CHAPTER 6
Key Takeaways for Delivering Effective Behavioral Traffic Safety Messaging

After reviewing the findings of the literature review and practitioner feedback, the team identified the following practices for enhancing messaging, branding, channel strategy, audience alignment, and data reporting.

Focus Messaging on Consequences

Campaign messaging should prioritize tangible and emotional consequences of target behaviors, supported by state-specific statistics and scientific evidence for credibility.

• Highlight cost and risk: Use visuals to illustrate costs associated with impaired driving or unsafe behaviors, such as medical bills, increased insurance rates, or crash-related fatalities.
• Leverage personal stories: Participants consistently suggested integrating testimonials or narratives from individuals affected by negative driving behaviors. For example, stories of families who have lost loved ones in crashes can personalize the message and deepen emotional impact.
• Balance financial and emotional appeals: For some behaviors, such as obtaining motorcycle endorsements, emphasizing cost-effectiveness (e.g., avoiding towing fees) may be more compelling than punitive costs.

Add Explicit Calls to Action

Clear, actionable next steps should be included across all campaign materials to drive audience engagement and behavioral change.

• Streamline follow-through: Incorporate QR codes, URLs, or direct links in ads and materials to make actions like signing up for safety courses or visiting campaign websites more accessible.
• Specific behavioral prompts: Encourage behaviors such as using rideshares, designating sober drivers, and pledging not to use cellphones while driving. Explicitly connect the action to the campaignʼs goal (e.g., “scan this code to find rideshare options and avoid driving under the influence”).
• Clarify the value of pledges: Campaigns can encourage commitments or pledges from the public to engage in behaviors that promote traffic safety, but they should clearly outline why participants should take pledges, what the pledges signify, and how they align with the safety goals.

Use Consistent and Appealing Branding

Brand recognition is critical for audience recall and long-term impact. Campaigns should prioritize cohesive visuals, slogans, and acronyms for clarity and familiarity.

• Strengthen acronym recognition: Acronyms like “BUPD” and “ENDWI+” should always be paired with their full slogans (“Buckle Up, Phone Down” and “End Driving While Impaired”) for better recognition.
• Optimize color schemes: Participants lauded recognizable color schemes like yellow and black. Consistency in using these colors across all materials is key.
• Refine visual elements: While cartoonish styles may appeal to certain audiences, using realistic imagery to portray the consequences of unsafe behaviors can enhance seriousness and urgency.

Align Audiences and Channels

Campaigns should adapt their messaging and channel selection to match audience preferences and media consumption habits.

• Target younger audiences: Focus on platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram to engage younger drivers. Interactive formats such as quizzes, challenges, and live Q&A sessions can boost engagement.
• Reach older audiences: Continue using Facebook and Instagram for older demographics while avoiding underperforming platforms like X/Twitter or Snapchat for these groups.
• Broaden multicultural outreach: Use TV, radio, and video catering to non-English-speaking audiences to connect with diverse groups. Localized content, such as OOH placements in specific neighborhoods or advertising in tribal newspapers, can further expand reach.
• Leverage intermediary partners: Community groups, employers, and local organizations can amplify messaging, particularly for hard-to-reach populations. Expanding partnerships will enhance campaign exposure.

Improve Data Reporting

Consistent, detailed data reporting is essential for assessing campaign performance and optimizing resources.

• Set annual goals: Establish specific media metric goals for each channel and audience, such as impressions, engagement rates, and conversion targets.
• Standardize metrics: Ensure consistent calculation and reporting of exposure variables (e.g., impressions, reach, cost per mille across campaigns and channels).
• Increase data granularity: Dissect or reduce data to evaluate by platform, tactic, and period of time. For example, report social media metrics separately for Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
• Use tracking tools: Incorporate UTM parameters and QR codes to link campaign exposure to user actions, such as website visits or pledge completions.
• Leverage real-time dashboards: Adopt tools to monitor campaign performance and audience response in real time. This will allow rapid adjustments to messaging or channel strategies.
• Gather attitudinal data: Conduct surveys or focus groups at regular intervals to assess how campaigns may be influencing public attitudes and behaviors.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Benefits

These recommendations aim to enhance campaign clarity, improve audience engagement, and maximize resource efficiency. By integrating standardized data reporting, targeted messaging, and audience-aligned channel strategies, campaigns can increase their reach and measurable impact over time. For example:

• Highlighting emotional consequences with personal stories and visuals can drive behavioral change.
• Using real-time analytics and granular data ensures campaigns remain efficient, adaptive, and relevant. This allows campaigns to allocate resources to effective strategies and consider message modifications when strategies are not effective.
• Expanding partnerships and multicultural outreach extends the reach of key safety messages to diverse communities.
• Incorporating an evaluation plan into each campaignʼs media plan from the beginning can help with assessing campaign performance and optimizing resources.

By aligning these approaches, campaigns can better connect with audiences, optimize resources, and ultimately reduce unsafe behaviors.