Our video, featuring Highways Manager Jon Fraser, was released last week. It has been widely well received, and cost was relatively little at £800, provided by our contractor rather than from public funds. We made sure we spent it working with local filmmaker. It took just a day and a half to make. Given the video’s ongoing success with getting its message across, with over 11,000 views and rising, we felt it was time and money well spent.
There’s no question of communicating what we do as an authority to residents not being necessary, but in this instance it has been the way in which we have done it which has generated much more feedback, both positive and negative, than the other ways in which we do this communicating. Which is exactly why we did it.
By creating content which engaged people’s interest by giving them a talking point, we have been able to get our message about reporting potholes (an otherwise uninspiring topic) much further than we could have done through any traditional communications channels, or even through a series of lacklustre tweets or blog posts on the subject. We needed a new way of getting that message across.
Inspired by Torfaen County Council’s example we have created a video which does exactly that. Feedback on the video has been hugely positive, and even those who had criticisms are still better informed about reporting potholes than they were beforehand.
Although it may appear lacking in seriousness, opening this information up to a new way of communicating means it is reaching more people, and engaging their interest. Providing information about our services in ways which do this is essential, and is really quite serious indeed.
Here’s my interview earlier with Mick in today’s DigitalLunch session:
Marketing and Business Development Officer at Worcestershire County Council. Interested in digital and social media. Lover of cats and Mariah Carey.
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