campaign highlights 2015/16
TRANSCRIPT
Campaign Highlights 2015/16
Introduction
The Government Communication Service (GCS) is the professional body for government communicators, working in ministerial departments and in over 300 agencies and public bodies. Communications is one of Government’s five main levers for change, alongside investment, taxation, regulation and legislation. GCS aims to deliver world-class communications that support Ministers’ priorities, enable the effective operation of our public services and improve people’s lives. Most of our work supports at least one of the objectives below:
• helping the public understand the Government’s vision and priorities;• explaining legal or statutory requirements, such as submitting tax returns;• encouraging people to lead healthy, safe lives, such as discouraging drink driving;• informing people about public services, such as how to access NHS care;• reassuring people in times of crisis, such as adverse weather events; • enhancing the reputation of Britain by promoting UK interests internationally.
This publication is a showcase of some of our leading campaigns from 2015. Each supports the government narrative themes set out in our Government Communications Plan published in July 2015:
• On the side of working people;
• Spreading hope and opportunity;
• Bringing the country together;
• Britain in the world;
• Delivering for Britain
https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk Cover illustration: NHSBT Missing Type campaign
On the Side of Working People Spreading Hope and Opportunity Bringing the Country Together Britain in the World Delivering for Britain
Contents
What makes a great campaign? ConradBird, Prime Minister’s Office
and Cabinet Office Communications
The first recognised modern government campaign urged people to save for their pensions over 100 years ago. In 2016 the Workplace pensions campaign treads familiar territory, but rather than relying on posters and public meetings, the campaign utilises the most modern digital marketing techniques, a website with tailored options for different audiences and an eight foot furry creature to generate interest, and shareability on social media.
Campaigns are at the heart of government communication. The most compelling save, improve and enrich lives and form part of the national conversation, from the fifty year old anti-drink driving campaigns to the Army ‘Be the Best’ campaign of the 1990s and the ‘Superfast Broadband’ campaign of 2015. UK campaigns have a global presence with the GREAT Britain trade and tourism campaign securing over £2bn of benefit for Britain with around 100 events around the world every month.
There are around 80 campaigns in the 2015/16 Government Communications Plan. They reflect the ambition of The Government and the need to inform the public about their civic responsibilities and opportunities that public service programmes offer.
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Exporting is GREAT campaign, see page 18
GCS in Partnership“I have been a member of the GCS Evaluation Council for over a year and am very impressed with the incredible commitment to sound communication measurement in the UK Government. And, even for this year alone, the rate of improvement has been impressive. Evaluation is hard to do well and is a journey focused on continuous improvement. GCS has made great progress, and these campaigns are testimony to its ability to develop, execute and evaluate important and high-profile campaigns.”
Dr.DavidB.Rockland Partner/CEO and Managing Director, Ketchum Change and Global Research Chairman, International Association for Measurement and Evaluation
“I’m delighted to be a NED on the GCS Ministerial Board. My role on the board is to provide external advice, scrutiny and challenge. 2016 sees some big changes for how government communications operates, with the Modern Communications Operating Model and the single marketing budget. Our aim remains the same – for GCS to continue to develop high-quality campaigns that are ever more effective and better value. Both initiatives should help to ensure that we look at a similarly high standard of campaigns for 2016/7.”
AmandaRendle, Non Executive Director GCS Ministerial Board
There are as many definitions of campaigning as there are books on the subject, but Alan Barnard, author of ‘Campaign It!’ has one of the most succinct – ‘story telling with a purpose’. The purpose of government campaigns is to influence people to change their behaviour, for public good.
Great campaigns have insight into people, their characteristics, aspirations and beliefs at their heart. Authors like Caldwell, Cialdini and French have shown us how to ‘nudge’ people to better outcomes, but as government communicators we need to continue to think more carefully about the motivations of the people we are trying to reach.
In addition, campaigns must have focused outcomes, a strong narrative and a mastery of all channels to reach our target audiences. The GCS summarises this approach as OASIS - Objective, Audience, Strategy, Implementation and Scoring for evaluation. Campaigning is also about having a worthwhile cause and, in Government, we are blessed with a wide variety of causes to work with; our bottom line is lives saved, new jobs created or people empowered.
Many of the examples contained here display these properties – whether it is encouraging women to apply for jobs in previously male dominated professions, inspiring Britain’s companies to take the courageous step to export their products and service overseas (thereby creating jobs and growth for Britain) or saving lives through health campaigns.
Although very different in terms of execution and outcomes, the campaigns enclosed here share three features: a ‘campaigning mindset’, a strong set of skills and a solid process to support practitioners in their work. With the OASIS framework, government communicators now have a simple tool to organise their thinking and support their efforts; a tool that has repeatedly proved to deliver efficient and effective outcomes.
The Government Communication Service’s extensive training and continuous professional development has also enabled us to develop communications practitioners with an exceptional range and depth of skills.
But it is people who possess the campaigning mindset that distinguishes and unites these successful programmes. This mindset encompasses a range of attitudes and behaviours. First and foremost, campaigners need to have genuine curiosity about their audiences, combined with a real desire to create a better outcome for them. This curiosity and passion drives insight, which, when allied to creativity, lies at the heart of every successful campaign. Second, each has a big picture vision (for instance, ‘jobs and growth for Britain’ for the GREAT Britain campaign) that inspires and is infectious; that vision needs to translate into a set of simple objectives that are bold, SMART and stretching.
Campaigners in Government also need to be relentlessly optimistic and have a ‘can do’ mentality, combined with an understanding of and regard for risk. And they have to be big-minded enough to create and hold to a strategy as well as being passionate about delivery, right down to the smallest detail. Above all, as with any large organisation with its own rules and processes – some of which may be not be compatible with a fast-moving campaign - Government campaigners need to have the mental strength and resilience to fight for their cause and see the job through to the end. It goes without saying that great campaigns need to have digital at their core, combined with transformational ideas that can carry across all channels.
All the campaigns enclosed in this pack demonstrate the benefits of this mindset. They represent models for the kind of effective cross-government campaigns that we want future government communication activity to emulate.
On the Side of Working People DCMS Superfast Broadband
DCMSSuperfast Broadband
What was the issue?Government economists forecast that every £1 of public investment in superfast broadband will see a return of £20 in net economic benefits. Approximately 89% of this benefit would fall outside London and the South-East. However in 2014, 50% of UK adults had no idea whether they wanted or needed superfast broadband. As well as a lack of understanding about superfast broadband, research showed that consumers were inundated by ‘noise’ from suppliers and had become disinclined to act.
What did we decide to do?Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), the lead department responsible for superfast broadband, wanted to see an increase in its take up in order to achieve the economic benefits. The department developed a campaign that could cut through the noise and create mass interest in superfast broadband.
How did we do it?An advertising campaign on its own would not be enough. The department had to help consumers decide whether to upgrade through clear information provision and calls to action. An important element was a postcode checker so consumers could see if superfast broadband was available in their local area and who supplies it.
DCMS capitalised on high social media usage over Christmas period 2014/15 to co-ordinate with its TV advertising. In addition to advertising, the campaign used an announcement
of two million premises eligible for superfast broadband as a PR hook. They supported this through publishing regional data and case studies. DCMS produced a toolkit for 44 local activation projects, supporting regional and local partnership work.
What were the results?
Campaign reached 85% of the Adult ABC1 TV audience.
Postcode Checker had 178,000 searches (covering 4m households) - 63% going on to find out more.
16% increase in people wanting to find out more and 10% in intention to get Superfast Broadband.
BT’s latest quarter results show take-up at 455,000 during Jan-March 2015 - up from 375,000 in the previous quarter and 340,000 prior to that.
Revenue is already being returned to the public purse for reinvestment ahead of expectations, thanks to the Government’s claw-back agreement with BT and the success of this campaign.
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On the Side of Working People BIS/SFAGet In Go Far – Apprenticeships
BIS/SFAGet In Go Far – Apprenticeships
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What was the issue?There are now non-traditional apprenticeship roles available in blue chip companies such as Google, ASOS, Sky and ITV. Many offer young people qualifications that go up to degree level.
However young people, parents and teachers still see apprenticeships as low skilled, low wage, manual occupations and reject them as viable career choices.
What did we decide to do?The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the department responsible for promoting apprenticeships, and Skills Funding Agency (SFA) aimed to increase their take up among young people in non-traditional roles.
BIS developed a campaign to target the 9 million young people aged 14-24 to demonstrate the range and diversity of apprenticeships. In addition it would target parents, carers and other influencers, telling them that apprenticeships can lead to rewarding and well paid jobs. Its specific aim was to drive active consideration from those aged 16-24 year olds. This would be measured through calls to the helpline and registrations on the apprenticeships vacancy site.
How did we do it?BIS used TV and Out of Home advertising to target young people. It used national press to target parents in the ABC1 audience who were more resistant to the idea of an apprenticeship replacing university education. The campaign followed the stories of eight ‘hero’ apprentices at Google, ASOS, Sky, ITV, IBM, Cap Gemini, PWC and BAE Systems who featured across the campaign channels and provided live blogs on the campaign microsite.
BIS was the first government department anywhere in the world to partner with Instagram which promoted apprenticeships on their feed. The value of their brand with the youth audience gave extra credibility to the message.
What were the results?
There was a 23% lift in ad recall between the ‘control’ and ‘exposed’ groups – whereas the US Nielsen norm is 6 points. We also increased our followers by 1,585%.
Government funded apprenticeship participation increased to 871,800 in the 2014/15 academic year, up 2.4% on 2013/14 and the highest number on record.
An unprecedented 140% year on year increase in monthly telephone enquiries from potential candidates to the National Apprenticeship Service helpdesk.
10% rise for those who would recommend an apprenticeship to their child.
The number of apprentices under 19 rose from 185,800 to 194,100 between 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The number of apprentices aged 19-24 rose from 308,900 to 315,000 between 2013/14 and 2014/15.
Spreading Hope and Opportunity DWP#NotJustForBoys
What was the issue?UK women were getting into work faster than any other country in the G7, yet there were still professions where not enough women were breaking through and reaching the top jobs.
Despite women choosing to work in record numbers, they are still under-represented in many of the UK’s jobs growth areas such as engineering and science.
As part of wider Government efforts to close the gender gap and increase gender diversity, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) research found that root causes were lack of awareness of roles, low confidence and the outdated attitudes among some employers.
What did we decide to do?The #NotJustForBoys campaign sought to highlight this issue and encourage more women to share their stories about working in these industries.
DWP developed a social media-led campaign at no cost. It aimed to challenge stereotypes, raise awareness of opportunities such as mentor schemes and shadowing opportunities, to connect women so they could share their stories, and provide women with role models in under-represented careers.
How did we do it?DWP launched a campaign to engage an audience of younger women using case studies and role models to tackle gender stereotypes and challenge misconceptions.
The department worked with the organisers of International Women’s Day 2015 to raise awareness of women’s employment opportunities and aspirations. DWP also collaborated with organisations from 12 industries where women are under-represented to generate content. DWP ensured the hashtag was included in all communication – in targeting celebrities and magazines and with stakeholder activity.
DWP worked with the TV show Loose Women, which featured the Employment Minister as a guest, to help amplify this message. As a result, TV guides and magazines trailed the campaign.
‘#NotJustForBoys’ became viral, resonating with women from Dubai to Delhi. The hashtag was easy to replicate and provided a simple call to action. Celebrities such as Tom Daley used it at educational events as well as employers such as Diageo, who used it to highlight the progress they’d made with women on boards.
What were the results?
36 million hashtag impressions 11,273 hashtag mentions over six weeks in March/April 2015, with 67 million opportunities to see on social media and 50 million reach via Ministerial Broadcast and print.
102 employers and celebrities in support and 90% of stakeholders approached actively supported campaign.
The campaign provided Government with a link to key organisations and businesses and created a movement and hashtag that lives on.
Overall, positive progress is underway. By summer 2015, the total number of women working in the UK science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors had increased by 45% from the year before. Source: Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) 2015
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Spreading Hope and Opportunity DfE15 Hours Child Care
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DfE15 Hours Child Care
What was the issue?All three to four year olds in England can get 15 hours a week of free early education or childcare per year and take-up rates for this are high. However take-up for free childcare for two year olds was low. In some areas fewer than 20 per cent of them were signed up to the offer. Anecdotal evidence suggested that this low take-up was inhibiting some parents from returning to work. What did we decide to do?The Department for Education (DfE) developed a campaign in summer 2014, targeting eligible parents in councils with the very lowest take-up levels, with the objective of increasing the number of children signed up from 30 per cent to 50 per cent. Specifically, the campaign sought to increase the number of parents in England applying for a place through their local authority.
It was important that the materials could then be used later on by local authorities to bolster their own communications work.
How did we do it?The team used a blend of innovative channels to make sure as many parents and family members as possible were reached, including those with English as a second language.DfE’s focus groups helped it to develop appropriate, simple,
colourful messaging and imagery that would work in a range of media outlets, ensuring pictures, colours and language were effective.
Across the three phases of the campaign, the department used a mix of traditional media and more innovative Out of Home media. This included promotion on TV screens in GP surgeries, Argos till receipts and posters in parent-friendly shopping centres. The strategy was to reach the target audience in a way that felt a part of their everyday lives.
What were the results?By June 2015, take up of the offer across all England local authorities was over 50 per cent, achieving DfE’s target. Much of this can be directly tributes to the campaign.
This equates to approximately 160,000 places for two year olds.
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Bringing the Country Together DCMS First World War Centenary
What was the issue?In October 2012 the Prime Minister set out the Government’s vision for the First World War Centenary:
“Our ambition is for a truly national commemoration, worthy of this historic centenary that will provide the foundation on which to build an enduring educational and cultural legacy”
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) was charged with leading the commemoration on a minimal budget.
What did we decide to do?DCMS developed a campaign to capture the nation’s interest in the lead up to the official commemoration launch on 4 August 2014.
The department wanted people in Britain and the Commonwealth to feel that the Centenary was ‘theirs’ – something that was both relevant and encouraged their engagement. Research had shown that people were particularly interested in the social impact of the war. The department’s strategy was to promote the Centenary programme through orchestrated announcements, vibrant content chiefly across social media platforms, and delivery partners’ activity.
How did we do it?DCMS took a low cost, multi-channel approach. Highlights included:
• A ‘Back in Britain’ Tumblr and a sequence of ‘digital postcards’, with content explaining the social changes taking place in Britain during the war.
• A First World War Tweetathon with experts giving the public a chance to ask questions and learn more about the Great War.
• The Trench Cake was the fruit cake made by families back in Britain and sent out to their loved ones in the trenches. An online campaign was developed fronted by Frances Quinn, the 2013 winner of BBC TV’s ‘Bake Off.’ The idea and the recipe were featured in national and regional newspapers. The England and Wales Cricket Board served it at a Commemoration Test Match against India.
• A #LightsOut Thunderclap, encouraging the public to turn off all their lights save for a single light or candle from 10pm to 11pm on 4 August. The Thunderclap, which allows one single message to be mass shared on a single date, led to 16.7m people turning their lights out – @DCMS was the number one influencer on Twitter on the day for this collective moment of remembrance.
• The Department for Education ran a programme of school visits to battlefields, the Department of Communities and Local Government marked the home towns of First World War Centenary Victoria Cross recipients, and the Ministry of Justice ran a project to make servicemen’s wills accessible online as part of the four year programme.
DCMSFirst World War Centenary
What were the results?
Coverage reached 84% of the UK adult population, and message penetration around the themes of Recognition and Remembrance achieved 81% and 82% respectively.
Almost 67% of the public believed Government and its delivery partners had set the right tone for the Centenary.
Nearly 60% of the public were inspired to learn more about World War 1 as a result. (Source: research by British Future, 2015)
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Bringing the Country Together ScotlandOffice A New Future For Scotland
ScotlandOfficeA New Future For Scotland
What was the issue we faced?During the Scottish referendum (Sept 2014) people in Scotland heard a great deal of information from different sources, which led to enhanced scrutiny of the role of Westminster. After the vote there was a feeling, among a proportion of the population, that Scotland had been abandoned by the rest of the UK.
The UK Government set up the Smith Commission to consider what new powers should be devolved to Scotland and what should remain with the wider UK Government at Westminster. Social research showed that understanding of existing devolution was poor. And 40% did not think it was likely that Scotland would get any new powers. This was despite the widespread media coverage of the Smith Commission Heads of Agreement (signed by the SNP), and the vow made by leaders of all the Westminster parties. Lord Smith concluded that more needed to be done to increase understanding and trust.
What did we decide to do? The UK Government developed a communications campaign which had three objectives. First, to explain the devolution settlement. Second, to reframe the debate in terms of the positives of being part of the UK. And third, begin the process of rebuilding trust. The campaign team targeted groups that had been undecided throughout the referendum campaign.
These were young people 16-24 who had voted in greater numbers to remain part of the UK, and women aged 34-44, who were most likely to be undecided.
How did we do it?The campaign had to make a dry topic relevant and meaningful. It had to take into account the perspectives of disappointed ‘Yes’ voters as well as those who voted ‘No’. The campaign, ‘a new future for Scotland’, used a door drop to every home in Scotland, digital channels and local and community radio. News media, though important, had been over-exposed in the referendum.
Successful elements included an interactive quiz to test assumptions about the powers Scotland already had. Radio was also effective: the team developed advertising for use on local and community stations to reach even the remotest islands. The campaign team also developed a YouTube video in the style of the ‘House of Cards’ opening credits to make the message more engaging. Use of local creative talent ensured the work adopted the right tone.
In addition to this work the Scotland Office ran a programme of direct engagement with stakeholders holding a series of meeting across Scotland, which explained the constitutional changes.
What were the results?
The campaign managed to engage citizens with a dry and complex topic. The radio campaign reached 58% of the population with high levels of recall.
There was a positive response from stakeholders, with high levels of approval for the engagement programme.
The devolution online quiz achieved 60% completion rates. YouTube achieved 750,899 watching at least half the video, also with high recall levels reported qualitatively.
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Britain in the World No10/CO/UKTI Exporting is GREAT
No10/CO/UKTIExporting is GREAT
What was the issue?The Government has set a target of supporting 100,000 additional businesses to export by 2020. Yet, despite a worldwide appetite for UK goods and services, over 70% of UK businesses do not believe their product or service is suitable for export.
What did we decide to do?Using this insight and the platform of the successful international GREAT Britain campaign, Number 10, Cabinet Office and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) designed a long-term campaign to demonstrate the range of real opportunities available to British companies. Rather than promoting the benefits of exporting in general, we identified 1,500 live contracts (worth around £300m) and used these as the basis of a fully integrated nationwide campaign. A further 1,000 contracts are uploaded every month to the website.
How did we do it?A unique and ambitious multi-channel campaign, with content across digital, social, print, radio, and TV launched in time for Export Week in November 2015.
Audiences are directed to the Exporting is GREAT website – www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk – which hosts thousands of export opportunities and enables SMEs to search and register their interest in real-time. There are links to specialist trade services, provision of online advice, training sessions, business seminars and other events. In addition, a travelling roadshow gives face-to-face advice
to SMEs – using the latest technology (delivered at no cost by our partner Microsoft). Other partners include major banks, financial consultancies, export stakeholders and organisations and major tech companies who work with UKTI in extending and sustaining the campaign’s reach and momentum.
What were the results? In the first eight weeks since its November 2015 launch the campaign has already generated:
4,000 responses (expressions of interest) to export opportunities, 40% from companies who are new to exporting.
8,000 downloads of the Export Guide.
200,000 visits to the website.
12,000 mentions of #ExportingisGREAT on social media.
Roadshow visits to 16 cities across the UK, with 700 face to face meetings with aspiring exporters.
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Britain in the World DH/PHE/NHSEngland/DfID/FCO/MoD Ebola
DH/PHE/NHSEngland/DfID/FCO/MoDEbola
What was the issue?The Ebola crisis in West Africa resulted in the tragic death of thousands, and also caused widespread alarm across the rest of the world. The UK Government had a duty to build support for UK aid work in West Africa. It also had to ensure the British public, NHS staff and other public servants who may have contact with a suspected case felt reassured and informed.
What did we decide to do?The task fell to the Department of Health (DH), Public Health England (PHE), NHS England, working closely with The Royal Free Hospital on the UK’s handling of its first case on British soil. They collaborated with the Department for International Development (DfID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). They established three objectives for communications: first, to ensure that NHS staff felt confident in responding to a potential Ebola case throughout all stages of the epidemic; second, to reduce the number of people believing that Ebola was a significant/moderate threat to the UK; and third, increase wider public understanding that the Government was doing a lot to support international efforts.
How did we do it?Domestically, a ‘first case’ handling plan was key to co-ordinating the response, including reassuring holding lines for social media and template statements for local trusts and national bodies to be issued in the event of a case. This included a 24/7 rota of key
communicators ready to respond within 30 minutes of a first case being diagnosed. Early and ongoing two-way communication with professional bodies and Royal Colleges enabled government to reach 270 NHS trusts quickly and efficiently.
Government launched an integrated public information campaign explaining the facts about Ebola, how it spreads, and how difficult it is to catch; a workforce communications plan giving NHS staff key operational information on gov.uk and reassuring them about the robustness of local plans; and a major digital and media PR push, to explain the scale and range of measures in place to protect the UK and minimise public concern.
DfID managed a rolling deployment of press officers in Sierra Leone to engage the British media in the importance of the work on the frontline of Ebola. Working with the MoD and FCO to show British nationals, from medics to military, delivering life-saving support in an unprecedented outbreak overseas reinforced that intervention was in the UK national interest. Innovative content, such as ‘Medics behind the Mask’ was successful both on digital platforms and broadcast channels. Support directly in Sierra Leone also ensured communications remained at the heart of the operational response.
Focus groups with the public and staff tested communications materials before they were used. Government monitored the uptake and impact of communications including weekly analysis of media, digital and stakeholder activity. A regular public poll gauged people’s overall levels of concern.
What were the results? A 19% decrease in the proportion of people believing Ebola was a significant or moderate threat to the UK (between 30 October 2014 and 8 January 2015).
A shift from 37% to 55% of the public agreeing that the UK is doing enough to tackle the crisis at source in West Africa following concerted communications in October 2014. A level over 50% was then sustained for the remainder of the campaign in the following six months.
80% of NHS staff felt knowledgeable about actions they should take when faced with a suspected Ebola case, what measures were in place nationally to deal with Ebola and how to speak with the public about it. Over 90% of A&E doctors and nurses said they had the knowledge and awareness to reassure and advise members of the public who may be worried about Ebola (March 2015).
The communications impact can be favourably benchmarked against the US experience. There, the first Ebola case triggered a significant and sustained rise in concern including a 23% drop in support for the Centre for Disease Control. By contrast, there was no significant public alarm over 170 people who were tested for Ebola in the UK.
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Delivering for Britain NHSBTMissing Type
NHSBTMissing Type
What was the issue?By 2015 there were 40% fewer new blood donors than in 2005. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) needed to increase the number of donors in order to keep stocks at a safe level. An NHSBT survey showed that 27% wanted to give blood but never got round to doing it. Societal trends play a part. Many young people say they have less time for altruistic acts. Increasing numbers of people having tattoos and visiting exotic holiday destinations have reduced the number of people eligible for giving blood.
What did we decide to do?In 2015, to ensure a stable supply of blood NHSBT developed a new campaign to attract 11,000 new donor registrations during the campaign.
How did we do it?NHSBT created a campaign based on the concept of ‘missing blood types’. This approach addressed the misconception that there is an abundance of blood. It raised the spectre that, without donors, some specific blood groups over the medium term could be in short supply.
A pre-campaign tease was launched on Wednesday 3rd June with the ODEON, Waterstones and even the iconic Downing Street sign appearing without the three missing letters. Two days later a PR push revealed the campaign behind the missing letters. The story
went viral both online and offline with PR exposure across 170 national outlets that would have cost over £2 million to buy in the first day alone. The Daily Mirror then issued a full run of 600,000 print copies with an amended masthead highlighting the missing letters. This was followed by a number of brands wanting to join in and change their logos, with household names such as MacDonald’s producing creative content to reinforce the campaign.
What were the results?
Over 30,000 new donors registered to give blood.
Over 1000 brands and organizations took part by the end of the week including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Honda, Nandos, O2, Spotify, Marmite, Cadbury, Arsenal, Spurs, Wimbledon, Heathrow Airport, Church of England, WI and Google.
Global coverage with a potential reach of over 2 billion on social media.
Received over 10 national marketing awards as well as recognition abroad.
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Delivering for Britain FCO Know Before You Go
FCOKnow Before You Go
What was the issue?Every year thousands of British nationals encounter difficulties abroad. The issues include the loss of passports, hospitalisations, arrests and deaths. In 2014/15 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued almost 38,000 emergency travel documents (ETDs), many due to a lost passport, with each taking an average of 1.8 hours of staff time. During the summer months of 2014 young travellers (aged 15-30) in key European holiday resorts required consular assistance in hundreds of cases, including 123 hospitalisations, 235 arrests and 16 deaths.
A common thread through many of these is a lack of preparation, knowledge, and lowered boundaries from alcohol consumption.
What did we decide to do?The FCO was already running an umbrella campaign, ‘Know Before You Go’, with specific strands to tackle specific difficulties. These aim to prevent problems before they occur, with the additional benefit of freeing up FCO staff to focus on those most in need. The campaign works with more than 400 organisations who play a crucial role in reaching key audiences. FCO developed two new sub-campaigns in the series for 2014/15:
• The ‘Passport Hustle’, launched in June 2014. This sought to reduce the number of ETDs issued in 2015/16 by 5% overall compared to 2014/15.
• ‘Take your pic’, which ran from May to September 2015 in resorts in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Spain. It sought a 5% reduction in casework in the resorts among 15-30 year olds, including hospitalisations and detentions, compared to the same period in 2014.
How did we do it?The FCO targeted those most vulnerable or likely to need assistance, including young travellers; over-55s; travelling sports fans; those visiting friends and family; independent travellers; and residents living overseas.
For ‘Passport Hustle’ the FCO aimed for direct viewing of campaign videos through media articles and messages carried by partners. It worked with stealth crime expert James Freedman to highlight the risk of pick-pocketing overseas by revealing techniques used by thieves and how to avoid them.
‘Take your pic’ used social media engagement with travellers before, during and after their holiday to encourage them to choose a #HolidayWin over a #HolidayFail. This also aimed for direct views and commercial partnerships.
For these campaigns the FCO worked with over 60 partners, including key organisations such as ABTA and Thomson, who provided relevant and timely channels to support and communicate the FCO’s content.
What were the results?
‘Know Before You Go’ messaging reached over 35 million people in the first half of 2015/16.
‘Passport Hustle’ campaign video viewed almost 50,000 times.
‘Take your pic’ achieved almost 4.5 million impressions and more than 80,000 engagements on social media.
ETDs issued by consular staff in the second quarter of 2015/16 fell by 19% globally compared to the same period in 2014/15.
The number of cases FCO staff helped with in participating ‘Take your pic’ resorts during the summer fell by more than 7% in 2015, including a 15% drop in hospitalisations and 19% drop in arrests. Balcony falls, which can often result in tragic consequences, reduced by 67%.
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Thank you
Thank you I hope you will agree that this is an impressive body of work which has achieved some extremely important outcomes. I would like to thank the teams involved, and their GCS team colleagues more widely.
I would also like to thank our external partners on behalf of the Directors of Communications and the wider GCS. These include professional bodies such as PRCA, CIM, IOIC, IABC and CIPR who have helped us shape (and in some cases deliver) our professional development offer. They also include authoritative communications and marketing experts who have given us their valuable time on the Ministerial Board, the Evaluation Council, as mentors, and as departmental communications capability reviewers. And we must thank our agency partners who have worked with us to deliver world-class campaigns, often for little or no fees. They understand the importance of our work and how it saves and improves lives.
In the coming years we have much to do, and so I am asking our external partners to continue to help us by getting involved in any of ten ways.
AlexAikenExecutive Director, Government Communications
10 ways to get involvedThe GCS wants to see more involvement from professional communicators in the private and third sectors and wider public service in our work. We would therefore be delighted and grateful if you wanted to undertake one or more of the 10 voluntary tasks below.
1. Lead or take part in a CapabilityReviewof the communications practice of a department or agency investigating the standards and recommending ways of adopting best practice (four days work).
2. Join the GCS EvaluationCouncil and help us assess the robustness of our campaign objectives and the impact of our campaigns (six meetings a year).
3. Become a personalmentor to a GCS employee and help them reach the top in their profession (four discussions a year).
4. Join our new FuturesCouncilor host the Council which considers the application of emerging technology to communications and undertakes horizon scanning on behalf of the profession.
5. Offer to work as a criticalfriend on one of our campaigns or professional improvement programmes, from assisting our export drive through GREAT to advising on our improvement plan for internal communication.
6. Give an eveningtalk on a relevant topic to GCS staff, especially on subjects like the use of data in comms, great campaigns or leadership in communication.
7. Offer asecondee from your company to work in a department or agency for a period of up to six months.
8. Or a placementfor one of our staff to work with your organisation for three to six months.
9. Offer your skills or business venue for a GCSevent - as a speaker or host for a training event, such as our Inspire leadership programme.
10. And from the campaigns we run you can see that their are plenty of practicalanddirect ways to help public service – everything from giving blood to persuading a science or maths graduate to apply for a role in teaching.
