Successfully Reaching and Motivating 87% of Audience

After encouraging young adult males to wear lifejackets through the “Pledge to Live” campaign, 85% of the audience recalled the advertising, and 87% called it effective. A first place PRSA Aurora Award for Integrated Communications followed.

The Challenge

Nine out of 10 Alaska boating deaths are adult males – the highest fatality rate in the nation. The Office of Boating Safety wanted to save lives by convincing male boaters to wear a life jacket.

Strategic trust:works Insight

A key research insight concluded that the behavior of young adult men on the water was highly influenced by the women in their lives who, as the gatekeepers of the household’s healthy and safety information, had enormous “pester power.” Trust messages targeting this male/female dynamic focused on benevolence, integrity and brand identification.

The Nerland Solution

Nerland’s media campaign encouraged women to persuade a loved one to sign a “Pledge to Live“ card,” promising to wear a life jacket. The campaign launch was a dramaticmock Alaska boating deaths “graveyard” in a busy city park.Advertising used real boating survival stories to validate the serious message.

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