PLANNING WORKBOOK TUTORIALMODULE 2

STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF A

HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM

FHWA Highway SafetyMarketing, Communications, and Outreach

Decision Support Tool

The Planning Workbook is designed to help you Plan marketing, communications, and outreach activities at the

product, project, and program levels. Think through planning decisions like a marketing and outreach

professional. Access knowledge and information relevant to FHWA safety

marketing, communications, and outreach.

In using this decision support tool, please keep in mind The tool is intended to provide guidance and help. Not all of the guidance or help will be applicable to your project or

program. Use what you can; there are no right or wrong answers.

CHECKLIST 1. BASIC ELEMENTS OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PLANS

• What are the major benefits of my product or program for the customers or partners?

• What are the major drawbacks (market barriers) for the customers or partners?• What's my message (how do I communicate the benefits and overcome the barriers?• Who are the customers or partners I must reach in order to effectively promote the

product or program? How can I gain input from them? What are the most effective tools and techniques for reaching them?

• What trade or professional organizations represent these customers? How can the FHWA work with them to promote this product or program?

• Who are the product or program champions? How can they help?• What is the plan for distribution of marketing and outreach tools, once they are

developed? What actions need to be taken? What's the schedule? How will distribution be tracked?

• How will I know when I have succeeded in achieving my marketing, communications and outreach objective? What is my goal? How am I tracking progress?

STEP 1: IDENTIFY OBJECTIVE

KEY QUESTION: What’s my chief objective?

Which of the three objectives below most closely describes what you want to achieve? Based on your answer, turn to the appropriate section of the workbook. If none of these selections appear to apply to your objective, contact your Communications and Outreach specialist for assistance.

Implementation of a Highway

Safety Product

GO TOTAB 2

What am I trying to achieve?

Increased Support for Roadway Safety

Programs

GO TOTAB 3

Roadway User BehaviorChange

GO TOTAB 4

MODULE 2

STEPS FOR PROMOTING INCREASED SUPPORT FOR

HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S)

KEY QUESTION: Who decides how great the resources will be for highway safety programs? Who decides how resources for highway safety programs are dispersed?

The officials responsible for deciding on support levels for the specific highway safety programs you are promoting are target your audience(s).

The decision-makers decide:

– The size of the highway safety program pie.– How the pie will be cut … the share that will

go for specific programs and jurisdictions.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

• State policymakers.• Local policymakers.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

The major audience sectors that decide how resources for highway safety are allocated and dispersed include:

There are many sub-sectors in each of the major policymakers sectors.

• State Transportation Agency CEOs.• State Highway Agency CEOs.• Chief Highway Engineers.• State Legislators.• State Governors’ Offices.• State Law Enforcement Policymakers.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

State Transportation Safety Policymaker Sub-sectors:

• Transportation/Public Works Directors.• Local Law Enforcement Policymakers.• City, County, and Regional Elected and Appointed

Officials:– Mayors and City Managers.– County Executives.– County Board, City Council Members.– Town Board Members.– Regional Council Members/Regional Transportation Planning

Board Members.– County, City, and Town Planning Board Members.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

Local Transportation Safety Policymaker Sub-sectors:

• Tailor the message appropriately.• Determine the best communications

channels to reach the user sub-sectors.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

One of the most common flaws in outreach plans is failure to target precise audience sub-sectors. Doing a good job of audience definition will enable you to:

The primary audience sectors and sub-sectors that I must reach to influence resource levels for highway safety programs are:

1. Audience: ___________________________________________________________

a.) Sub-sector _____________________________________________________________________

b.) Sub-sector_____________________________________________________________________

2. Audience: ___________________________________________________________

a.) Sub-sector _____________________________________________________________________

b.) Sub-sector_____________________________________________________________________

Tab 6: Guidance on Identification of Highway Safety Audiences, lists the major sector and sub-sector audiences relevant to highway safety.

Tab 7: Guidance on Information Needs of Highway Safety Audiences, explains the role of each group in highway safety.

STEP 2: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

STEP 3: IDENTIFY KEY AUDIENCE INFLUENCERS

KEY QUESTION: Who influences the decision-makers?

• Leverage resources for marketing and outreach.• Channel information to the best audience.• Gain credibility (the influencers often have more

credibility with their constituents than the Government).

Influencers are groups that provide information and/or constituent pressure on decision-makers. Generally, you need to reach both decision-makers and influencers to effectively promote increased resources for highway safety programs. Influencers can help you:

Ask questions such as ...

• What trade associations do they belong to?– Which committees and subcommittees have the most influence on my

potential customers?– Which major conferences and meetings do my potential customers

attend?

• What trade and professional publications do my potential customers read?

• Which websites do they use and trust?

• How can I tap into their peer exchange networks?

STEP 3: IDENTIFY KEY AUDIENCE INFLUENCERS, continued

STEP 3: IDENTIFY KEY AUDIENCE INFLUENCERS, continued

Sub-sector: ___________________________ Influencers: ___________________

Sub-sector: ___________________________ Influencers: ___________________

Sub-sector: ___________________________ Influencers: ___________________

Sub-sector: ___________________________ Influencers: ___________________

Sub-sector: ___________________________ Influencers: ___________________

The key groups, organizations and publications that influence my audience(s) are:

Tab 9, Guidance on Key Influencers of Highway Safety Audiences, provide relevant information, as does Tab 13, Guidance on Publications for Highway Safety Audiences.

STEP 4: COORDINATE WITHIN DOT

KEY QUESTIONS: What other FHWA and DOT offices and agencies work with my target audiences on related issues? How can we work together?

• Deliver more coordinated, concise, and powerful highway safety messages.

• Leverage resources.• Reach broader audiences.

Don’t forget to coordinate with other DOT offices and agencies to:

STEP 4: COORDINATE WITHIN DOT, continued

Other DOT agencies and offices that I need to coordinate with to develop and implement my product marketing program are:

Agency or Office: ___________________ Point of Contact (POC):_______________

Agency or Office: ___________________ (POC):_____________________________

Agency or Office: __________________ (POC):______________________________

Tab 10: Guidance on Highway Safety Roles of DOT Agencies and Offices, provides relevant information.

STEP 5: DEFINE PROGRAM BENEFITS

KEY QUESTIONS: What outcomes does your highway safety program promise to achieve? Why is the proposed program strategy better than alternatives?

• The cost-benefit ratio of your program.• Specifically how your program will improve highway safety in their

jurisdiction.• Why your proposed program is better than alternative approaches

for achieving the same benefits.

Before they VOTE FOR or BUDGET FOR highway safety programs, decision-makers want to know:

My proposed highway safety program will improve highway safety in the State or local jurisdiction I am working in in these ways:

I will use the following evidence to support these benefit claims:

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

STEP 5: DEFINE PROGRAM BENEFITS, continued

STEP 6: IDENTIFY BENEFITS FOR INFLUENCERS

KEY QUESTION: How do my program benefits relate to the agendas and concerns of the influencers?

• Investigate the current action agenda for each organization or group that you listed in Step 3.

• Consider how your program benefits fit with these action agendas.

• Where there are strong synergies, these groups are potential partners and allies.

• Reach out to them with messages tailored to explain how your program will advance their current action agenda.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES

KEY QUESTIONS: What is my program competing with? How can I leverage the synergies among apparently competing issues?

Highway safety programs compete against investments in:• Transportation construction.• Transportation operations, including congestion

mitigation.• Non-transportation investments:

– Public Safety.– Public Education.– Public Health.– Economic Development.

Roadway Safety is generally not at the top of the priority list of issues at either the State or local levels.

How can you make it easier for policymakersto justify allocating more resources for road safety?

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

• Recognize that seat belt use, drunk driving, and aggressive or distracted driving are important.

• Call for comprehensive roadway safety programs that address BOTH driver behavior and roadway infrastructure safety.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

Leverage widespread concern about driver behavior issues to promote engineering solutions.

• At the local level, public safety issues, such as crime prevention and emergency services, often rank as top priorities.

• Transportation agencies should partner with public safety agencies (law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS)) to promote roadway safety.– Preventing crashes frees public safety resources to respond to crime, fire,

and EMS incidents (instead of crashes).– Preventing crashes prevents a major cause of traffic delay, which improves

emergency response times.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

Leverage public safety issues to promote roadway safety improvements.

• Traffic incidents account for approximately ¼ of congestion on U.S. roadways.

• Incident-related delay causes more concern to roadway users than predictable congestion (peak period travel delay), because it disrupts travel plans.

• For every minute that an Interstate lane is blocked during peak travel period, 4 minutes of travel delay results.

• Preventing crashes prevents congestion.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

Leverage congestion mitigation concerns to promote roadway safety improvements.

Safe roadways…• Reduce congestion and travel delay.• Speed the delivery of people and goods.• Improve a community’s quality of life.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

Leverage economic development concerns to promote roadway safety improvements.

• School bus safety.• Pedestrian safety.• Bicycle safety.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

Leverage school safety issues to promote roadway safety improvements.

Partner with the educational communityfor safe travel to school…

Priority Issues in My Jurisdiction

How Issue Relates to Roadway Safety Programs

CONGESTIONHighway safety programs reduce the frequency and severity of traffic incidents, which account for about one-quarter of congestion on U.S. roadways.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Crashes cost society more than $150 billion a year and consume a greater share of the nation’s health care costs than any other cause of illness or injury. Reducing the frequency and severity of crashes will free medical resources for other health needs.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Reducing the number and severity of crashes frees law enforcement, fire, and EMS resources to attend other types of incidents. More congestion-free roadways increase the access of emergency responders to incident scenes.

EDUCATION

Safe Routes to School promotes student health and reduces school transportation costs. School Bus Safety programs reduce student injuries and death.

STEP 7: IDENTIFY COMPETING ISSUES AND LEVERAGE ISSUE SYNERGIES, continued

STEP 8: PLAN YOUR APPROACH

KEY QUESTION: How am I going to approach the decision-makers?

• Directly.• Through influencers.• Through champions.• Through publications

and presentations.

It is time to develop an action plan. How are you going to approach the decision-makers?

Decision-Maker Group Approach

STEP 8: PLAN YOUR APPROACH, continued

STEP 9: DEVELOP OUTREACH MATERIALS

KEY QUESTION: What outreach materials are most appropriate given my target audience’s information needs and preferences, the information I need to convey, and the resources available to me?

• Briefing points.• Prepared remarks.• Slide shows with text.• Brochures.• Exhibits.• Articles and web content.

What outreach materials will support your outreach program?

Outreach Materials Targeted Audience Sub-sector(s)

See Tab 12: Guidance on Selection of Market Communications Strategies and Tab 14: Guidance on Selection of Market Communications Channels.

STEP 9: DEVELOP OUTREACH MATERIALS, continued

• Look back at each step and list actions that need to be taken in relation to that action step.

• For each action, assign a responsible party (a person or group), and a time frame.

• Note where actions must be coordinated.

STEP 10: DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PLAN

KEY QUESTIONS: What specific actions will be needed to implement the communications and outreach strategies you have identified? Who will be responsible for each action? What is your timeframe?

In steps 1-9, you created the framework for your communications and outreach plan.

Step Actions Needed Responsible Party

Comments

Step 5. Program Benefits

Gather data to support benefit claims.

John Greenshades

Needs to be available by June ’09.

Develop success stories.

Paul Bunyan Start with Washington State, Idaho, Georgia.

Step 7. Relationship of Benefits to Priority Public Issues

Develop benefits talking points

Susie Smoothtalker

Develop PowerPoint Presentations

Susie Smoothtalker

STEP 10: DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PLAN, continued

For further assistance in developing your marketing, communications, and outreach plan, contact:

Janet EwingCommunications and Outreach Program ManagerFHWA Office of Safetyjanet.ewing@dot.gov202-366-8029