’Floods don’t just happen to other people’ is the central theme of
a new pounds 2 million campaign created by Circus for the Environment
Agency.
The campaign aims to make flooding an important national issue and to
encourage people who live in high-risk areas to take steps to protect
themselves. The move follows widespread criticism of the agency last
spring, after floods hit 4,500 homes causing pounds 400 million worth of
damage and killing five people. The agency was condemned for failing to
alert people when rivers in the Midlands, Thames area, East Anglia and
Wales rose higher than at any time in the last 150 years.
The campaign includes poster and radio advertising. The poster ads were
written by David Prideaux and art directed by Tim Ashton and appear on
paper that looks flood-damaged. One simply states: ’Floods don’t just
happen to other people’, while the other carries the line: ’This poster
is at risk from flooding.’ Both ads supply the ’Floodline’ telephone
number and the campaign also includes education in schools and a
website.
Media has been planned and bought by New PHD and has been targeted at
areas that are at risk of flooding. Dilys Maltby, a partner at Circus,
said: ’We asked New PHD to break the mould with this campaign by
breaking up the usual poster site packages, and selecting sites
specifically by the ’at risk’ postcodes.’
She added: ’We as a nation are not used to the idea of being at risk
from the weather. However, the risk of flooding is very real and is
growing, yet those who stand to lose most are unaware of this and of how
to protect themselves.’
