Evaluation Report Leith Proxy Purchase Campaign. You re asking for it

Transcription

1 Evaluation Report Leith Proxy Purchase Campaign You re asking for it February 2017

2 Contents Page Introduction and background 1 Objectives and audience 3 Campaign delivery 4 Results 8 Discussion and recommendations 13

3 Introduction and Background The Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP) is a partnership of alcohol producers and representatives of the on and off-trade which collaborates to deliver joint initiatives to tackle alcohol related harm and promote responsible drinking across Scotland. The SAIP along with Police Scotland and North Lanarkshire Community Safety Partnership delivered a successful Proxy Purchase campaign in Motherwell and Wishaw in Proxy purchase is when an adult buys alcohol for a person under the age of 18. Following-on from the success of the proxy purchase campaign in North Lanarkshire, the SAIP was keen to test how replicable the campaign model is in another geographical location. Following initial discussions early in 2016, the Leith area of Edinburgh emerged as a potential site for a second pilot proxy purchase campaign. Representatives of SAIP had good connections with Police Scotland licensing team in the city and through work with the Edinburgh Licensing Form and the Edinburgh Community Alcohol Partnership. An initial meeting with local Police Scotland representatives took place to discuss feasibility of conducting a second pilot. This proved productive and as a result Inspector Anderson from North Lanarkshire was invited to give a presentation to on the operational challenges, successes and lessons learned from the Wishaw/Motherwell campaign. Based on this it was agreed the model could be adapted for Leith. However, while there is a clear issue in Leith around alcoholrelated disorder (the area ranks number 5 in Scotland in terms of the number of incidents), the police were unsure as to what extent proxy purchase contributes to this. Over a period of two weekends, the police conducted scoping work to give a benchmark for the prevalence of the issue. This activity involved community police and undercover officers of the Divisional Violence Reduction Unit. At a meeting held on 1 June 2016 to review the findings of the scoping exercise it was agreed that proxy purchasing was of sufficient weight to justify a campaign and, in discussion with other local partners, the green light was given for a second pilot campaign to proceed in Leith. A campaign group was formed and comprised primarily of Police Scotland, Edinburgh City Council and SAIP (led by the Scottish Grocer s Federation and Scotch Whisky Association). As with the previous pilot, engagement of local retailers in supporting the campaign was seen as key to delivering a successful campaign. The campaign focussed on the Leith T: Leith Walk, Great Junction Street and the Duke Street area. The campaign ran for two months over the summer period (July and August). A media launch was held on 25th July. STORY, the agency that developed the campaign creative, was engaged to adapt the campaign materials for Leith and source outdoor media. 1

4 Funding for the campaign was provided by the SAIP: 11,500. This was spent on producing campaign materials and securing outdoor media; supporting dedicated police resources to the campaign and a post campaign survey of residents in Leith to assess awareness of the campaign. 2

5 Objectives and Audience The objectives and audience for the campaign were the same as those set for the initial pilot in North Lanarkshire, which were primarily: To raise awareness that proxy purchase is a criminal offence which carries a fine of up to 5000 or up to 3 months imprisonment or both which would therefore lead to: Fewer actual/attempted proxy purchases of alcohol Less crime in the area Less antisocial behaviour/noise in the area And as a consequence it was hoped this would lead to a safer and quieter community. As this was the second pilot in a different setting a key objective was to assess the transferability of the campaign. The primary audience is adults, anyone over the age of 18 (including parents, older brothers/sisters and older friends that U18s will approach to buy them alcohol). These individuals may currently carry empathy with U18s and are unaware of the consequences of purchasing alcohol on their behalf. There was therefore a need to make them aware of the fine/prison risk and realise it is a criminal offence. The secondary audience was the U18 age group. They needed to be made aware this activity is going on as well. Some U18s brazenly ask adults to buy alcohol for them but are unaware of the consequences for those making the purchase. 3

6 Campaign Delivery This section describes what was delivered as part of the campaign. The campaign proposition was the same as that used for the North Lanarkshire pilot. Buying U18s alcohol is no laughing matter the consequences are not worth the risk. Thus, leading to the creative route: You re asking for it, which is a strong message with colloquial undertones. The creative agency, STORY, updated the campaign materials and related website to reflect the current partners, organised the production of materials and sourced the outdoor media, details are set out below. Website ( The website was updated to host the new partnership information ahead of the campaign start date. The site was set up as a basic reference point for stakeholders and partners to find out more about the campaign and download resources. It was not designed as a consumer facing tool to raise awareness of the campaign. There was no direct call to action on materials to visit the site. Campaign Packs and Retailer Engagement Campaign packs were produced and distributed prior to the campaign launch. Police carried out joint visits with City of Edinburgh Council officials to all 49 licensed premises within the target area of the Leith T distributing the campaign 4

7 materials and explaining the purpose of the campaign. A stakeholder briefing document was also handed out. SAIP also contacted there members in the area to encourage engagement and support for the campaign. Retailer engagement was recognised as a key strand to ensure the success of the campaign. The team revisited venues throughout the campaign period, with 187 visits made in total. The following quantities of campaign materials were distributed: 420 x posters 110 x door stickers 80 x counter top stickers 190 x window stickers Due to the high number of Polish residents in Leith area the police specifically requested that all assets be translated and made available in Polish. All campaign assets were available to download from the website. Outdoor Media Outdoor media used to support the campaign were street vinyls, clean graffiti and the large digital bill board situated on Leith Walk. Street vinyls and clean graffiti were used in the North Lanarkshire pilot. Sourcing outdoor media proved a difficult task due to the short turnaround time from the decision to go ahead with the campaign to the start of the campaign and competing for space with the Edinburgh Festival/Fringe events. Street Vinyls 7 x 3D street vinyls were placed at busy Leith locations to discourage purchasing for U18s. The 3D effect made it look like the cans were sat on the pavement drawing in the public s attention. Application was staggered across the campaign period to keep interest levels high with residents. These assets were also used for the media launch in conjunction with the digital billboard. They were in situ from the start of the campaign 4th July up until 16th September. 5

8 Clean Graffitti A graffiti stencil was designed to show where proxy purchasers had been caught. These are an eye-catching creative vehicle which worked as a last minute warning. The aim was to discourage proxy purchase attempts at these premises and to support the retailers. 3 x clean graffiti stencils were applied outside retailers after actual offences occurred and were visible from 24th August 16th September Retailers were approached by the Police prior to the stencil application to ensure they were on-board with the campaign Digital Billboard The digital billboard on Leith Walk was secured running every Friday evening between 8-9pm for 10 weeks (4th July 4th September). This was a high impact asset, with proximity to retailers, busy bus stops and footpaths. Social Media Facebook promoted posts on the Edinburgh Police page were targeted at year olds in the Leith area using a tongue-in-cheek message of a free taxi home. 6

9 An important distinction can be made between the creative aimed at U18s and the materials for adults. In all U18 targeted messaging we use the Don t ask for it tagline to discourage them from attempting to persuade adults to make a proxy purchase. With adults You re asking for it is used to drive home that they are complicit by making a proxy purchase. The first post was sent out on Friday 29th July, with the second post published on Friday 5th August. We were unable to use the emoji creative due to a rule in promoted post images that only allows 20% text. In 2015 this was not an issue, however due to increasingly strict regulations on Facebook emoji's are now considered text. Police Activity Police activity during the Proxy Purchase campaign, was delivered under Operation Savana. It had the threefold intention of: (1) Education by raising awareness of the offence of buying alcohol for under age youths; (2) Prevention - by reducing associated disorder; and (3) Enforcement - by targeting those responsible. Police activity focused predominantly on the target area during peak times Thursdays Sundays throughout the duration of the campaign. High visibility and plain-clothes patrols were completed to provide reassurance and to detect offenders. 7

10 Results Police Activity Police delivered a planned and coordinated approach during the campaign which significantly raised awareness of the issue, provided reassurance to the local community and resulted in a number of individuals being reported for licensing offences including proxy purchasing and selling alcohol to U18s. There had been no offences of proxy purchasing detected in Edinburgh in the past 3 ½ years and none in Leith. The outcome of police activity is summarised below: Four licensing offences detected including two proxy purchasing offences Two drugs offences detected Licensed premises visits: 187 Intelligence reports: 11 Stop searches: 13 Alcohol seizures: 3 Statistical Analysis The campaign period results were compared against July- Aug 2015: Reports of antisocial behaviour have reduced by 8% (35 less incidents compared to the same period last year). Reports of disorder have reduced by 25% (261 less incidents compared to the same period last year). Street drinking detection offences since the campaign started have increased by 150%. Serious violent crime down by 17%. Miscellaneous violent and disorderly offences (e.g. common assaults, drunk and incapable) reduced by 25.9%. It is important to note the proxy purchase campaign was the sole campaign supported by the police in the area over the period July- August Whilst the improvement in the ant-social behaviour statistics cannot be directly attributed to the campaign the increase in police activity and visibility resulting from the campaign has contributed to these improved statistics. Details of specific incidents are set out below: On the evening of Saturday 6 August 2016 a 28 year old female was charged with a proxy purchasing offence. She was apprehended after being seen to hand over a newly bought bottle of vodka to a group of four girls (aged 14 to 16 years old). The female purchased the alcohol on Albert Place, Edinburgh. Having purchased the alcohol the accused didn't immediately hand it over to the girls. She met the girls at a bus stop nearby. 8

11 On the 9 August 2016 a male was also apprehended for supplying alcohol to children near Brunswick Place, Leith Walk. A staff member at the licenced premises spotted the male supplying the alcohol and flagged down a passing Police Car. On the evening of Friday 26 August plain clothes Op Savana officers observed a 15 and 16 year old loitering on Lochend Road. One of the youths was seen to enter the store and leave a short time afterwards. They were stopped and searched and found in possession of two bottles of cider and they immediately informed the officers the alcohol had been purchased in the store. Both the seller and the license holder were consequently charged with licensing offences in relation to selling alcohol to U18s. Wider Campaign The media launch of the campaign, which involved a photo call with the three partners, was held at the Leith Walk digital billboard on 25 July. It was picked up by a range of print and broadcast media supporting increased awareness of the campaign. Evening News Radio Forth BBC Reporting Scotland Live Edinburgh News Edinburgh Reporter Asian Trader Convenience Store Spurtle The campaign media buyer was able to secure two additional insertions of the campaign image during this period, including the media launch photo call, giving the campaign an added value of 670. During the campaign digital billboard screen was viewed a minimum of 12,600 times. Campaign Materials Campaign materials were delivered to all 49 premises in the target area and retailers were encouraged to put them on display. An audit involving a sample of premises, eight in total, took place on the afternoon of Friday 19 August, seven weeks into the campaign. The aim was to assess awareness of the campaign amongst retailers and to check whether or not campaign materials were on display. Whilst awareness of the campaign was high amongst staff, it was not 100%. 9

12 Whilst a number of the premises had campaign materials displayed throughout the premises, others had no campaign materials on view. This was mainly because it had been replaced with other materials. Social Media The first post was sent out on Friday 29 July: 78,222 people reached 2,073 engagements 1,178 likes 302 comments 391 shares 12,923 post clicks 2,356 photo views 88 link clicks 10,479 other clicks The second post was sent out on Friday 5 August: 24,261 people reached 205 engagements 143 likes 32 comments 22 shares 1,301 post clicks 582 photo views 36 link clicks 683 other clicks Photo clicks, link clicks, reactions, comments and shares The social media results are impressive in terms of the response generated. Whilst we do not have the result to compare with the North Lanarkshire pilot, a campaign run by the SAIP in East Dunbartonshire to encourage consumer to ask for a 125ml wine measure, the initial post for that campaign reached only 6,299 people with only eight comments. Website results As noted above, the website was not consumer facing, but was designed to support stakeholders engagement with the campaign. Website views: 305, 92% of page views were from new visitors Ave time spent on page: 17 seconds 10

13 Peak dates/numbers: biggest peak was 25 visits on Friday 5th August which corresponds with the Facebook promoted post. There were also spikes on 18th July, 24th July and 3rd August each with 24 visits. Device breakdown Traffic sources: Top traffic source were organic searches, followed by Facebook Facebook campaign stats: 124 clicks to website Resources downloads: 77, an increase of 25 on the previous pilot Consumer Survey LJ Research was commissioned to conduct a survey of Leith residents post campaign. The aim was to: a) Ascertain awareness of the campaign b) Understand how big an issue proxy purchasing is in their view c) Establish if residents thought the campaign was useful in raising awareness of the issue of proxy purchasing. The survey took place on 15 and 16 September. A total of 129 Leith residents were interviewed. It is important to note the survey was undertaken to give a snap shot. The sample size was too small to show statistical significance. The survey found that there is evidence and indications that the campaign has made solid success in tackling proxy purchasing: The majority of those surveyed (59%) were aware of the campaign as they noticed either posters or pavement ads. Some 97% of those who noticed the campaign knew that buying alcohol for under 18s is illegal; this compares to only 64% amongst those who did not notice the campaign. The majority of those who saw posters/pavement ads prior to taking the survey thought that the campaign will detract people from buying alcohol for U18s in the future. 11

14 Male Leith residents and Leith residents aged between 45 and 64 were more likely to think that the campaign will detract people from proxy purchasing. This is important as these two segments were most likely to be approached for proxy purchases. Roughly a third of those surveyed believe that underage drinking (and the antisocial behaviour that follows) is an issue; however, a smaller share than that thinks that the problem has become worse over the course of the past 10 years. A copy of the full report can be provided on request. 12

15 Discussion and Recommendations Whilst recognising that proxy purchasing is a difficult issue to communicate, monitor and detect, this second pilot has demonstrated the You re asking for it campaign is transferable. It can be delivered in an impactful way in different geographical settings. This second pilot confirmed the messaging resonated with the target audience and stakeholders. Meeting with the North Lanarkshire police lead prior to the campaign operational launch enabled the Leith police team to apply key learnings; including engaging with premises before applying vinyls and stencils, and using a dedicated enforcement team. High partner engagement enabled the campaign to be turned around within one month from the green light to decision to progress with the campaign and the campaign start date. It also allowed for knowledge to be shared across departments. However, internal changes within Edinburgh City Council did impact the level of support and engagement across the duration of the campaign. Operation Savana was an integral part of the campaign and funding allowed the team to dedicate additional hours to this project. The campaign creative resonated with Leith residents, with both the street vinyls and social media gaining high levels of interaction and recognition. Differences from the previous pilot included producing campaign materials in the Polish language; the choice of outdoor media was limited as a result of difficulties in securing available space due to the Edinburgh festival and fringe events being advertised. Even securing bus advertising was not possible as it was not possible to guarantee campaign material in buses on dedicated routes through Leith. This confirms taking the campaign to other areas will require local conditions to be taken into consideration. What could we do next time? Whilst the campaign team only had one month from the green light to go to the campaign launch date, and successfully delivered on that challenge, additional campaign planning time is recommended. This would allow more time to for the engagement of community influencers including supporting businesses, key figures and community groups. Whilst engagement with parents via schools was considered at the outset, as it was an issue in the initial pilot where the designed engagement was unsuccessful, the lack of time meant that no action was progressed on engaging parents as part of this second pilot. It is an issue that should be addressed in future delivery of this campaign. 13

16 Active on going engagement and support to retailers in terms of support for how best to and where to display campaign materials throughout the duration of the campaign is recommended. It is recommended that a toolkit be produced for delivery of this campaign so that it can be offered to other areas where proxy purchasing is considered an issue. 14