CANADA DISABILITY SAVINGS PROGRAM AWARENESS CAMPAIGN – PRE-CAMPAIGN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An advertising campaign is being developed to create awareness of the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the Canada Disability Savings Grant, and the Canada Disability Savings Bond, and to inform target audiences of its benefits and where to access more information. Three alternative creative concepts were developed for print and radio media. The purpose of the qualitative research was to pre-test the effectiveness of the creative concepts. The specific research objectives included:

• Assess the communication effectiveness of each concept
• Identify possible revisions to each approach that might improve its communication effectiveness
• Identify which are the stronger concepts

Qualitative research was conducted February 18-27, 2009 with three target groups: organizations that work with people with disabilities, caregivers/guardians of eligible people with disabilities, and eligible people with disabilities (people with physical, hearing, visual or mental disabilities were included in the research). For recruiting purposes, eligibility for the RDSP was defined as having claimed the Disability Tax Credit.

While the specifics of the perceived messages varied somewhat by medium, ad concept and individual, virtually all participants perceived the campaign as communicating that the Government of Canada is providing a savings plan and financial assistance that will benefit people with disabilities. The program was perceived as relevant and important both for people with disabilities living independently and for caregivers.

Both the radio (particularly David and/or Daughter) and print (particularly Montage) ads were very effective in getting interest in taking the next step of either calling or going to the website for more information -- virtually all participants said these ads would motivate people to get more information.

RADIO AD CONCEPTS

All three radio ad concepts were perceived quite positively. However, the preferred concepts tended to be either David or Daughter, because these ads were perceived as establishing an emotional connection with the listener, and as being more engaging and attention-getting. While Announcer was generally perceived as communicating information clearly, it also tended to be perceived as impersonal and not attention-getting.

David and Daughter were perceived as targeting two distinct groups: David was seen as directed to people with disabilities who may be living independently, while Daughter was seen as directed to caregivers. The difference in perceived target group was associated with systematic differences in which participants preferred each of these two concepts. Participants with disabilities tended to prefer David, as did Disability Organization participants who usually work with adults with disabilities. Caregivers tended to prefer Daughter, as did Disability Organization participants who usually work with caregivers.

Importantly, participants tended to think that each ad taken alone might exclude the other target group. That is, some participants said that adults with disabilities living independently might think from the Daughter ad that the RDSP, Grant and Bond are programs only for caregivers. Similarly, some participants thought that caregivers for children might think from David that the program is only for adults living independently.

Many participants suggested that both the David and Daughter ads should be run in order to ensure the campaign reaches both people with disabilities living independently and caregivers.

Participants did suggest some changes, mostly to the David ad. In that ad, the most widely mentioned issue was with the line, “It’s about helping my family, friends and me plan for my future.” This created some confusion over whether “family and friends” would also receive money, and some did not like that the person with the disability is mentioned last.

If the campaign plan allows for only one radio ad to be produced and run, there is a difficult choice to make. In this context, probably the safest choice would be Announcer: while it was seen as impersonal and not attention-getting, it was seen as speaking both to people with disabilities and to caregivers. The problem with running only David or only Daughter is that each tended to be perceived as not reaching the other target group.

PRINT AD CONCEPTS

Among all three target groups, Montage was clearly the most preferred print ad concept. The key strength of this concept was that it was widely perceived as including a range of types of disabilities, a variety of people, and both caregivers and people with disabilities living independently.

With regard to Montage, participants commented on three aspects of the ad in particular:

• Headline: Some participants liked the current heading, Long-term Savings for People with Disabilities just got easier. However, somewhat more liked the idea of using the headline in Parent-Child, instead i.e., Helping Canadians with Disabilities save for the future. The latter participants were not comfortable with the phrase “just got easier”, and felt that the headline in Parent-Child is a more clear, straightforward statement of what the ad is about.
• Picture Selection: The four pictures that comprise the visual component of Montage were key to the appeal of the concept. That said, some participants raised questions about the particular selection of pictures. These questions highlight the importance of being very clear on who are the intended target audiences for the ad, and ensuring that the selection of pictures represent the intended targets. The sorts of questions raised included, for example, whether the pictures over-represent caregiver-child situations relative to adults with disabilities living independently, and whether there should also be representation of deaf/hearing impaired people in the pictures.
• “Button” graphic: There was no clear consensus of opinion around the “button” graphic. Participants were split on whether or not they paid attention to the graphic at all. Those who liked it said it provides a useful “summary” of the ad and helps draw attention to the ad, while those who ignored it said it is largely meaningless to people who do not know what “RDSP” stands for.
  Participants were split on preference for the round versus square version of the graphic. Those who preferred the square version placed at the beginning of the first paragraph said this position helped explain the meaning of “RDSP”, as the Plan name is spelled out in the first paragraph. Those who preferred the round version said it was more effective in drawing attention to the ad.

The body copy was the same for all three print ads. For the most part, participants found the body copy to be sufficiently clear and informative to motivate people to take the next step of seeking more information. The most commonly mentioned issue participants had with the body copy was with the last paragraph which refers to the ages at which the RDSP, Grant and Bond can be opened or received. This paragraph was perceived as confusing, and a number of participants suggested it could be deleted.

OTHER RESULTS

Participants were presented with three alternative website addresses: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/disability (current address), www.rdsp.gc.ca (used in the ads), and www.disabilitysavings.gc.ca. The majority of participants in all three research target groups preferred www.disabilitysavings.gc.ca because they felt it was easiest to remember, particularly for those unfamiliar with the acronym RDSP.