Accidents in the home are the biggest cause of injuries to children under five with 500,000 every year attending hospital - yet the majority of these mishaps are preventable.
The Department of Children Schools & Families (DCSF) briefed us to communicate to parents (especially disadvantaged parents) the potential accidents that could happen in the home.
Using Child Safety Week (22-25 June 2009) as a hook we counteracted complacency and preconceptions that child safety is ‘common sense’ by focusing on new risks such as hair straighteners to provoke surprise and action. We recruited a popular young mum Tina O’Brien to deliver sensitive messages via a familiar face who understood mum’s world.
Results included 149 pieces of coverage with 65 radio interviews and three prime-time TV slots, plus 50,000+ hits on the Child Safety Week website.
Our campaign reached 43% of UK parents, and one in 10 parents took action to improve child safety.