small talk saves lives - local government association
TRANSCRIPT
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Small Talk Saves Lives
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Overview
• Launched in 2017, industry-wide campaign in partnership with
Samaritans aimed at reducing suicides on the rail network
• Appealing to the public for the first time to help us prevent suicides (eyes
and ears of the rail network with 1.7bn people traveling by rail each year)
• Empower people to act to prevent suicides on the rail network
• Educate people – suicides are preventable, not inevitable
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Background
• Although railway suicides only account for around 4 - 5% of all suicides in Great Britain, the emotional, human
and financial costs are disproportionately high.
• A huge number of people can be affected by a suicide on the rail network - from train drivers, passengers and
station staff together with the family and friends of the deceased
• The average whole industry cost of one suicide on average is in the region of £275,000
• In 2018/19, 738,000 delay minutes were attributed to suicide events on the network
• To date, 19,000 rail industry staff have received suicide prevention training
• 8,161 interventions have been carried out across Britain’s rail network
• For every life lost on the railway, on average six are saved
• On average one life is lost on the railway every 36 hours
• The number of suspected suicides for 2018/19 was 252
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Why a bystander campaign?
Setting the scene…
• In 2017, the number of suicides on the rail network was at it’s lowest level
since 2010 (more than 1,500 interventions, knew they were making a positive
difference)
• But, on average 250 people a year were still coming to the rail network to take
their own lives
• Recommendation from Middlesex University research (in-depth 18 month
study) suggested that a bystander campaign could help
• Suicidal thoughts were temporary, needed to break the suicidal ideation
• Fear of intervention dissuades individuals from coming to the railway to take
their own life
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In 2015/16, around 364,000 delay minutes were
attributed to suicide events on the rail network. The
knock-on effect for passengers can be significant
Due to the disruptive nature, news of fatalities on the
line often prompt feelings of frustration from
passengers, and even apathy
Someone takes their own life on the railway every 31
hours, but over the same period, at least two lives are
saved
The suicide prevention training for rail industry staff has
had a huge impact, providing evidence of the positive
difference that interventions can make
Suicidal thoughts are proven to be temporary -
interrupting with a simple question can be all it takes to
release people from their suicidal intent
Need to challenge the misconception that suicide is
inevitable and selfish, and that people with the intent
don’t want help
55% say they are likely or extremely likely to approach
and speak to this person they notice in distress
The will to intervene is there for many but there are key
barriers that might prevent this attitude from translating
into behaviour
71% agree or strongly that they would notice if
someone was acting out-of-the-ordinary on the platform
i.e. appearing upset, in distress, vacant expression, in a
‘trance’
There is a culture of vigilance which means people are
likely to notice those in distress, so our campaign needs
to focus on driving action rather than increasing
alertness
Key insights that shaped the approach
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The Central Objective
Increase the number of successful
interventions on the rail network by
targeting potential by-standers
amongst the general public and
encouraging action.
A partnership approach
to drive impact
Daily commuter Occasional train traveler
Audiences
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Bystanders have the OPPORTUNITY, but psychological CAPABILITY (knowledge) was a barrier,
as was reflective MOTIVATION (confidence and intention)
We knew that MOTIVATION was absolutely critical – without that there would be no behaviour
change
We needed to focus on driving intent, so people could decide to act if they were ever in that
situation, while increasing knowledge about what to do/say
This would help shift people from ‘by-standing’ to ‘standing-by’
Defining the right intervention
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PLAN ON A PAGE
Mission
Insight
Intervention
Strategic
pillars
Reduce suicides on the rail network
Perceived frequency of
delays led to frustration
and apathy amongst
passengers
Many people feel like they
would act if somebody
looked in need but there
are numerous barriers that
could prevent action
Train passengers are put off acting
due to a lack of confidence about
what to say and an uncertainty about
what is cause for concern
Key barriers are: a lack of motivation – they have no plan, no confidence – and a lack of capability -
they don’t know what to say
Intervention: education through role modelling – playing back success
Humanise the subject for
rail passengers, taking it
beyond just the statistics to
increase
empathy/understanding
Focus on driving intent, encouraging
people to make a plan to act if faced
with the situation
Make it easy for people to act,
simplifying the ‘ask’ to increase
passengers’ sense of confidence
Celebrate the life saving
interventions that are being
carried out across the rail
network, reinforcing that suicide
is preventable
Knowing that they could make a
positive difference would encourage
people to consider acting
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Strategy
• An industry-wide, multi-channel campaign that aims to: role model behaviour; showcase the work of
the rail industry at large, and equip passengers with the skills and confidence to intervene
• Humanise the subject for rail passengers to take away from frustration caused by delays; focus on
driving intent and removing barriers that prevent action; make it easy for passengers by simplifying
ask and giving people confidence to act
• Continue to celebrate the lifesaving interventions that are being carried out across the rail network
and thousands of rail staff who have been trained in suicide prevention
• Use phased approach starting in November running until March/April:
1. Start a conversation and drive social engagement using a film of a recovered person
telling their story
2. Amplify the campaign via the media
3. Roll out campaign collateral in stations, on platforms and on board trains
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• Harsh reality for most commuters is that suicides are
faceless, inconvenient disruptions to their day.
• Forget that the people directly affected are people like us.
We wanted to remind rail users of this fact.
• Used a real life story of a recovered person who tried to
take their own life
• Genuine reactions of people listening to Sarah’s story
• Empower people to trust their instincts and act if you think
someone might need help
• If they don’t feel confident to act, alert a member of staff or
BTP officer, don’t do nothing
A short film to drive a conversation
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Campaign creative
Celebs and influencers
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Evaluation phase 1
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Moving the campaign on
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Maintaining Momentum (phase 2)
• Continue to increase the number of successful suicide interventions
on the rail network with a particular focus on bystanders in high risk
locations
• Timeframe was chosen so that we were raising awareness ahead of
the spring peak in rail suicides (historically rail suicides tend to peak
in April and October).
• Wanted to be able involve rail staff in activity to encourage them to
support the campaign. Hence a desire to create collateral that they
could distribute to local community.
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• Focussed on 13 high priority locations around the railway
network
• Supported with a digital campaign which ran for the whole of April
2018
• On ground activity took place at the target locations, and
surrounding businesses from the latter half of the campaign
• Activity was coordinated by the Samaritans in consultation with
TOCs
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Phase 3
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Educate and empower rail passengers to look for one another, and to act if they see somebody
who appears in need
AWARENESS of campaign
UNDERSTANDING that somebody in need might be considering taking their own life AND that
suicide can be preventable
KNOWLEDGE about what to look out for and what to say to somebody who appears in need
INTENT to act if they are ever in that situation
Phase 3: Campaign objective
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PRCA Digital Awards Best use of video
Best use of social media
Best use of content marketing
WON: Best Use of Content MarketIng
WON: Best Use of Social
SABRES EMEA Awards Not-For-Profit Organizations WON: Not-For-Profit Organizations
Communique Awards Excellence in Communication Through Creative Execution
Excellence in Media Relations
Excellence in Public Health
WON: Excellence in Media Relations
WON: Excellence in Public Health
Campaigns for Good Awards Public Awareness WON: Public Awareness
WON: Campaign of the year
PM Society Digital Awards Integrated channel campaign
Film
Innovation and creativity
WON: Integrated Campaign
The Smalls Film Festival Bitesize WON: Bitesize film
PRWeek UK Awards Planning, strategy and evaluation
Public sector
Not-for-profit
WON: Best use of planning, strategy and
evaluation
PRCA National Awards Not-For-Profit
Public Sector
Media Relations
Health and Well-Being
WON: Health and Wellbeing
Brand Film Festival Not-for-profit/Giving Back
Viral
WON: Not-for-Profit/Giving Back
WON: Viral
Bonus: Best of the Best
Brand Film Festival Not for Profit
Heart Strings
Healthcare
SILVER X3 - NFP, heartstrings and healthcare
AMEC awards Best campaign in the public and not for profit sectors SILVER – Best campaign in the public and not for
profit sectors
PM Society Digital Awards Integrated channel campaign
Film
Innovation and creativity
BRONZE - Film
Public Service Communications
Excellence Awards (GCS)
Public service comms excellence BRONZE - Public service comms excellence
Drum Marketing Awards Cause related marketing strategy of the year HIGHLY COMMENDED - Cause related marketing
PRWeek UK Awards Planning, strategy and evaluation
Public sector
Not-for-profit
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Public sector
PMEA Awards Award for Patient-Centricity
Excellence in Patient Education and Support
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Excellence in Patient
Education and Support
The Drum Marketing Awards Not For Profit
PR
HIGHLY COMMENDED: PR
SILVER OR BRONZE AWARDS x6
GOLD AWARDS x14
HIGHLY COMMENDED x4
24 Award
wins to
date!
