Better Helmet Standards for A Safer Vietnam
AIP Foundation is a global, non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing road crash casualties and promoting road safety in low and middle income countries. Established in Vietnam in 1999, the Foundation has offices in Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The Foundation partners with key, multi-sector stakeholders to advocate and support policy changes that improve road safety standards and education.
After passage of the Helmet Law in 2007 in Vietnam, which made the wearing of helmets compulsory, AIP Foundation has focused on the enforcement of motorcycle helmet safety standards and helmet quality as issues in Vietnam needing urgent attention. Up to 90% of helmets worn by Vietnamese road users do not pass Vietnamese standards. AIP Foundation wanted to educate and encourage the public to buy and use safe, quality helmets using a viral campaign strategy and compelling storytelling.
AIP Foundation wanted to have workable campaign proposals that could raise public awareness of road safety through the use of proper quality helmets, and encourage motorcycle users to buy and use certified helmets in Vietnam. Their aim is to support the enforcement of the helmet policy, influence social and behavioural change, collaborate with partners, and work with target groups (specifically youth and parents in this case) to promote road safety and save lives.
AIP Foundation needs powerful and creative insight that can lead to an impactful and engaging product, ready to travel across different media channels and spark engagement and conversation online and offline. While AIP Foundation value ideas and products which align with our existing communications work, we are also highly interested in innovative and creative ideas that challenge traditional thinking.
The more viral and creative the campaign is, the greater its reach and its ability to educate individuals to engage in safer, responsible behavior on the roads, contributing to the safety of communities. A good quality helmet reduces the possibility of severe injuries if you are involved in a motorcycle crash.
- Students worked in teams and produced infographics to capture and highlight the key elements of their public campaign strategy.
- Reports detailing the background, identifying pain points and key campaign challenges, and validating campaign strategies including channels and influencers, supported the public awareness campaign proposals.
- Primary and secondary research promoted the academic rigour of the project work.
- A key factor for consideration in the campaign strategy was the sustainability of the campaign effort.
- To ensure students were on the right track in their project work, a mid-term presentation to AIP Foundation was arranged, leading to new insights for both students and project clients.
- The final oral presentations demonstrated students' understanding of cultural influences, awareness of different stakeholder needs and expectations, and strategic recommendations involving coalitions, to promote road safety and helmet wearing in Vietnam.
"The research and marketing ideas that the SMU students developed were well thought out and innovative. Their approach was backed by extensive research and ongoing trends within the appropriate cultural context. A special part about collaborating with the SMU students was that their ideas were targeting their demographic. By including them in the conceptualization process, we’re better able to serve our communities." -- Mirjam Sidik, Chief Executive Officer of AIP Foundation
"This SMU-X Overseas virtual module fulfils the demands of academic rigour in exposing students to useful frameworks in stakeholder engagement, framing and strategic thinking while enabling them to better understand cultures, both organisational and national, of our client organisation in Vietnam, to better craft actionable solutions to real-life challenges pertaining to motorcycle helmet safety in Vietnam. As the course facilitator, I too have learnt a lot in teaching this module." – Elizabeth Su, Adjunct Faculty, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU
