Frequently asked questions

How do you measure the success of your campaigns and over what time frame?

The success of the Land Transport NZ/NZ Police advertising and enforcement campaign is measured by changes in the target audience's attitudes and behaviours and a reduction in crashes and injuries. These are measured through a continuous survey programme and by monitoring crash statistics. Independent evaluations have assessed that, since the road safety advertising campaign began in 1995 (in direct support of police enforcement), the campaign has directly contributed to the saving of more than 300 lives on our roads. In 2002, advertising helped to achieve the lowest road toll since the campaign began in 1995. The latest survey of public attitudes shows that 35% thought that advertising should be increased further and 57% thought that advertising levels should remain at current levels.

How do you decide when and where to run your advertisements?

All television advertisements are allocated an advertisement classification that specifies when they can be screened. Most of our advertisements are rated GXC. This stands for General Except Children and means that our advertisements can be screened at any time except during programmes which are intended for children under the age of 10. The exception is our drink-driving advertisements; these are rated GAA. This stands for General Alcohol/Adult and means that our drink-driving advertisements can be screened at any time except during programmes which are intended for children or young people under the age at which they can legally purchase alcohol.

Our billboard advertisements are targeted to sites where the target audience is most likely to see them. They are placed at sites where they can be clearly seen and in areas which have maximum traffic. For example, our drink-driving billboards are mostly erected in provincial areas around the country. This is because drink-driving is a big problem in rural NZ.

All print advertisements are placed according to their target audience, eg our rural alcohol print ad was placed in provincial papers and regional print runs of The Herald.

What methods are used to make the advertisements effective?

All of our advertising is highly researched and tested with the target audience from concept stage through to the end product. Before an advertisement is produced, crash data and attitudinal surveys are used to develop the advertising brief. This brief defines the target audience and the issues that need to be addressed. All of our advertisements are approached and evaluated independently so that we focus on what will work for specific audiences.

How do you decide what language to use in your advertising?

All of our advertising is highly researched and tested with the target audience from concept stage through to the end product. The vernacular in each advertisement is targeted to its specific audience so they can relate to it, eg the rural alcohol advertisement uses the tagline 'If you don't drink and drive, you’re a bloody legend.' The word 'legend' is the everyday language that this audience tends to speak.

Once you have completed a television advertisement, who checks that the information is correct and accurate?

Land Transport NZ commissions, researches and signs off each advertisement using the following process:

• research and crash data are used to develop an advertising brief
• all advertising concepts are tested with the audience and adjusted as necessary to ensure the correct message is being taken out
• the advertisement is produced
• once filmed, the advertisement is again tested with the audience to ensure that the correct message is being taken out
• the advertisement is finalised and goes to air.

How well do the campaigns work?

Independent evaluations have assessed that since the road safety advertising campaign (in support of police enforcement) began in 1995, the campaign has directly contributed to the saving of more than 300 lives on our roads. In 2002, advertising helped to achieve the lowest road toll since the campaign began in 1995.

["An evaluation of the Supplementary Road Safety Package July 1995 to June 2000", by M Cameron, J Guria and J Leung, published LTSA, November 2002.]

What legislation do you have to work within when advertising, eg the broadcasting standards authority?

We adhere to the guidelines of the Advertising Standards Authority's Advertising Codes of Practice. Because of the graphic and highly emotive nature of many of our advertisements, it is important that they are scheduled at appropriate times. This is especially important where children are concerned. The independent Television Commercial Approvals Bureau has the task of classifying road safety ads and recommending appropriate screening times.

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Last updated: 19 November 2005