Humour helps get message across

Out of professional interest, I've always wondered about the effects of social marketing campaigns.

How do you accumulate accurate data on attitude change?

I also find it quite hard to pinpoint just one campaign that has evidently helped improve things in society.

Who would not agree with the statement that "if you drink and drive, you are a bloody idiot?"

It will be no surprise to anyone that every cigarette is doing you damage.

It seems to me that most campaigns state the obvious, and how is that supposed to hit home?

"No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba" really is a great line, but does that alone motivate teenagers to wear condoms and practice safe sex? I doubt it.

There have been plenty of quit smoking, anti-drugs, safe-sex, healthy eating, and stop family violence campaigns over the years, but do they actually work? It is nearly impossible to measure what extent an ad campaign supports social change and I can't find much accurate information about it online either.

A good one is the slogan "Be a tidy Kiwi", first used by the Keep NZ Beautiful Trust around 30 years ago. It has been re-used and reinvented many times since. By now, the message is practically part of growing up in New Zealand. Then again, no one will deny that there are plenty of people out there who still chuck their rubbish wherever they like.

There are different ways to approach social issues with advertising and I think that the way it's usually done in New Zealand is harder hitting than the campaigns I've seen in other countries I've lived in.

When I first saw some of the confronting stop-speeding and drink-driving campaigns here, I thought they were quite shocking. I still do, but I must admit that they affect me a lot less now I've seen so many of them.

I've seen a wide range of gruesome car crash scenes since I've lived in New Zealand, and one I remember most is the one with a woman who talks about side curtain airbags after suffering brain injury. Needless to say, this ad had subtitles.

I have noticed a slight switch recently. It seems that social marketing campaigners now lean more towards humour than harsh imagery. Some of the one-liners used are really funny. But if it's all a big joke, do people still get the message?

That brings me to the young guy who is internalising a really complicated situation in his head about whether to stop his drunk friend from driving. The latest drink-driving ad, part of the New Zealand Transport Agency's Legends campaigns, has gone viral.

Kiwi rap group The Cuzzies recorded the song Ghost Chips after seeing the now famous Legend ad, which in its own right is becoming very popular on YouTube and Facebook.

The ad itself has had over 1 million views on YouTube in less than two weeks. Close to 25,000 people like the "You know I can't grab your ghost chips" Facebook page, while all they have posted so far is the video and two comments.

Andy Knackstedt, of NZTA, which commissioned the ad, expected a good response but was surprised at how it had become a phenomenon.

"It's been picked up and it's got a life of its own and it's fantastic, because really you're looking at the young 15 to 24-year-olds who are in that space and that's who we're trying to reach with this message", he told the New Zealand Herald online.

NZTA chief executive Geoff Dangerfield says although the positive response to the campaign is encouraging, the ultimate success will be to see young New Zealanders take up the challenge of speaking up and stopping their mates from driving drunk.

"We've had a wave of great feedback from across the country, but we are under no illusions about the scale and the seriousness of the drink-driving problem in New Zealand, particularly among young people," he says.

Personally, I think the ad is rather stupid but then of course it isn't aimed at me. But I do like that it uses humour rather than the more trademark gory details.

As more than 40 per cent of all drink-driving crashes involve drunk drivers under 24, let's hope it works.

If it stops just a few idiots from driving drunk, it's all good.