What are we selling? The knowledge to save your life. A Public Education Strategy for Rip Currents

Transcription

1 What are we selling? The knowledge to save your life. A Public Education Strategy for Rip Currents Matthew Thompson SLSA Coastal Safety Services Manager Anthony Bradstreet SLSA Public Safety and Education Coordinator Shauna Sherker SLSA Research Manager In Australia 118 people drowned as a result of being caught in a rip current between 2004 and

2 How have we traditionally prevented this? 2

3 Always swim between the red and yellow flags This has been communicated well. Very well. 96% of people know to swim between the flags and why. 3

4 42% don t. So what do we teach them? And how? What to teach? What is a rip? How do I spot a rip? How do I survive a rip? 4

5 Do people know what a rip current is? In 2009 one in five had no idea what a rip current was. Create a dialogue and raise awareness. The Target Demographic? The invincibles year old males. They believe in taking risks. They are happy to swim in unsafe locations. They aren t interested in or care about rip currents. 5

6 A marketing perspective. What is a rip? How do I spot a rip? How do I survive a rip? Harder Hardest Simpler Year 1. What is a rip? How do I spot a rip? How do I survive a rip? 6

7 Something to get people talking... 7

8 The right place at the right time. In Home Out of Home At the beach Touch Point Message Complexity Touch Point Message Complexity Touch Point Message Complexity Organising the day Mobile Social media Papers Checking weather/surf TV Radio Mobile Web Papers Public transport Outdoor (Shelter) Mobile Social Media Radio Car Papers Outdoor (Shelter) Radio Petrol / C-Store Bumper sticker Cafes / Rest/ Pubs Posters Papers Radio SLS Assets Posters Stickers Flyers Getting ready Food Radio TV Papers Simpler Harder Hardest Cycle/Walk Outdoor (Shelter) Radio Mobile Social Media Petrol/C-Store Bumper sticker Beaching & surrounds Ambient Mobile Papers Radio 8

9 Ripcurrents.com.au Did it work? 95% of people could recall rip current safety advice. 86% could positively describe a rip current. 54% unprompted recall of the campaign. It got people talking! 9

10 Drownings 2/06/2011 Year 2. What is a rip? How do I spot a rip? How do I survive a rip? Drowning by Region Sydney North Sydney West Sydney South Sydney East Wollongong Illawarra Central Coast and Newcastle South Coast Mid North Far North Coast 10

11 How do I spot a rip current? They can look like this... Or this... 11

12 Or this... Or this... 12

13 Rip currents are dynamic. Constantly changing. Never the same. Difficult to communicate, quickly, and simply. So what strategies did we use? 13

14 On Beach Education Drowning by Region Analysis of drowning victims residence displayed trends which can be addressed. Such as education in our cities. 8% Metropolitan 27% Regional 65% Unknown 14

15 Residence and Drowning Location 9% Same Status 21% Different Status 70% Unknown 15

16 Drowning Victims 2/06/2011 Socio Economic Factors Unknown = Seifa Decile Expanding our Educational Reach 16

17 Online and Apps Wouldn't it be great if every beach was purple? Sunday 6th February is the anniversary of Black Sunday. A day when 5 people drowned and hundreds were rescued from a flash rip on Bondi Beach. Many questions that we had about rips in 1938 are still unanswered. So Surf Life Saving Australia and the University of New South Wales have partnered to study rips and save lives. Sunday 6th February is Rip Current Awareness Day and at 3:30pm we will be turning rips on every Sydney beach purple, to teach people about rip currents. For more visit beachsafe.org.au 17

18 Targeted Advertising Target market year old males Risk Takers Where do you targeted them? The pub. Tried and tested method regularly used by government health and injury prevention campaigns The perfect place for a captive, target audience, A few times a night. 18

19 How did it go? Frequency swim between the red and yellow flags down from 73% -> 66%. Correct passive response up from 74% -> 79% Correct active response down from 70% -> 62% Moving forward. 19

20 Addressing a lack of Research knowledge Community education program which already exist are educating schools and general community already. Giving these activities an indication of at risk areas or Educational Blackspots is necessary. The search for the silver bullet? Is there one key message? How much can we simplify? There are many experts in different fields. But there are still many unanswered questions. There are some mixed messages. 20

21 The greatest good for the greatest number. 21