Qualitative case study reveals safety ratings are secondary to price and reliability in car buyers, highlighting the need for targeted social marketing to alter purchase choices.
Key Points
Examine how behavioral research and social marketing frameworks informed a road safety campaign designed to encourage consumers to buy vehicles with higher safety ratings.
Conducted qualitative focus groups to explore consumer decision-making criteria and evaluate perceptions of vehicle safety.
Applied the COM-B model and the five-stage consumer decision-making model to identify behavioral barriers and test creative campaign messaging.
Consumers acknowledged safety as important only when prompted, with price, vehicle reliability, and model type spontaneously dominating purchasing criteria.
Qualitative findings guided the development of the 'Last line of defence' campaign to correct consumer misconceptions and elevate safety ratings as a primary purchase priority.