The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents |

Listen

Foolsspeed was a major Road Safety Scotland (formerly SRSC) campaign (1999-2005) to reduce inappropriate and excessive speed in an urban setting. Its main element was a series of television advertisements each designed to address a psychological determinant of speeding according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour ( TPB). A previous longitudinal study quantitatively examined response to the first three ads. This report summarises findings from a qualitative evaluation of the final ad, 'Doppelganger' (2004-2005). The evaluation also examined reactions to the campaign as a whole. Both studies were conducted by researchers at the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling and The Open University (formerly the Centre for Social Marketing).

Main Findings

• Respondents were able to recall all four Foolsspeed ads and to describe them in some detail. The most recent, Doppelganger, was particularly well recalled.
• The Doppelganger ad, which addressed Affective Beliefs about speeding, had both strengths and weaknesses. Although respondents recognised the intended focus on the benefits of safe driving, it was felt that these were not communicated as strongly as they might have been. Engagement was also hindered by aspects of its execution.
• Respondents generally found the scenarios depicted in the Foolsspeed ads convincing, and could engage, to varying degrees, with the behaviours and characters depicted. Urban commuters, the core target of the campaign, were particularly likely to relate to the ads.
• In particular the Mirror ad, which targeted Attitude towards speeding, triggered strong feelings of recognition and reassessment of one's own driving, especially among frequent speeders.
• Although the Foolsspeed ads were perceived as uneventful compared with other more graphic road safety advertising, respondents generally recognised that they were attempting not to shock drivers but to make them reflect on the choices they made in their everyday driving.
• The ads were perceived to share a common emphasis on broad themes of self-reflection and personal responsibility.
• The findings suggest there is merit, in future road safety campaigns, in focusing on everyday driving behaviours in recognisable Scottish locations. However, it is important that ads also contain an element of drama and emotional engagement.

Introduction

'Foolsspeed', a campaign by Road Safety Scotland designed to reduce the use of inappropriate and excessive speed in an urban setting, was targeted at the general driving population in Scotland, although a key sub-group was drivers with a known tendency to speed, (25-44 year old males in social classes ABC1). The TPB, a model which explains and predicts behaviour in terms of key psychological determinants, was used to shape three television ads, each designed to address a key determinant of intention to speed: Mirror, targeting Attitudes (1999); Friends and Family, addressing Subjective Norms (2000); and Simon Says, designed to address Perceived Behavioural Control (2001). A 4-year evaluation was conducted and has been published as a Social Research report (Stead et al, 2002).

In 2004 a final Foolsspeed ad was developed, focusing on the positive benefits of calmer driving. This related to the concept of 'positive affective beliefs', a construct which is sometimes added to the extended TPB. 'Doppelganger' depicted the journey to work of a man and his doppelganger. One character drives calmly and without incident; the second character takes unnecessary risks and ends up being reprimanded by the police at the side of the road. The ad was aired in late 2004 and late 2005.

Ten focus groups were conducted with drivers aged 17-54. Respondents were asked about their recollection and views on road safety advertising in general, their recall of and reactions to each of the Foolsspeed ads, focusing particularly on Doppelganger, and their perceptions of the campaign as a whole.

The Doppelganger ad

Most respondents demonstrated strong recall and understanding, and recognised that the advert employed a double image of the same driver to convey "good" and "bad" driving. Some respondents said they had initially interpreted Doppelganger as a commercial for the featured car and a few had found it intriguing. The use of stylistic interior shots, smooth gear changes and low engine noise to convey a sense of stress-free driving seemed to reinforce this interpretation.

Urban commuters were particularly able to relate to the driving scenarios depicted in the ad, although there was lower recognition among rural drivers. However, respondents found it harder to relate to the characters, generally regarding the 'bad' driver as too reckless, and the 'good' driver as unattractively smug.

Generally, the message of Doppelganger was initially perceived as highlighting the risks of driving recklessly in a built-up area . However, several respondents would have liked a portrayal of the more serious negative consequences of speeding, such as losing one's driving licence. Importantly, it was only when reviewing the advert in more detail that most respondents identified the more positive message relating to the benefits of safe driving. While some were prepared to engage with this message, others were unconvinced. Overall, the apparent lack of incident in the ad, although consistent with the desired focus on good rather than bad driving, appeared to create an ad which was too uneventful for many respondents.

The first three Foolsspeed ads

The earliest of the three ads, Mirror, which focused on Attitudes, generally evoked positive reactions. The ad had a high degree of credibility, in terms of both the depicted driving context and the characterisation. Consistent with the 4-year evaluation findings, it tended to be frequent speeders who were particularly able to recognise themselves in the ad. A key element in this identification was that the driver was seen as a convincing character who echoed many of the respondents' own beliefs about their driving. Respondents engaged particularly well with the ad's injunction to 'look at yourself when driving'.

Reactions to the Friends and Family (Subjective Norms) ad were more mixed. The ad generated slight mockery, which may suggest that its reliance on humour, characterisation and initial suspense had caused it to wear out more quickly than the other ads. However, some aspects of the ad were liked, such as its depiction of the perspective of a concerned parent.

The boy racer behaviour in the ad was felt to be credible by several respondents, although others found the character unconvincing, perceiving a father who drove recklessly with a baby son in the car as too extreme to be believable. The final scene, implying that no passenger wanted to be in the car with the driver, was felt by many to be lacking in seriousness and emotional impact. Overall, although the ad perhaps succeeded best of the ads in positioning speeding as a 'foolish' behaviour, this seems to have been at the expense of personal identification.

The Simon Says (Perceived Behavioural Control) ad had lower recall than the other two original TPB ads, which may reflect the fact that it was screened less frequently. Urban drivers could relate strongly to the ad's depiction of being intimidated by other drivers although, once again, rural drivers related less strongly to the focus on urban commuting. Despite recognising the situations shown in the ad, respondents did not always relate to the driver himself, perceiving him as somewhat nervous and over-cautious. This hindered empathy, particularly among frequent speeders. Overall, the ad appeared to have been effective in focusing attention on the concept of pressure when driving, and to have had a high believability. However, the extent to which the ad challenged drivers' perceptions of being in control over speed choice (the central TPB aim of the ad) was not clear.

The campaign as a whole

Respondents were asked to compare all four ads in terms of the extent to which each ad had made them reassess their own driving behaviour. Respondents generally tended to identify Mirror and to a lesser extent Simon Says as the ads which had made them think most about their driving. Very few picked Doppelganger, and those who did tended to be infrequent speeders who liked its endorsement of their unhurried way of driving.

Some of the Foolsspeed ads were seen to be more engaging in terms of content. Although all the ads were seen as low-key compared with other road safety ads, Mirror and Simon Says were seen as more dramatic because they ended in near misses which jolted respondents into thinking "what might have happened". The other two ads, in contrast, were seen as relatively uneventful and lacking the same emotional impact.

Identification with the Mirror and Simon Says ads was enhanced by their recognisable 'Scottishness' (the accents and street scenes). There was a perception that Doppelganger was executionally different from the other three ads in terms both of perceived glossier production values and a lack of obviously Scottish features.

A key feature perceived to be shared by the ads was their departure from the traditional road safety advertising approach of shock and graphic imagery. Some respondents maintained that this made the ads less effective. However, on reflection, others saw the realistic everyday approach as an intended strength of the campaign, arguing that it made it easier for drivers to relate to and engage with their messages. Unlike more hard-hitting ads, the Foolsspeed ads were seen as requiring the viewer to use their imagination and think through how one would act in the same situation.

Two broad themes were perceived to be shared across all the ads: self-reflection ("look at your own driving") and personal choice and responsibility. However, it was less clear how effective the ads had been in building on each other to enhance the campaign's central proposition, that speeding in town is foolish.

A number of recommendations emerge from the research. Firstly, there is merit in the realistic approach for evincing feelings of recognition and identification. There are also hints from this research that this may also encourage deeper self-reflection than more graphic advertising. Nonetheless, it was still apparent that those Foolsspeed ads which were more dramatic, albeit within the context of a campaign strongly grounded in realism, were more engaging. This suggests that future campaigns should combine a degree of drama with emotion with realism.

Finally, the Foolsspeed campaign lends support to the use of theory in road safety advertising campaigns. Substantial effort was made in all four ads to translate psychological constructs into advertising which would both work in communication terms and also address the main determinants of speeding intentions and behaviour. Not all ads were equally effective, and some of the TPB constructs were possibly harder to translate into convincing advertising than others. Nonetheless, the campaign demonstrates that it is possible to design convincing ads around these constructs.

About this study

Ten focus groups were conducted with respondents aged 17-54 quota-sampled by gender, age, and social class, and representing drivers living in urban and semi-rural locations. The sample was skewed to over-represent the campaign's core target group: men from socio-economic groups ABC1, aged 25-44, living in urban areas. Respondents were also sampled by reported frequency of speeding behaviour in order to compare any differences in response by speeding.

If you have any enquiries about social research, please contact us at:

Email: socialresearch@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The report, "Evaluation of Foolsspeed Campaign Final Phase", which is summarised in this research findings is a web only document and is available on the publications pages of the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Executive may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The site carries up-to-date information about social and policy research commissioned and published on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Subjects covered include transport, housing, social inclusion, rural affairs, children and young people, education, social work, community care, local government, civil justice, crime and criminal justice, regeneration, planning and women's issues. The site also allows access to information about the Scottish Household Survey.

« Previous | Contents |