Program Launch and Beyond
Plan your own campaign
Program Launch and Beyond
You will likely kick off your program with a press conference and/or event to attract media attention (enforcement blitz at all major intersections, awareness week or month, etc.). Competition for media attention has become increasingly fierce, so it will be up to you and your coalition (particularly your media relations expert) to generate early interest in your event and the issue.
Press Conferences
When to Hold a Conference
Select your kickoff date as early in the planning process as possible.
The earlier you can book the speakers you want, the better chance you
have of getting them. When picking a date, check your community calendar
to ensure there are no other conflicting events and that the date does
not fall on a holiday or weekend. Newspaper and TV stations maintain smaller
crews during weekends, which means less staff to divide among news event.
Press conferences are best held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. By Friday, many reporters and editors are putting the weekend programming and editions together.
Where to Hold a Conference
When the National Stop Red Light Running Program launched National Stop
on Red Week in 1998, it held the press conference at the intersection
of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. This crossing
is notorious for red light runners. The extremely successful Florida Stop
Red Light Running Week also kicked off at intersections in Tampa and Orlando
known for high volumes of red light runners. Holding your press conference
at a busy intersection affords reporters a relevant backdrop when covering
the kickoff. They may even be able to film red light runners during or
after the press conference, adding to the credibility of the program.
If you decide to hold your event in a public area, be sure to seek approval
from the appropriate city officials. The site should be:
- Easy to find
- Near ample parking
- Able to accommodate a stage, seats, tent and camera equipment with room to spare for interviews following the presentations
- Near downtown (TV crews may not travel too far to attend)
- Able to provide electrical outlets for the audiovisual equipment
Choosing Speakers
Your speakers should be well-known figures such as a representative from
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a representative from the State
Department of Transportation or the Governor's Highway Safety Representative,
the mayor, the chief of police, a local American Trauma Society member
and the head of your local coalition. Ideally, you should have no more
than four to five speakers, with each saying something significant about
the program from their own perspective (a doctor talking about trauma
cases, for example). Each should speak for a short period, with the entire
event (including press questions) taking no more than 30 minutes. High-ranking
officials will draw media attention, so plan appropriate, secured areas
for them.
Speakers should be available for one-on-one interviews after the press event.
Creating the Atmosphere
First, ensure you have visuals that will help you get on the evening news.
People at a plain podium will make for dull television, so add banners
and signs with your program logo. Create simple, professional charts showing
the statistics you're using to make your case.
Second, recruit members of your coalition to be audience members. You want chairs filled as TV crews are filming. Be sure to have light refreshments available for your attendees. You may want to create a "I Stop For Red Lights" pledge board that attendees and passersby can sign with markers. Give each person who signs the board a bumper sticker or button. Arrange for the mayor to be the first to sign (having him or her sign on camera is a great photo opportunity).
Third, you can also request the presence of local officials by sending them invitations four to six weeks before the event. Request that they demonstrate their support for traffic safety by attending. Send letters to local police departments requesting that officers attend and to local hospitals requesting trauma doctors and/or nurses attend.
Fourth, hire a photographer with news experience. Most photographers charge affordable hourly rates. This is a rare opportunity to photograph high-ranking officials supporting your cause and speaking on its behalf. Be sure to get not only candid shots, but posed shots with the coalition leader and officials present. These photos may be used with news releases later. Photograph in color; you can always convert to black and white.
Briefing Session
Three to five days prior to your press conference, hold a briefing session
for all involved. Brief your speakers, ensuring the relevant speaking
points are addressed. Volunteer to assist in preparing remarks, if necessary.
Review logistics such as seating, the order of the presentations and where
media interviews will take place. This is a troubleshooting meeting. Don't
end it until everyone is comfortable with his or her role and what's expected.
Notifying the Media
Two days prior to your press conference, distribute media alerts
to local newspapers, radio and TV stations and magazines.
When the media arrives, be sure you have a coalition member greeting them, signing them in and distributing media kits. Be sure all names are legible; you'll need them later for follow-up. If you decide to distribute copies of the video, audio and print PSAs at the event, place a stack on the media sign-in table and make sure their availability is mentioned.
You should have an area roped off at the rear of the audience for media cameras. Reporters should have reserved seats near the front so they can easily ask questions at the appropriate time.
Before the event, you should hire a local TV and radio monitoring service. This service will tape all appropriate channels to give you a record of coverage. A press clipping bureau can track print placements. If your budget is tight, volunteers can accomplish these tasks, but be sure you have a record of all media coverage.
Follow Up
If key media do not attend, follow up with a phone call and offer an interview,
photos, video of the event, etc. Send thank-you letters to those media
members and officials that did attend. And be sure to recognize the efforts
of your coalition members.
After the Launch: Continuing the Momentum
Media and outreach efforts shouldn't stop after the press conference is over - they should continue at the same pace to maintain momentum and build program equity in the community. Here are some actions that should help keep the program going strong:
Continuing Contact with Law Enforcement
Even with letters of support and verbal agreements from law enforcement
agencies, it is important for you to keep law enforcement involved with
and excited about the program. Make frequent visits to police departments
to keep the program in the spotlight. Gifts of bumper stickers, key chains,
buttons, and other promotional items also help the cause. In some communities,
program volunteers even baked and hand-delivered cookies to their local
law enforcement agencies. Continuing Contact with the Media After your
program kickoff press conference, you still have many chances to get in
the news. Contact TV and radio news and talk show producers, offering
interviews with the program spokespeople. Keep an eye on the news; some
events such as a major local traffic accident or newly released crash
statistics will trigger or renew a news outlet's interest in a subject.
Think of new angles to offer the media and pitch these to them in person or over the phone. For example, does the public really know what constitutes a red light violation? Do they know the penalties? Are companies aware of the economic costs they are incurring when an employee is injured in a traffic crash? What about the economic costs to the public in general? A reporter may like one of these story angles.
This is also the time to follow up on the PSAs that you delivered to the media. If the station doesn't offer a running placement report, enlist the services of a media tracking service who will send you weekly or monthly reports depicting the number of PSA placements.
Special Events
Community events that take place during the program period offer additional
opportunities to promote your program both to the media and to the general
public. If none are available or appropriate, create your own. A few ideas
are listed below, to be supplemented with your own creative ideas and
events:
Traffic Safety Fair. Combine your safety message with others by holding a community-wide Traffic Safety Fair. Various safety organizations can set up booths to promote their safety message and distribute information. An event of this type can be held in a town square, a mall parking lot or inside the mall lobby, a school parking lot, or a local park. Solicit community donations of tables, chairs, refreshments, balloons and other carnival supplies. Linking this event with a safety week or month can add longevity to the event and help obtain media coverage.
School Visits. It's never too early to learn about traffic safety. Past transportation safety programs have benefited from educating children to remind their parents to buckle up and look both ways before crossing the street. Presentations at local schools that teach children about the importance of stopping at red lights are best given by law enforcement representatives in uniform. Check with your local law enforcement agencies to see if programs such as this already exist, and if so, work an SRLR presentation into the schedule. If this is not something in which your community is already participating, obtain support of the police force and work with them to contact schools.
Bumper stickers and buttons are excellent handouts for these presentations, as the children will bring them home to their parents. Pencils are also good giveaways for children. Encourage the involvement of the teachers - during the pilot program in Charleston, S.C., elementary schools declared certain Fridays "Red Light Safety Days," and all the children wore red to school.
Driving schools are also good partners. Offer to speak to one of their classes. Many offer refresher courses for the elderly, as well as courses for new drivers. You may be able to target multiple driver segments with one trip.
