According to this Prolific North piece, “See it. Say it. Sorted.” is one of the most successful public information campaigns of all time. Really?

Apparently so. According to this, “Since the campaign’s launch in 2016, reports to British Transport Police’s 61016 text service have increased more than eightfold to 255,088 a year – helping to improve the safety of travellers across the rail network.” And “Over 1 million 61016 texts have been sent since its introduction.“

Does it work because it’s annoying? Does it work because of alliteration? Or because of the rhythm?

We do have a tradition of bite-sized quirky wordage in British public information messaging. Let’s have a wordy geek look back.

Winners

“Charley says” – My earliest public information memory, that animated cat teaching us not to talk to strangers or play with matches. Simple, direct, unforgettable.

“Look Left, Look Right” – The Green Cross Code man telling us how not to get squished whilst trying to get a 99 from the ice cream van on the street. Peak 70s public service.

“Clunk Click Every trip”. Jimmy Savile’s (then a national treasure) seatbelt campaign with messaging that stuck and undeniably saved lives.

Then came “Just Say No” – imported from America but delivered here in the UK via culturally embedded influencers of that era – the cast of the 1980s kids’ show Grange Hill.

And one of my faves – “Slip Slap Slop” – not ours, but Australia’s gift to sun safety that somehow became part of the British vernacular too.

Losers

On the flip side, we could very easily forget the attempts at impactful public information messaging during Covid.

“Stay Home, Save Lives,” “Hands Face Space,” “Stay alert”, and “Eat Out to Help Out”.

In their defence, these messages were created in crisis. And maybe we were simply overwhelmed with messaging fatigue as we faced quite a bit of changing and often conflicting messaging, alongside the confusion for everyone over what was guidance and what was law. My biggest bugbear at the time was around Test and Trace which for me was really strong, simple, effective messaging but the world and his wife, even officialdom, kept calling it Track and Trace!

So, what makes for effective public information messaging?

The rhythm matters. Say it out loud and listen to the sound.

Alliteration can help: See it. Say it. Sorted. being a prime example.

Story arc: Is there a beginning, middle and end? Or a problem, action, and solution?

The stats on See it. Say it. Sorted. do seem to indicate some behavioural change, thanks to the campaign. That’s people actually doing the thing the slogan asked them to do. And because it works they’ve kept it. It’s just had a refresh. Same wording, but clearer and the phone number is “much more pronounced,” but they’ve kept that crucial three-word structure intact.

It’s my firm belief that See it. Say it. Sorted. is not that beautiful, or that clever, but somehow (thanks to a combination of all the above) it works. And if it ain’t broke…don’t fix it – just refresh it!

Do you have thoughts on public information campaigns that have shaped your behaviour? Or classics from the recent or not-so-recent past? Get in touch – I’d love to hear from you