More than 500 children were killed or injured on Britain's roads last winter. To combat this, the Department for Transport (DfT) is again targeting seven- to 10-year-olds with its annual Hedgehog Be Safe Be Seen campaign. But this year, to add budgetary might and get closer to the community, it has joined forces with Asda for its first partnership marketing drive.
The Government's Think! road safety campaign is known for it's powerful advertising. Approximately £14million is spent on it each year, and £1million of that is spent on the Hedgehog drive, which first ran in 1997. These campaigns have proved popular with the children they targets. According to DfT head of publicity Jo Rushton, kids recite the mantra "Stop Look Listen Live" in the playground, but there is still a difficulty translating the message into practice.
"Research has shown that children learn the road safety message early on, but they forget to apply it when they're out," explains Charlotte Mulley, account director at Iris, the agency behind the push. So Rushton emphasises the need to "incentivise behavioural change" with what Mulley calls "positive solutions, rather than finger-wagging".
Through partnership marketing, the DfT can access extra channels to offer more than advice, in an environment that is closer to the roads than TV or cinema. By tying in with Asda, it can target parents as well as children, which Rushton feels is crucial in generating impact: "We want parents and kids to work together on developing road safety skills. Asda has a good family image, which can help us achieve that," she states.
The month-long campaign kicks off on 6 October, to coincide with the nights drawing in. It features on a product that already existed in Asda's range - Hedgehog bread. Newly developed POP positioned by the bread will dispense tear-off collector cards. Consumers need to collect three hedgehog stickers, carried on large loaves priced 72p, to send off for a free baker hedgehog toy.
Bespoke in-store activity will support the push - event packs containing T-shirts and caps for Asda staff, and stationery packs and Green Cross Code stickers for prizes and giveaways, have been provided and the full-time events co-ordinator at each store will plan activities.
"Each store has a lot of autonomy. We don't want to dictate to co-ordinators about how they use the premiums, but give them the tools so they've got an incentive to put on a Hedgehog event," explains Mulley. "There's no value in forcing them to do something. If 100 (out of 265) stores really get involved, that'll be a success to me, because the staff will be getting behind it through choice," agrees Mark Lawton, bakery marketing assistant at Asda.
The co-ordinators will receive further backing in the form of DfT regional Road Safety Officers (RSOs), who have a free rein to promote the campaign in their areas. They have been briefed about Asda's activity, while Asda co-ordinators have been given the contact number for their "buddy" RSO.
All parties involved are expecting the two to join forces - marrying Asda's expertise at hosting in-store events, and the RSOs' experience at getting across the right road safety messages.
Asda will also be backing the push in its customer magazine and on its website, giving the DfT hefty exposure in the retail environment, for no cost other than its agency fee. It is Asda that is stumping up the cash for the production of premiums and POP - an expected amount of between £10,000 -£15,000.
For the supermarket, the partnership represents a good brand fit: Asda is always looking for ways to help its core shoppers - mothers - and road safety is something that is a relevant concern for them. But the key factor for this link is driving sales. The collector mechanic is only running on the larger loaves, to encourage consumers to trade up, and it's on a product that Lawton admits delivers large margins.
This campaign also follows on from a similar, successful promotion on Asda's Tiger bread. During the 12 months to August, the grocer linked the product with Chester Zoo, and for every loaf bought, 1p went towards sponsoring a tiger there. The initiative was again supported by in-store events and, year-on-year, Asda saw a sales uplift on the line of 65 per cent - an average of £30,000 extra a week.
So it's not surprising that Asda was looking for a replacement that could run along the same lines, or that it approached DfT because of the Hedgehog link.
Lawton is hoping the tie-in will see similar success, but his expectations are tempered: "The results won't be as far reaching, as there isn't going to be a year-long programme of events around it," he acknowledges. "But a shorter campaign can make for more powerful, seasonally relevant events," he adds.
Lawton is also replacing what was an exciting proposition, albeit with a "random cartoon character" on-pack, with a property that has credibility and recognition elsewhere.
No doubt Asda will gain coverage from the publicity launch of the general Hedgehog campaign during October half-term, in time for the clocks turning back on 30 October, and the TV advertising that runs from 17 October. There will be a link from the campaign's relaunched website, which hosts interactive games, to Asda's site and, finally, the DfT is planning to secure a celebrity endorsement that again could link with the Asda campaign.
It doesn't stop there for Be Safe Be Seen. Other partnership campaigns are set to run simultaneously, but none are expected to tread on Asda's toes. The Dairy Farmers of Britain are running the Hedgehog messaging on 12 million milk cartons going into 5,000 schools, and children are being encouraged to create "road safety raps" to win £50 for music equipment and £200 for their school. 3M is also joining in, producing 50,000 fluorescent and reflective jackets for children to wear during the winter months.
DfT's Rushton says each partnership has been given separate, specific objectives and for Asda she believes "success would be parents and kids chatting about the promotion, and ideally putting the message in place as they leave the store." According to Iris' Mulley, this comes down to one thing: "Getting people to buy a particular product is relatively easy; getting them to change an ingrown habit is more complicated."
Despite its multi-stranded nature, all sides emphasise that the campaign will work because it's a true partnership. "We've worked with the DfT all the way along to find the best customer call to action, and create something mutually beneficial. We haven't had to compromise at any point," stresses Lawton.
Just one issue remains. Because the seven to 10 age bracket is constantly refreshing, the DfT has to think long term in its strategy, while Lawton admits that Asda is only "dipping its toe in the water". However, if this campaign is successful as is hoped, the balance could change. If the Hedgehog bread promotion strikes a chord with mums, and the supermarket gains a return on its investment, Lawton says the supermarket will tie in with the DfT again next year.
By the end of this month, it will be evident just how successful this seemingly apposite partnership - and the perceived strength of its localised flexibility - has been.
IN MY VIEW: 6.5/10
It's terrifying to read that more than 500 children were killed or injured on Britain's road last winter. So first off it's worth saying well done to everyone involved in developing the Hedgehog "Be Safe be Seen" activity. Above the line, this is a very strong campaign with great standout, so making it work below the line should be relatively straightforward - particularly when there are so many partners who are keen to lend their support.
Clearly for Asda the rationale in getting behind this activity is predominantly commercial. With the success of its Tiger bread activity earlier this year, it's obvious this kind of promotion works not only as part of its corporate responsibility strategy, but also pulls-through sales in a big way.
Back to the DfT's aims, the key objective is maximising awareness and recall of the road safety message. This could be one area where having Asda as retail partner may prevent the campaign fulfilling its potential.
Families tend to drive to the supermarket, and if the link were with a more locally based retailer, families could practise their road safety skills walking home with the in-store messages still fresh in their memories.
Another missed trick is that the push gives away a baker hedgehog toy.
If it were road safety-related - a hedgehog lollipop person for example - it would surely have more resonance.
That said, Asda makes an obvious partner with its strong family focus and national distribution. The big test for the supermarket is that the success of the activity is going to depend mostly on its localised delivery. This in turn will depend on the calibre of staff Asda has on the ground. The company talks a lot about how giving its staff the tools to plan their own activities adds a sense of ownership and consequently better support of the message. This is admirable, but I'd like to see how this actually manifests itself.
Overall, this is a well-targeted link-up with clear objectives. Significantly, it also diverts private sector funds to promote a public sector campaign - with the added advantage of strong potential for incremental sales off the back of it. It works for both partners - here's hoping it will get families practising what they learn in-store.
Sarah Francis, director, Grasshopper.
.jpg)
.jpg)