The THINK! team has unveiled details of its first major publicity campaign since the coalition government came to power more than 12 months ago.
The THINK! ‘Named Riders’ motorcycle campaign will run from 20 June – 17 July.
The campaign will be radio-led with two new commercials supporting the existing materials. While there will be no TV activity, the use of video on demand systems will enable the TV commercial to secure some reach and engage the driver audience online.
Other media channels to be used in the campaign include: radio sponsorship; online display (automotive and route planning sites); online search (targeting drivers and riders); petrol forecourt activity (in-store screens up-weighted in ‘hot spot areas’); and social media (engaging with the THINK! BIKE Facebook group).
Named Riders was first launched in March 2010, on the back of research which showed that drivers are more likely to notice motorcyclists on the roads if they personally know a biker. The campaign encourages all drivers to see the person behind the helmet in a bid to tackle the over-representation of motorcyclists in casualty figures.
A range of THINK! materials is available for road safety professionals to use to support the campaign, including ‘Named Riders’ posters and THINK! BIKE stickers.
Laura Durham, head of campaigns and partnerships at DfT, said: “The need for us to meet seasonal trends has required a quick turnaround on the delivery of this campaign. We therefore apologise that we have not been able to respond to past feedback and provide more advanced notice.
”While Named Riders is aimed predominately at drivers we are also planning partnership marketing activity aimed at motorcyclists. This will build on the activity from March 2011, which offered safety gear promotions via insurance providers and trainers. SHARP will also continue to feature as a safety message within our motorcycles activity.”
Click here for background information about Named Riders.
Click here to see the range of campaign resources.
For more information about Named Riders contact Lucy Jewitt on 0207 944 4640.
Whilst the radio ads did a good job supporting, the main thrust of the campaign was the excellent video (which given its quality must have cost DfT quiet a lot).
Given his professed interest as a motorcyclists himself and an ex fire-fighter It’s a pity that the minister seems content in not spending monies to prevent collisions rather than the costs incurred clearing up after!
Tony S, Bristol
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