SA Power Networks’ ‘You’ll be shocked at what you don’t know’ campaign is having the desired effect.
The strategic social marketing campaign aims to influence community behaviour around downed powerlines, when hitting Stobie poles in traffic incidents, when receiving tingles and shocks in the home, and working on farms.
These were identified as the major issues threatening the safety of South Australians in interacting with the electricity distribution network.
SA Power Networks has been conducting ongoing tracking research since 2020 to ensure the educational campaign is delivering.
In the latest survey, 69 per cent of respondents said that the campaign would change their behaviour in the future.
In 2020, SA Power Networks partnered with Adelaide-based research company Square Holes to conduct foundational research to understand awareness of electrical safety issues.
SA Power Networks’ head of corporate affairs Paul Roberts told InDaily creating state-wide behaviour change was imperative.
“Our network runs down every street, across most farms and supplies all households and businesses, so it is right there in the community and transporting electricity at voltages that can cause serious injury or worse,” Roberts said.
“We wanted to reduce the potential for injury and death related to contact with electrical infrastructure and to increase awareness of electrical safety at home, work and in the community.
“With a social marketing campaign, you want to create something that initiates behaviour change, not just awareness.
“To do that, you need to have a very clear understanding of people’s perspectives.
The initial research conducted by Square Holes found that a majority of people had a limited understanding of correct protocol around powerlines in various situations.
Of those interviewed, 54 per cent were unaware of correct protocol in a collision with a Stobie pole and 55 per cent were unsure of electrical safety hazards around the home.
“The key finding we had was, perhaps not surprisingly, electrical safety is not top of mind,” Roberts said.
“Electric shocks and electrocutions are actually quite rare, so it is not a front-of-mind issue.
“We also found that people thought they knew what to do in certain situations, but in reality, their assumptions were incorrect and had the potential to place them in even greater danger.
“It was galvanizing in a way to understand there was so much confusion. It helped particularly in really sharpening our messaging. It got us to focus on what was the one key message we could tell people to keep them safe,” he said.
South Australian marketing agency NATION developed the ‘You’ll be shocked what you don’t know’ campaign. Media buyer Wavemaker placed the campaign across buses, billboards, television screens, radio and digital and social media.
“The creative was simple in its messaging, but appropriately emotional, and campaign testing gave a tick to our approach and the clarity of the message,” Roberts said.
“We’ve had people report tingles from taps – and they had only done that after prompting from our campaign” Roberts said.
“If we have helped one person avoid serious injury then it is well worth it.”
