Think – Switch Off Before You Drive Off (Campaign)

Think – Switch Off Before You Drive Off (Campaign)

Daniel Reeve - 0701126

The Think! Switch off Campaign is to inform drivers about the risks and dangers of using mobile phones while driving. The campaign is aimed at everyone who is behind the wheel and not a particular age group, they use 3 main Medias to reinforce their message these being: TV and cinema adverts, Radio Adverts and Posters and Adverts.

Below are some links to show the different Medias, taken from the Think Website (www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk)

Posters
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/mobilephones/pdf/1178.pdf
I think the above poster shows a clear message about the danger of speaking to someone on the phone while driving, telling both the person driving and on the other end that if you know someone is driving end the call before it potentially ends there life. (This has also been made into a video)

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/mobilephones/pdf/886p.pdf
The above poster shows a road sign with hard to read text, I think this is a brilliant idea because it undermines what road signs are used for instead of telling the driver information needed to know about that particular road it simulates how hard it would be to concentrate on the road and read the sign much like when speaking on the phone.

Video’s
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/mobilephones/download/switch-off.mpg
This is a simple flash animation that shows a person using there mobile phone and showing the sequences that could occur to a driver while on a mobile, it works well because you normally wouldn’t expect to see messages like that appear on a phone and it is made well so you believe that it’s a person’s real phone they are looking through.

The Change in the Laws

Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving was made illegal in December 2003. Section 26 of the Road Safety Act 2006 increased the fixed penalty for drivers using a hand held phone or similar device from 27 February 2007. The penalty rose from £30 to £60 and three penalty points. (http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/0/E4625237FCF30AC8802573E200267B34?OpenDocument)

They have raised the fines that people can receive from using a mobile phone will driving to further there message that it must be stopped, this has now become an offence that is not tollerated by anyone due to the amount of accidents it can cause.

Does the message seem to be working?
In my opinion it has conflicting results, the way the messages are displayed both on screen and paper are quite rash and drastic.

This is the best way they could possible to this because it grabs the viewer’s attention and instead of lying about the consequences shows and lists them to show what’s capable of happening.

In the Videos I also noticed they use quite calm but yet powerful voice to betray the sequences that are happening and the think logo.

This does not mean however that the law is being followed, I’m not sure about the rest of you but I still see people driving with mobile phones glued to their ears and there is no excuse with the invention called Bluetooth, which ok still distracts the user but just the same as if there was a passenger in the car.

Think! - Motorcycle Campaign

By Michael Sibley 0701586

(The following information has been researched using the following the websites:
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/motorcycles.htm
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/motorcyclesmedia.htm
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/strategytargetsperformance/tomorrowsroadssaferforeveryone?page=9#a1045)

The campaign that I have chosen to write about is the “Think! – Motorcycle Safety” awareness campaign. It was setup by the Department of Transport from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. The purpose of this campaign is an attempt to reduce the number of fatalities or serious injuries on public roads (by at least 40%) by 2010. This figure does include cars, as well as other road legal vehicles. But, the majority of the target has been placed on motorcycles. Motorcyclists are said to be "vulnerable" road users and this campaign is an attempt to bring this to light for all road users. (This figure was taken from the campaigns main website - http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/motorcycles.htm)

The organisers of this campaign have stated that the campaign is an "advice" campaign. I believe they have stated this as they know they are not able to force it upon any road user. This could also be because the adverts will not suit everyone that views or listens to it.

The campaign has been set out using 3 types of media. They are; printed media, audio as well as visual.

Posters

(This poster was taken from the “Think!” Website (http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/motorcyclesmedia.htm#video)

The purpose of this poster is to bring the awareness to drivers and riders of how quickly something can occur. It is based on an event happening when you are least expecting it to.

The picture shows a dented car door, which on its own would mean nothing. But, by reading the small amount of words added to the poster – it makes people think more about what is happening around them.

I believe that this poster works very well as it pushes a clear message across to the people viewing it.

Drivers and motorcyclists are being told to be more careful and take more time about every action they take, and I believe that this message is conveyed in a successful way within the poster.

The purpose of this poster is to bring awareness to motorcyclists following other vehicles. The message is that if you cannot see the drivers wing mirrors then they are not going to be able to see you. Unlike the previous poster that had a message to take more time over your actions, this one is aimed at the road positioning. of the road user. I believe that the picture works very well, this is because it is using a camoflage effect to represent the bikes. In affect it is saying if you don't make yourself noticetable - then no one will know you are there.

Audio

Another way that the "Think! - Motorcycle Campaign" has been advertised is by using radio adverts.

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/media/dont.mp3

This radio advert backs up the message that is being conveyed in the first poster above. It is telling road users to take more time to make decisions while out on the road.

The setting for advert starts off calm as if it is a normal day then brings in the main message towards the end when it shocks the listener into hearing the crash take place. This gets the listener into using their imagination of what has just happend.

I believe that this advert works very well at wanting the listener to take more time, it brings realism to whoever listens to it, and makes everyone aware that it could happen to them if their concentration wanders.

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/download/brotherjohn.mp3

This radio advert is based on a story being told from a family member whose brother rides a motorcycle. giving this point of view shows that if a road user does hit a motorcyclist, it is not just the rider that you are effecting.
This radio advert doesn't necesarily have to be aimed just at car drivers, the advert warns the motorcyclist to do anything possible to be seen. The script in the advert states that the motorcyclist (John) wears a "yellow jacket".
This may mean nothing at first, but the brighter you are and the more you stand out from your surroundings the better chance you have of being seen.

Video

The "Think!" - Motorcycle has also used more visually aware advertisements that take it a step further than just a poster. They have produced television advertisements so that the campgain can be shown to a much larger audience.

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/media/howclose.mpg

The television advert in this above link was used alongside the first poster documented in this blog. The television advert can be one of the most succesful parts of the campaign due to the fact it has the chance of being broadcasted to such a large audience compared to the radio and poster advertisments on the campaign.

It is portraying the exact same message as the original poster, but as it gives in more detail what can happen by constructing what happens. It makes people think more about their driving and are more likely to follow the message.

Throughout the think campaign there has been a message that has been put across mainly towards the motorcycling community. The following advert works very well to make the motorcyclist more aware of dangers that can occur on the road and is probably the most effective advert. This is because there are many motorcyclists that have been in same situations but not come out as well where they haven't taken in the surroundings and upcoming hazards on the roads.

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/motorcycles/download/perfectday.mpg

In this advert a motorcyclist goes out for a ride through the country. Nothing would be more perfect than to see warnings of possible problems ahead and getting back home in one piece.

In reality once watching this advert you know that warnings like in the advert are never going to appear.

The main message from this advert that can be taken is to calm down on the road and be more aware of the surroundings. This makes the motorcyclists watching hopefully think about their riding, and not go out on the roads as if they are racing everyone.

Conclusion

It is noticetable from all the types of advertisement used in this campaign that no statistics are shown in any of the adverts. This could be due to the fact that not everyone would take notice of this part of an advert. This shows that all the adverts produced have been to the point and are out to just put the message across to its audience.

Another noticeable part of the audio and video advertisements for the campaign is the style of voice that has been used. the voice overs are of a man. He doesn't seem to sound his emotion at any point throughout the advertisement, but this doesn't mean that it is a boring voice over. This is because it sounds quite forceful and the way the message is said makes the listener (radio) or viewer (television advert) want to take notice.

How to avoid plagiarism

Thank you to both of you who posted already. There is however a plagiarism problem with both the posting. The rules that apply to printed essays also apply to things you post on the web, except it's easier for someone to copy and paste a paragraph into google and find the source.

How to avoid plagiarism:

1. Make sure to quote your sources: If you are copying text from someone else, make sure you make it clear that it is a quote, and that you reference your quote with at least a link to the source, but even better a bit of the dreaded Harvard referencing. There is nothing wrong with quotes when you acknowledge where they come from, they are only wrong when you imply that they are your own words.

2. Make sure to quote your sources of images: again, see above.

3. Have at least some of your posting be something that you wrote yourself, with some sort of personal opinion about the subject. As a guide you could answer some of the questions below:

• Why do you (not wikipedia) think this is a good/bad/effective/genius/etc. campaign?
• What makes it, in your opinion, a good/bad/effective, etc. campaign?
• What elements of it do you think you could use in your own work, or what elements do you think are common to other campaigns?
• What do you think is original to this particular campaign?
• What particular methods were used?

REMEMBER: You can always log in and modify your posting (by clicking on the little yellow pencil right under your posting), so to the people who have posted already, don't worry, you just have to add your quotes and a few paragraphs with your opinion.

Silvia

Andre the Giant has a Posse!!!

FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HAD THE HONOUR OF EXPERIENCING THE "OBEY" CAMPAIGN THEN I SUGGEST YOU EDUCATE YOURSELVES WITH THE VIDEOS BELOW.

• Icon Video Part 1 (click me)
• (taken from http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1747156659)
  

• Icon Video Part 2 (click me)
• (taken from http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1872099851)
  

• Icon Video Part 3 (click me)
• (taken from http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1939717411)
  

Andre the Giant Has a Posse is a street art campaign based on a design by Frank Shepard Fairey created in 1986 in Charleston, South Carolina. Distributed by the skater community, the Andre stickers began showing up in nearly every big city across the U.S.A. Later, when Fairey was a student at the Rhode Island school of design (RISD), he released his manifesto. At the time Fairey declared the campaign to be "an experiment in phenomenology."

Over time the artwork has been reused in a number of ways and has become a world-wide movement, following in the footsteps of Ivan Stang's Church of the Sub Genius and populist World War II Icon "Kilroy Was Here". At the same time, Fairey's work has evolved stylistically and semantically into the OBEY Giant campaign. (taken from wikipedia)

His work has appeared in a number of places:

• (believe it or not) People have been tattooing themselves with the Obey Giant Icons (CLICK HERE IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME) (taken from http://www.obeygiant.com/main_new.php?page=tattoos)
  
• Shepard was recently comissioned to do a piece of art for the LA Philharmonic Hall (taken from http://obeygiant.com/post/la-philharmonic-hall
  
  

• He had also designed artwork for The Obama Campaign in America (taken from http://obeygiant.com/merch/Obama.jpg)
  

• “My hope was that, in questioning what 'Obey Giant' was about, the viewers would then begin to question all the images they were confronted with,” Fairey says in an interview in the book “Supply and Demand: The Art of Shephard Fairey.”
  
• In an episode of Family Guy, Peter comments on the time he painted the Sistine Chapel. The scene then cuts away to Peter arguing with the Pope about his design, which is a stylized picture of Andre the Giant done in the OBEY style.
• Fender Guitars issued OBEY edition Squier Stratocaster and telecaster guitars
  
• The Fuji Bike company also issued a Special OBEY edition fixed gear .

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU9oszdbCI3nv-Tib_oLK05HWyhiGWBbcqxQScNp6pp-Qh2Y11MDzSP-sr6yp6S9qwO5j1JCylEw3Pn-4AwwxJ-rDifOn-bhB6vPq5qt92nJ-ec5OhjBeTZfkTHuQ0AEgPWdAeJ469bQ/s1600-h/418px-Make_Art_Not_War.jpg


Savva Pelou 0707646

Anti Drink Driving Campaign

Craig Barker 0607747

The anti drink driving campaign aims to convince all drivers, with a particular focus on young male drivers aged 17-29 years, that a drink drive conviction has the potential to ruin their life by highlighting a mixture of the legal and personal consequences:

being caught & breathalysed by the police;
12 month driving ban;
criminal record;
hefty fine;
lifestyle changes (i.e. potential loss of job, relationships or car).

The aim of the campaign is to confront our target audience with the bleak reality of getting caught drink driving in order to get them to resist the temptation of having a second pint then driving.
The key message is 'That pint could come between you and your loved ones', which will also be used as a strapline in the advertising materials.

The current THINK! Drink Drive campaign was developed after four phases of extensive independent qualitative and quantitative research with the target audience spanning 11 months.

The findings of this research showed that the personal consequences of a drink drive conviction are motivating to young men, are new news, and can be related to drink driving (1-3 pints).

Although the personal consequences of a drink drive conviction may seem lower key and lack impact compared to a crash, young men believe they are more realistic, relatable, speak directly to them as low level drink drivers, and are more intrusive and thought provoking.

Campaign Objectives

To increase awareness of the personal consequences of a drink driving conviction.
To encourage the belief that 1 or 2 drinks are too many before driving.
To reinforce and build the social stigma around drink driving.

Key Messages

THINK! Don't Drink and Drive.
A drink drive conviction has the potential to ruin your life.

Target Audience

All drivers, with particular focus on young men aged 17-29 years.
1-3 pint drink drivers, not drunk drivers.
Young men are consistently over-represented in drink drive casualty figures and research shows they are more likely to admit to driving when over the legal limit or when unsure if they're over the legal limit.

Drink Drive Posters and Leaflet

The current leaflet and posters are relevant for the current campaign and are currently available to be viewed and ordered directly from the THINK catalogue.

All above information taken from:
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/drinkdrive/drinkdrive.htm

In conclusion to this, I believe the TV adverts are especially effective at reducing road incidents.
The advertisments are vivid and sometimes shocking, often using real images from various road tragedies.