Ripple Effect –the continuing road toll in Northland

from Our Roads & Transport 2020

by Northern Advocate

Rail set to boost northland’s prosperity

RIPPLE EFFECT

With the Northland road toll continuing to climb and an increase seen in serious injuries resulting from car crashes, it is timely a new regional road safety education campaign is about to be launched.

During October the Northland public and visitors alike will be exposed to a hard hitting, emotionally evoked video production campaign called

‘The Ripple Effect’. This is an extension of the

One Tear Too Many campaign. The One Tear

Too Many brand has been in existence since it commenced in 2015 when a young graffiti artist created the image of a wahine crying.

The wahine depicted Papatuanuku–our Earth

Mother, with one tear representing one death on our roads as too many. Over the years the road safety brand has evolved and been amended to be utilised on roadside billboards, bus-backs, cinema advertising, radio, print media, social marketing and resources throughout the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara districts.

The existing THINK campaign that has been in production since May this year, included local male icons and celebrities encouraging their supporters and peer group to ‘Think’

about what they are doing when it comes to getting behind the wheel of a car. The men involved were chosen as those who other men may relate to, recognise, or respect.

The new‘Ripple Effect’campaign to be launched in October continues with the idea of getting people to think about their behaviour on the road, however holds a different style of message delivery. The campaign tells the story of an 1 1-year-old boy who is killed by a speeding driver and shows a number of people affected by his death.

Jodi Betts, from Far North REAP Road Safety, who has been involved with the One Tear Too Many campaign since its inception, points out the reason this next component of the campaign is more hard hitting is a result of focus group work that showed people consider changing behaviour if children are involved or a human story is attached to the message. “This story may conjure up a lot of deep emotion for viewers and a strategic marketing plan is devised to ensure appropriate advertising placement” she says. Jodi also states we (road users) really need to consider all of the people affected when a road tragedy takes place. This may just be enough foradriver to consider not taking an unnecessary risk.

The new ‘Ripple Effect’ video production is a collaborative project between Far North REAP and Waka Kotahi (the NZ Transport Agency), to establish and develop a region wide road safety campaign that reaches Northland’s demographic. The campaign will be seen and heard throughout Northland beginning mid-October and run until mid-April 2021. The video production will be seen on social media and a range ofTV and Web digital platforms, with still images and messages in the Northland Age and Northern Advocate, and as radio advertising heard over many of Northland’s prominent radio stations.