Who will look after Franky Slowdown one day?

The "Slow down. Take it easy" campaign has attracted a great deal of attention from the public and the advertising industry alike. It is also setting standards in the use of social media channels and is the top hit on WEmad.org in terms of fan numbers on Facebook (around 230,000).

The use of social media was planned from the outset, even if it was still largely uncharted territory for everyone involved when the campaign was launched in October 2009. Peter Matthys, who is responsible for campaigns at the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu), reports that he always believed in social media, but did not expect "that it would take off like this". For him, Facebook is now a "perfect platform" for communicating with specific target groups - in this case 18 to 30-year-old men who drive cars and motorcyclists who should pay more attention to the speed limits on the road.

The first season of TV commercials had barely finished when the iconic angel character "Franky Slowdown" already had 13,000 Facebook fans at the beginning of December 2009, a number that doubled every week from then on. David Schärer, partner at Rod Kommunikation and co-responsible for the campaign, attributes this to a clear, integrated strategy: the campaign popularized the angel character and the song "Slow Down. Take it easy" into the hit parade and thus into the car radios. However, it is not possible to explain exactly what triggered another significant growth spurt in Facebook figures last summer: "Viral processes can be encouraged with a clear strategy, but they cannot be timed precisely. A strong message outlasts any media plan." Schärer explains that it is not least because of the consistent implementation that the core message "Slow down. Take it easy" is well received and liked, which is why Facebook users like to decorate their own profiles with it. And that is why it is also clear to him that a brand that does not resonate emotionally has a bad chance in the social media sector from the outset. This is because the environment on Facebook is "highly competitive" and the large number of brands looking for fans has an inflationary effect. However, he is convinced that it is worth investing "not only energy but also money" in a social media presence.

While for many other social media engagements it is debatable which key figures are decisive for measuring success, for a prevention campaign it is simple: the more people take the step to join the campaign on Facebook, the better the message has been received. However, once lightning has struck, further growth is not guaranteed and must be earned: This includes regular messages from Franky, delivered in casual West Coast style in English and not with an admonishing finger. Schärer is convinced that when communicating on Facebook, one should not fall into hyper-activism and want to attract the attention of users with daily campaigns. This is why the accident prevention angel posts an imaginative and humorous contribution once or twice a week, which must be relevant to users and have a useful value. The work is always creative. For example, when an elephant escaped from the Knie Circus and went on a tour of Zurich on its own, Franky was on the spot on Facebook with a quickly produced triangular danger signal for elephants. So much so that a series of TV webisodes has now been produced with Franky, which will only be broadcast online.

Rod now devotes around 20 percent of its workforce to the day-to-day management of Franky's community on Facebook. Schärer is pleased that his client allows the agency to act largely independently here. When asked about this, bfu-Matthys says that this is not entirely unproblematic and requires a lot of time for briefings and trust in a good partner. But he praises the Rod people, who have developed a good sense of when to ask him about which sensitive topics. Because he knows: "Facebook is a fast medium and you have to react quickly."

The success of Franky on Facebook has led David Schärer to a new realization: Campaigns continue to run on social media platforms after the campaign ends. This is why clear exit scenarios are needed for future campaigns. Responsibilities need to be regulated and a plan is needed as to who is involved and how. Because it would be a shame to abandon the potential and simply leave it to its fate could damage the successfully established brand.

When it comes to the future of Franky on the internet, Peter Matthys reveals that the bfu wants to take over the "Slow down. Take it easy" brand after the end of the campaign and then manage it itself. The necessary know-how was not initially available, but has since been built up, and the bfu also has other platforms that already require daily support.

It is particularly useful for prevention campaigns if they can still have a lasting effect on social networks even when they no longer appear in the media. Matthys and Schärer agree that they have now laid a good foundation, but that the campaign will ultimately be successful if there are fewer deaths and serious injuries on the streets. It is therefore now a matter of working on people's attitudes, and this is a long-term process that will take at least three years. The bfu has therefore not only decided to adopt Franky and his Facebook presence one day, but also intends to extend the campaign, which was originally limited to three years with a budget of CHF 6 million, by one year "in all probability", according to Matthys.

Christoph J. Walther

Mini Case Studies

Topics relating to the professional use of social media are omnipresent. Much is new, and proven recipes for success are in short supply. This is why Werbewoche is publishing a series of mini case studies to provide insights into the daily work with social media channels and thus contrast the pure numerical statistics relating to fans and followers.
The article in this issue marks the start of the social media portrait series.