In December 2014 I attended the annual South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission Zone Emergency Management Symposium to discuss market research. The session I presented had been designed to address gaps indentified from previous symposiums - how to communicate all hazard risks to the public, exploring how marketing theory and strategy could inform risk communication.
I opened the session, and presented an overview of how social marketing theory has been used to guide communication strategies in community campaigns. John McClaryn from Black Sheep Advertising followed me, presenting a practical perspective by discussing the marketing strategy used for the current CFS advertising campaign and drawing on experience from previous campaigns.
A workshop was then held, facilitated by SAFECOM Zone Emergency Risk Management System Project Manager Liz Connell, exploring how marketing theory and practice could be used to personalise risk communication for the community.
It was great to be involved in the symposium with agency end users, and I hope that the event created an opportunity for South Australian emergency management practitioners to develop more cohesive, evidence-based communication tools and strategies.