The role of social marketing communications in influencing “Text and Driving” Behaviors: Theory and Evidence from an international sample

Abstract

Texting while driving is a dangerous practice
becoming increasingly common, especially among young people.
This paper aims to understand the role of social marketing
communication in affecting people’s driving behaviors. The
presented research compares the effectiveness of different social
communication styles (traditional or shock), formats (text
images, images, community initiatives and videos) and media
(TV, radio, leaflet, poster, web, social networks) in influencing
the use of a smartphone while driving.
We found that shock advertising has a significant impact on
drivers’ intentions about whether or not to use portable
communication devices (i.e. smartphones, tablets) while driving.
We also found that this impact especially counts for women. Both
risk self-assessment and risk propensity improve after exposure
to social advertisement. The strongest impact on recipients is
achieved through shock advertising when broadcasted through
online videos. Video advertising campaigns are also more likely
to be shared than others on social networks, especially in the
shock style advertisement. Finally, advertising through television
and social media appear to have the highest impact on drivers’
behaviors.
This paper offers some insights on how to design effective social
communication strategies in order to affect drivers’ behaviors.