The aim of this report is to identify the potential for sustainable and successful road safety communication via influencers in social media, to present the current state of research and to derive recommendations. Against the background of the changed media use behaviour, it can be assumed that road safety communication today and in the future will no longer be able to reach its various target groups sufficiently via the classic media offerings. The extensive use of social media in all age groups and the growing popularity of digital opinion leaders, who as 'influencers' exert influence on their followers via self-produced content on social media platforms, are considered to have great potential not only for informing recipients but also for influencing their attitudes and behaviour. The successful use of opinion leaders in marketing and health communication suggests that influencers can also be used in road safety communication. While social media influencers are a relatively new phenomenon, opinion leaders in media and communication science have been extensively researched since their discovery in the 1940s. The findings must now be linked with social media research and examined with regard to digital influencers. The main target groups of road safety work, previous communication measures and findings on effects are presented. A fundamental change from classic media to online use can be observed in media usage behaviour. Influencers are mainly active on YouTube and Instagram, the field of influencer marketing has rapidly professionalized and commercialized. Potentials for road safety communication via influencers arise in all target groups, which is demonstrated by means of best practices and examples of different topic and format categories. Based on the research results so far, success factors for the cooperation with influencers, and further research needs will be identified. (Author/publisher)
Abstract