Influencer in der Verkehrssicherheitskommunikation: Konzeptentwicklung und pilothafte Anwendung

The aim of the study is to identify out success factors for the use of influencers in road safety communication. In a pilot project, the influencer campaign #wirgeben8 (German play on words: 'we do care' and 'we provide you with 8 tips') was developed on the basis of the current state of research, which focuses on the road safety of children for the target group of parents. The conception and implementation of the campaign were evaluated scientifically using a mixed-methods design. In addition to social media analytics, user comments were qualitatively evaluated, online surveys and group discussions were conducted. The #wirgeben8 campaign communicated the topics of children as pedestrians, children as cyclists and children as car passengers to parents of children of different age, via nine influencers with a five- to six-figure reach on YouTube and Instagram over a period of two weeks at the beginning of the school year 2020/21. Eight behavioural tips were conveyed in each case. The pilot project generates initial experience regarding the use of influencers in road safety communication. Overall, the #wirgeben8 campaign can be considered a success. Typical parameters such as reach and engagement are at or above comparable benchmarks. The evaluation of the online survey of followers directly after the campaign shows that the target group of parents was reached. The communicated content was rated as helpful or very helpful by almost all respondents. The qualitative evaluation of the user comments and the group discussions also show the very good evaluation of the campaign as well as the high relevance and acceptance of the communicated content. In addition, topics were identified for which there is a need for further information on the part of parents. The research results show that influencers can reach the target groups of road safety communication and develop their attributed potential: Recipients can be made aware of road safety topics by influencers during their everyday use of social media platforms – without actively searching for them. Influencers are attributed high credibility by their followers, which manifests itself in the factors of expertise, a high level of involvement, trustworthiness and attractiveness. The authenticity of the influencers is checked by the users on the basis of temporal and content consistency as well as authenticity references, whereby they are simultaneously granted the professional role as an influencer. Followers identify with the influencers due to a perceived social proximity and overlapping everyday experiences. An already short-term, self-reported change in behaviour can be observed when the users perceive the communicated content as directly relevant and corresponding to their own experience, and when the influencers themselves critically reflect on their behaviour. The use of road safety experts in #wirgeben8 videos is rated very positively, as they contribute their expertise and turn the influencers into learners. A para-social relationship can be observed between influencers and followers. The influencers succeed in activating their followers by means of questions and interactive story elements; to a large extent, they were also able to motivate them to participate in an online-survey. Users expect influencers to live up to their role as content creators and to implement the content in an emotional, narrative, entertaining and creative way. The test persons attribute an influence to influencers and are convinced that they are suitable for conveying traffic-safe behaviour. The intended campaign effects in terms of knowledge, attitudes and behavioural relevance were achieved. The formative evaluation shows that the selection of influencers for a road safety campaign is of central importance. Against the background of the developed concept and the practical experiences of the pilot project as well as the findings of its formative evaluation, recommendations for action for the use of influencers in road safety communication as well as starting points for further specific research needs in this field are derived.