Research conducted after Phase 1 established that, although the press adverts appealed to parents, understanding of the key messages was poor. For Phase 2, simpler executions were designed to signpost parents to a Home Reading website.
- This research (Wave 2) was conducted from 2 nd - 8 th February 2004, after the burst of campaign activity in the second phase of the Home Reading campaign (12 th - 25 th January 2004).
Highlights
The key finding from the research is that 85% of parents in the target group agreed that the campaign made them think more about the value of reading with their children. It also communicated "clear, valuable and appealing messages". Spontaneous recall of newspapers as the source of the advertising has almost doubled over time, rising from 8% in March 2003 to 15% in February 2004.
For a new campaign, without the benefit of television, this is a positive result as the first step in bringing about behaviour change is instilling the idea that change is necessary. While 75% of parents managed to spend more than ½ hour a week reading with their child, all respondents stated that 'lack of time' is the main reason for not reading more. Therefore, getting across the message that even a few minutes a day is valuable, provides encouragement to use any opportunity to read.
Looking at the specific messages recalled by respondents, it is difficult to make comparisons between the first phase of the campaign in Spring 2003 and this second phase. Media schedules were altered significantly and the burst of activity in January was very much lighter, competing with the usual heavy retail advertising post-Christmas. Despite this, recall of radio in particular was a positive 34%.
The radio recall will undoubtedly have been boosted by the coverage of the Home Reading Initiative in the Life Matters slots on Scottish Radio Holdings stations.