Tuesday 30th August 2005

Scamera ads cost £60,000

Publicity has failed, says local MP

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How much publicity do scameras need?

Speed camera partnerships in Essex coughed up over £60,000 for adverts in toilets and other marketing efforts last year. As a result, Chelmsford's MP has called for an inquiry into the county's speed camera partnership's efforts, which he described as unsuccessful, as he hadn’t seen any of the expensively disseminated messages.

The money was spent on hiring a PR company, even though the local council's media department was available for use by the partnership, according to a report in the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT). Chelmsford West MP Simon Burns asked why the work could not have been done in-house.

The PR company, Stennik Advertising, won a three-year contract to cdevelop 'innovative campaigns' to pump out the message that 'speed kills'. It came up with key-rings, carrier bags, pens and car tax disk holders, according to the EADT.

The partnership said that key-rings were especially useful because they were always in the car and acted as a reminder of its message. The EADT also revealed recently that Essex police officers raked in over £500,000 annually in overtime for manning the mobile camera operations.

• www.eadt.co.uk

[chris_crossley]

£60k was probably the PR companys fee. They don't actually have to print the stuff. Just design the campaign and send it back to the client. I assume there would be extra dosh to actually do the deed of puting up posters in the loo. On the upside it gives you somthing to aim at :D

[jasandjules]

I prefer to aim at the SCP chief......

[chimyellow]

chris_crossley said:

£60k was probably the PR companys fee. They don't actually have to print the stuff. Just design the campaign and send it back to the client. I assume there would be extra dosh to actually do the deed of puting up posters in the loo. On the upside it gives you somthing to aim at

So with the actuall printing and distribution costs this failed publicity stunt will have probably cost more than re-designing a (small) accident black spot which would have saved lives in the long term..... and they say that they are not just after money!

[apache]

chimyellow said:

chris_crossley said: £60k was probably the PR companys fee. They don't actually have to print the stuff. Just design the campaign and send it back to the client. I assume there would be extra dosh to actually do the deed of puting up posters in the loo. On the upside it gives you somthing to aim at So with the actuall printing and distribution costs this failed publicity stunt will have probably cost more than re-designing a (small) accident black spot which would have saved lives in the long term..... and they say that they are not just after money!

The EADT also revealed recently that Essex police officers raked in over £500,000 annually in overtime for manning the mobile camera operations".


indeed
"

[BliarOut]

If they don't spend it, they have to give it back... I think you can work out why they are spending like it's going out of fasion. How much would £60K buy in terms of engineering out an accident black spot?

[woodlands]

Bearing in mind the £500,000 in overtime for Essex, is it possible to see how much overtime was paid for police efforts in capturing/investigating murders, theft etc.

I have come to the conclusion that money spent by the government on Speed measures is actually seen as an investment with an expected pay-back, ROI etc, rather than an actual investment in saving lives.

[streaky]

"The pratnership said that key-rings were especially useful because they were always in the car ..."

Hmm! I'm not too sure that the insurers would look favourably upon that! - Streaky

[Mr Whippy]

Yup, I look at my keys while driving all the time

Infact the only time I SEE my keys is when I'm NOT in the car.

Dumbasses.

Dave

[chim666]

I had some email correspondence with the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership recently, and this is what they proudly told me ....

"This Safety Camera Partnership alone spent £250,000 last financial year on advertising in the press, motorcycle magazines, radio etc."

[aston67]

"coughed up over £60,000 for adverts in toilets"

I never saw toilet paper costing so much in my life!

A67

[tonyhetherington]

I spent some time recently with Kent's camera partnership, and lots of the advertising they have recently taken up I fully applaud.

For example, it educates on speed limits. While I wholeheartedly agree with the mis-communications offered by some partnerships, the speed education posters (as an example) are a VERY good thing.

But, bit of a weird one above though - seems an outside company was brought in to do something which could have been created in house!? (did I read that right?)

[SPRITERACER]

Current radio add in Bristol says "Save your speed for the track"

Made me wonder where the free, council provided, partnership maintained, race track is located, can't seem to see it on any maps...............

[rbryant]

What speed education posters did you have in mind? I have only seen blind prejudice and misinformed or misleading statistics from these people on the subject of speed for many years now.

[apache]

why can't the overhead information signs on motorways be used?

OVERTAKING? NO? MOVE OVER TO THE LEFT YOU DORK!

DON'T TAILGATE OR YOU'LL GET A FAT LIP

DRIVING AT 50MPH DOESN'T MAKE YOU SAFE

SWITCH YOUR FOGS OFF....YOU LOOK AN ARSE

IS IT DARK? WELL PUT YOUR BLOODY LIGHTS ON

MERGE IN TURN....IT AIN'T DIFFICULT

[james_j]

Anyone would think they were running a business...

[chris_crossley]

james_j said:

Anyone would think they were running a business...

NO there just covering there costs. Private jet, Plush office, Holidays to see how they control speed in Monaco e.t.c
It's expensive stuff you know but worth the -20 lives it saved last year

[tonyhetherington]

rbryant said:

What speed education posters did you have in mind?

As an example, this one...

[sgt^roc]

tonyhetherington said:

rbryant said: What speed education posters did you have in mind? As an example, this one...

not so a chap just go off even when there were sreet lights about,,,