Business Case: AT&T's "It Can Wait" Campaign against Distracted Driving Launched in 2010, AT&T has used the power of traditional and social media to change the way that people think and act about using their phones while driving. The It Can Wait campaign has grown over the years into a multipronged approach to reach new and experienced drivers from multiple age groups. Specific strategies that have been used during the life of the campaign so far include the following: Online resource center The campaign website (itcanwait.com) features downloadable resources and informational material for individuals, schools, and business organizations. The site also contains posters, educational guides, and fact sheets as well as links to videos and public service ads created for television. Recent additions to the site include an immersive, 360-view simulation of distracted driving, links to the DriveMode app (see below) and information about the organization's VR tour, which uses the VR technology to illustrate the dangers of dis- tracted driving. Traditional media Campaign slogans "It can wait" and "No text is worth dying for" were incorporated into advertisements in print media, television, radio, and billboards. Television ads in particular were noted for their ability to convey the dramatic and emotional impact of fatal accidents resulting from dis- tracted driving. Social media Multiple social media platforms were used to pro- mote the campaign's message against distracted driving. Social buttons on the campaign's website are used to post anti-distracted-driving messages to a user's Facebook page and Twitter feed. These same messages provided links to the campaign website, encouraging people in the user's network to visit the site and learn more about the issue. The hash tag #ItCan Wait has been appended to messages on Twitter and other social media platforms, resulting in over a bil- lion impressions during the life of the campaign. Almost 130,000 people follow the campaign's Twitter handle, @ltCanWait. The campaign actively monitors and responds to tweets sent to @ltCanWait as well as messages with the #ItCan- Wait hashtag. Television ads and videos created specifically for social media have received over 6 million views on YouTube. A documentary about distracted driving by famed director Werner Herzog has over 3.3 million views on YouTube. Campaign advocates regu- larly share these videos with their social networks on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Online pledges To further increase engagement with various audiences, people are encouraged to make a pledge on the cam- paign website to never engage in distracted driving. To increase public commitment to their pledges, people can post a "pledge picture" declaring their support of the #ItCanWait movement. So far, over 14 million people have made the pledge. After making their pledge, people can post it to Facebook and Twitter. Research has shown that people are more likely to follow through on public commitments. The DriveMode app AT&T created a smartphone app that allows users to customize auto-generated messages that are sent in response to any texts the user receives while driving. The app has been downloaded 10 million times. While the app receives generally positive reviews, comments on the apps download sites report a range of concerns including functionality issues that have caused users to abandon the app. AT&T also makes a commercial version of the app for business organizations that want to dis- courage employees from distracted driving during work. Social support and advocacy All AT&T employees take the pledge and encourage every customer they speak with to take the pledge as well-that's 500,000 a day. In addition, the cam- paign has received public support from over 1,500 organiza- tions across the United States and numerous celebrities have attended promotional events for the campaign and use their social media networks to express support for the campaign and its message. VR Simulator The organization sponsors hundreds of events across the country each year where people have the opportunity to experience distracted driving in a 3D VR simulator developed by AT&T. Users sync their phones with the simulator, which then challenges them to operate a vehicle while reading and sending texts, with predictable outcomes. The organization regularly collects data to evaluate the impact its efforts are having on distracted driving across the country. Some positive signs include the fact that more people are more aware of the dangers of texting and driving, and most people now agree that it is unsafe to text while driving. Preliminary research in a small number of states suggests a correlation between ItCanWait campaign activities and a reduction in distracted-driv- ing-related accidents. Questions 1. Visit the campaign website at itcanwait.com. After reviewing the website, describe which features you think are the most effective in terms of reducing the likelihood that people will engage in dis- tracted driving. 2. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff identified five key strategic prior- ities that companies should focus on to leverage the ground- swell. Describe how the It Can Wait campaign has made use of the "Energizing" strategy described by Li and Bernoff. 3. Describe how the It Can Wait campaign has engaged in the "Listening" strategy described by Li and Bernoff. 4. Describe how the It Can Wait campaign has engaged in the "Talking" strategy described by Li and Bernoff. 5. Describe how the It Can Wait campaign has engaged in the "Sup- porting strategy described by Li and Bernoff. Sources: Herzog (2013), Schlackman (2014), AT&T (2016), Governors Highway Safety Association (2016), Kaker (2016).