Public service announcement idea.

What_time_is_it

Sea_Shell said:

After COVID, I think many people are probably fed up to the back teeth of Government messaging, information and "advice".

To paraphrase GK Chesterton, when people choose to stop believing in government the problem isn't that they believe in nothing, it's that they believe in anything.

TheBanker

From the government's perspective, there's another problem.

Last week, they announced a package of measures which will cost this country billions of pounds. Yet despite this everyone's bills will be a lot higher this winter than they were last year. So to go on TV and say that despite this people still need to turn the heating down would be a difficult message politically. That shouldn't matter, but the reality is that it does.

That's why I suggested using the environmental viewpoint rather than cost saving. I think this would land well with younger people in particular although I know a good number of people don't care.

The other angle would be to explain the link between our electricity consumption and global gas prices, and that by consuming a lot of gas we are contributing to high global prices and therefore indirectly funding Putin's war. Again, a number of people won't care but some will. 

I was going to suggest a programme about how to interpret the OFGEM price cap and translate the 'typical household' into 'my household', but I realised they'd need to bring back the overnight Open University broadcasts to explain that one

YoungBlueEyes

Yep it's the whole leading a horse to water thing... but then there's a lotta people who need it spoon-fed!

I hope, if the gov do sort out a campaign, that it'll not be in the vein of the 70's 'do this and STOP DOING THAT!'  The environmental angle is a good one I think, with a background hint of 'high usage will keeping this situation rolling'.  More like an illustration of facts and how folks can help themselves, so they at least have the knowledge to change or continue with their actions.  If a sleb can do a video in a few minutes on their phone saying "look at me doing my make-up" and a squillion people buy those things and copy it, I'm sure something can be created with the same tone.  It needn't be over-bearing or authoritarian to work.

Re the younger generation - I wasn't originally thinking of the tiktok crowd, but something put out on whichever/all social media so that everyone has chance of seeing it and thinking about their usage would perhaps be helpful to a degree.  (I expect I'm stereotyping 'tiktok users' but you know what I mean.)

David Attenborough doing something Blue Planety - gentle and informative is the winner I think.  

TheGardener

I had a similar conversation about public information with my kids. I do think there could be something that could play across all media. Advertising works on repetition and tbf, the 'clunk click every trip' did work (albeit a bit difficult to mention that particular campaign these days...)

QrizB

Here's an American one from 1979:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZeY7k9ZlQ