After the tragic death of Christopher Skinner in 2010, a Coroner’s inquest was formed with members of the City of Hamilton, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, and Hamilton Police Services.
We were proud to be selected to develop a campaign to inform high-schooler’s about the effects of binge drinking for both themselves and friends.
We developed a strategically targeted campaign that focused on videos delivered via YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine.
How is it different than a traditional drunk driving campaign?
The messaging had to be targeted to a group that is not typically addressed. The primary message, drink responsibly, cannot be targeted to an underage group. So, how do we reach them, and what is the essence of the campaign? We felt that the essence was simply excess. So how do we deliver that message about excess and have it be realized by the target group of young teens?
The challenge was to create videos that not only would be understood by teens, but to get them to stop and take note of the message. We’ve all experienced moments in our lives where someone else’s behaviour caused us to cringe, so the campaign showed the consequences of excess from the perspective of friends who had to deal with the fallout from the antagonists behaviour. The embarrassment and frustration that their friend was causing them, and the underlying desire that they need to rethink their future actions. This focus in the campaign allowed the message to be reinforced, sustained and delivered to our audience.
[rev_slider howsyourselfie]