Talk: Nudge, Shove or Shock? 100 Years of Public Health & Safety Messages
Review
On 17th June Alex Aiken, Executive Director of the Government Communications Service, spoke on 100 Years of Public Health and Safety Messages at the Museum of Brands. The talk centred around the three phases of public service marketing motives across the past century, moving chronologically to view marketing tactics that shoved, shocked, and of recent, nudged. Beginning with the creation of the printing press and the democratisation of information distribution, Aiken took us to the present, where new mediums of reaching the public must be explored as technology redevelops accessibility.
Aiken delivered a human centric view of marketing, encouraging the integration of public participation in developing a marketing campaign. Conversation focused on the honour of serving the public, and the sense of duty to fellow citizens’ wellbeing.
A lively Q&A followed, in which audience members considered topics including future uses of AI and what government marketing must address in the near future. The large audience included representatives from the NHS, the Civil Service, M&C Saatchi and Forster. Mr Aiken finished by impressing upon the audience the importance of building trust through marketing, and a future in which the main goal of public service marketing is building unity between citizens.
The Museum’s professional development programme is generously supported by The Marketors’ Trust @marketors
