# Presentation: 013090

## Understanding Personal Preparedness Motivators & BarriersInsights from Ad Council Research for the Ready Campaign

- National Citizens Corps Council Meeting
- June 1, 2006

## The Advertising Council

**The Advertising Council**

**For more than 60 years, the Ad Council has created memorable campaigns that increase awareness and inspire social change. **
**“****Loose Lips Sink Ships”****	**
**“****Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”**
**“****A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste”**
**“****Together We Can Take a Bite Out of Crime”**
**“****Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk”**

## The Ready Campaign

_**Objective**_
**To empower and educate Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and terrorist attacks**
** **Get a kit
-  Make a plan
-  Be informed

** ****The PSA campaign initially launched in spring 2003.**
** ****To date, we have launched several rounds of communications, across a variety of media and a variety of target audiences**
-  Ready America 	(General Market)
-  Listo 		(Hispanic Market)
-  Ready Business 	(Small- to medium-sized businesses)
-  Ready Kids 	(Kids)

**Notes:**
The objective of this PSA campaign is much the same of other organizations represented in this room.

In addition to helping to produce the PSAs with our pro bono advertising agency (BBDO), we also assisted in the development of fulfillment vehicles – the website and toll-free number

Will focus on the general market effort in this talk.

Launch presidential PSAs shortly
Will launch the BBDO campaign XXXX

## Donated Media Results

_**2003-2006 Donated Media Support Valued At:**_
***$532 Million***

-  Television
-  Radio
-  Print (Newspaper & Magazine)
-  Web
-  Out-of-Home (Billboards & Posters)
-  Alternative (e.g., *Yellow Pages*)

**Notes:**
Strong level of support

Typically one of the Ad Council’s top performers

## Consumer Response, 2003-Present

_**Ready.gov**_
-  23 million unique visitors
-  1.9 billion hits
_**1-800-BE-READY**_
-  256,000 calls
_**Brochures**_
-  5.5 million brochures have been requested/downloaded

**Notes:**
PSA was a key driver to Ready.gov, though of course not the only driver

Activity goes up after disasters (Katrina) and warnings

## Ready Campaign Tracking Survey 

_**July 2005**_** **
**One-fifth of all adults (20%) recall seeing or hearing a *****Ready***** PSA from the latest round of the campaign**
** ****Those with recall of the advertising were also significantly more likely to say they:**
** ****Have created a family emergency plan**
** *****Strongly***** agree that taking some simple steps beforehand can do a lot to protect me/my family in the event of an emergency**

**Notes:**
Representative, Random Digit Dial Telephone Survey of the general public, adults 18+

Chicken and egg – Ad recall vs. desired attitudes/behaviors

## Ready Campaign Tracking Survey 

|  | Benchmark
Feb 2003 | Wave 2
Feb 2004 | Wave 3
Sept 2004 | Wave 4
July 2005 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| % responding | A | B | C | D |
| Stocked emergency supplies at your home in preparation for the possibility of a terrorist attack | 26
 | 33
 | 36
A | 33
 |
| Created an emergency plan so that everyone in your family will know what to do in the event of a terrorist attack | 15
 | 19
 | 24
AB | 20
 |
| Visited a website or called a toll-free number for information about what you can do in the event of a terrorist attack | 5
 | 10
 | 16
ABD | 10
 |

- _Self-reported preparedness behaviors (Terrorism-specific):_

**A/B/C/D – Statistically significant difference at the 90% level**.

**Notes:**
Different surveys report very different results, based on question wording, the survey’s sample, and whether questions are about all-hazards vs. terrorism specific

Slow but steady gains until the last wave

## Ready Campaign Tracking Survey 

**Put together disaster or emergency kit that contains three-day supply of food & water,  first aid kit w/your family’s prescription medications, battery powered radio, flashlight & extra batteries**

**Created a family emergency plan, including a place where your family would meet if your neighborhood were evacuated, and emergency contact information including at least one out-of-town contact**

**Joined or volunteered with a local community watch or preparedness group such as the Citizens Corps or a neighborhood watch**

- _Self-reported preparedness behaviors (All-Hazards):_

**Searched for information about what you can do to prepare for a catastrophic disaster**

**Notes:**
As our mandate changed to encompass all-hazards, we added other questions

Showed no change

Remarkably, even in surveys conducted by my colleagues on the panel, we did not see a jump in these types of behaviors in surveys immediately following Katrina and Rita

## Barriers to Action

**COMPLACENCY**

_**Apathy**_
** *****“******It won’t happen here.”***
*** “******I won’t be affected.”***
*** “******I won’t worry about this until a threat is imminent.”***

_**Fatalism**_
** *****“******Whatever I do won’t make a difference in the event of a big disaster.”***

_**Avoidance**_
** *****“******I don’t like to think about it.”***

_**Lack of information**_
** *****“******I don’t know how to do this.”***

_**Not on my radar**_
** *****“******I just haven’t thought about it.”***

_**Lack of resources**_
*** “******I don’t have the money/time.”***
*** “******I’m unable to do this.”***

**Notes:**
Review of quantitative research and risk-preparedness literature
Conducted Qualitative Research – Focus groups, in-home interviews in places as diverse as NYC, LA, Cincinnati
Quantitative concept testing

## Barriers to Action

***Here some reasons that people often give for not doing things to prepare for an emergency situation.  Thinking about yourself, please tell me whether each of the following is a MAJOR reason you have not done more, a MINOR reason, or not really a reason.****** ***

**Notes:**
Online survey of 500 adults nationwide
Part of concept test

## Public Service Advertising Considerations

-  Message clutter
-  Media fragmentation
-  The need to be single-minded and clear
-  Logic vs. Emotion
-  Ineffectiveness of scare tactics

## Motivators

-  Focus on *personal responsibility*
-  You are your family’s first line of defense
-  Focus on family
-  “Low hanging fruit” = Parents, particularly moms
- Clear and simple call to action (“Make a plan”)
-  Provide a solution (Ready.gov)
-   Tonality: Positive, relatable, straightforward
- 	        Provocative, not scary

**Notes:**
Sources:  
Qualitative Research
Quantitative concept test
Ad Council experience with social marketing

## Ready Campaign Strategy

_**Point A**_
***What types of emergencies are we talking about?***
**Fire (at home or in nature), hurricane, flood, severe weather, earthquake, terrorist attack.**
***How will we grow this idea?***
**Previous efforts have focused on terrorism, but this year will about being ready for **_**any**_** emergency, “big” or “small.”**
***Where will this growth come from?***
**Parents who are willing to take preparedness steps but have not done so and don’t know where to begin.**
***What do they do today?***
**Although they acknowledge they should be prepared in case an emergency strikes, they do not begin to prepare unless a threat is imminent.**

_**Point B**_
***What do we want the target audience to think/feel?***
_**I am the first line of defense for my family.**_**               I need to sit down with my family so we can create an emergency plan together.  I can find details at Ready.gov.**
***What will be the promise to fulfill the unmet need and take the target from Point A to B?***
**Taking the time to talk about specific steps that you and your family can take will give you the comfort that you and those you love will know what to do if any kind of emergency occurs.**
***What is the brand personality?***
**Empowering.  Relatable. Straightforward.**