Greetings!
New York City is launching a new campaign to change a behavior and stop individuals from leaving their cars on idle in order to fight pollution and decrease health risks. Some constituents have a reputation of leaving their car on idle while they drop off the kids at school or are running errands. Apparently, this is a big issue in NY because of the hazards that it promotes.
The health issues include asthma, the possibility of increased risk of heart disease and cancer. The part that is surprising is that they chose a peripheral route by choosing Billy Idol, and the tagline is a play with words “Billy Never Idles,” get it?
The blended mix of marketing is consistent across media meaning the messaging is the same on billboards, radio and social media ads. The campaign has a $1 million-dollar budget that is being funded primarily by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Cialdini (2008) states that one of the principles of social influence is authority or liking; my concern is that Idol is not an authority on the subject (he admits he rides on motorcycles and does not drive) and is he still relevant to audiences for it to fall under the Ciadini’s liking principle?
What do you guys think? Does this speaker match the message? Who would you have chosen as a spokesperson?
Thank you for your time, always a pleasure!
Gabe Orozco
Cialdini, R.B. (2008). Influence: Science and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson Press.
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