Who Am I Trying To Reach and What Is The Message?
Before you can win over your audience and call your program a success, it's important that you understand who you're trying to reach, which messages they're likely to embrace, and the specific actions they'd be willing to take to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. Here are a few tips to consider before implementing the It All Adds Up initiative in your community:
The Target Audience
Members of the "general driving public" are the target audience of the It All Adds Up initiative. Those for whom environmental benefits would weigh into their transportation choices are the secondary audience; they are primarily college-educated, middle class, and consider traffic congestion and other quality-of-life issues, such as time savings and stress relief, important matters worth discussing.
Environmental Issues Aren't Enough
Most people are not convinced that environmental benefits are reason enough to change their behavior. Most are unlikely to consider trip chaining, for example, purely for environmental reasons and while many may be aware that they are contributing to poor air quality, fewer are willing to change, even when they perceive a connection to health problems of family or friends. People are more like likely to feel motivated to change behaviors if their actions will yield them savings in money, time, and stress.
The Message
Drivers are more likely to embrace a positive message strategy—one that encourages voluntary actions that are simple and convenient, rather than one that suggests taking big changes few will take. The following four It All Adds Up messages support existing efforts and are significant in addressing the challenge of reducing traffic congestion and air pollution:
- Trip chaining
- Regular car maintenance
- Use of alternate modes of transportation
- Proper fueling
Setting the "Tone"
It's best to avoid messages with an "accusatory" tone that imply people are personally responsible for the ailing environment or for its renewal. That approach rarely motivates people to change their driving habits to improve air quality and traffic congestion. Instead, people are more likely to respond to messages delivered positively, such as those featured in the free It All Adds Up materials, including messages that congratulate people for actions they were already taking (even if not motivated by air quality). Known as the "anthem" approach, this concept uses rich visuals to convey a "bandwagon" feeling that highlights and reinforces positive behaviors.
Adaptable, High-quality Materials
Since the nature of transportation and air quality issues varies from one community to another, the It All Adds Up materials were designed to make it easy for organizations to adapt them to diverse situations, customize their strategies, and tailor the initiative to meet their community's unique needs.
Although some messages may be best suited for urban settings, the creative materials were developed to appeal to a broad group of drivers and support the universal theme that individuals' choices regarding transportation can make a difference in air quality and traffic congestion.
Coalitions are Critical
Coalitions, which may include community and environmental groups, businesses, health advocates, and other organizations, provide a comprehensive support base and can extend the reach and effectiveness of the It All Adds Up initiative. The collective resources provided by coalitions help the public understand the full scope of the air quality problem and deliver the message to the broadest audience possible. (See "Building a Coalition" for more information.)