Students create collateral for safe driving campaign

Fitchburg State University students in Professor Kyle Moody’s social media campaign class spent the fall semester designing multimedia collateral for the Worcester County District Attorney’s public relations campaign to encourage safe driving for mobile phone users.

The experience was life-changing for the students and, according to District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., will also make an impact on members of the public who view their work.   

“The work you did here is going to save lives,” Early told the students when he and members of his team recently visited the class to review their deliverables for the “Eyes Up Phones Down” campaign. “This is the best work we’ve had from a university for our campaign. It’s tremendous, and right to the point. I believe it will influence drivers, young and old, to think about using the Do Not Disturb function on their phones, preventing accidents, making our roads safer, and saving lives.”

University President Donna Hodge said she was also impressed by the caliber of the students’ work.

“I am amazed by the thoughtful and powerful collateral these students created in collaboration with Professor Moody and the clients from the District Attorney’s office,” Hodge said. “I am grateful to the District Attorney’s team for providing our students and faculty the opportunity to engage in such an important, hands-on experience.” 

In addition to a traditional press release, the students created a variety of material for dissemination on social media, including short videos and graphics designed to demonstrate the dangers of phone use while driving, as well as illustrating fast ways to disable potentially distracting notifications when one should be focused on the road. The components vary in tone from chillingly serious to darkly humorous, but all convey a quickly digestible message about the dangers of distracted driving.

The assets created by teams of students in Moody’s class complement campaign that launched in 2020 with community partners including the city of Worcester, the Worcester Police Department and Safe Roads Alliance. While the effort was stalled during the pandemic, it was relaunched earlier this year with additional partners, including the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, American Automobile Association (AAA) Northeast and WalkBike Worcester. The campaign aims to further promote awareness of safe practices to manage road safety and decrease fatality due to distracted driving, according to the students.

“I think having the knowledge that these elements could actually be put to use in a public-facing effort really pushed me to give 110% of my energy,” said Alexander McLean of Randolph, a sophomore majoring in communications media with dual concentrations in film and video and public relations, social media, and advertising production. “I had never worked on a public social media campaign like this before, so to be able to do this for a class was an opportunity I couldn't be more thankful for.”  

“The most challenging aspect of creating this campaign was making sure it connected with all audiences while maintaining the seriousness of the issue but adding a touch of lightheartedness,” said Gabriella Cavallero of Leominster, a sophomore majoring in communications media with a concentration in public relations, social media and advertising. “We were always mindful of keeping it professional and addressing the gravity of the campaign. However, as we learned in this class, seriousness doesn't always resonate well with every audience. By incorporating a light-hearted approach, such as playful hashtags, we aimed to target a larger and more diverse group.”

The students said it was a meaningful collaboration.

“With the deliverables handed over, I am already looking back at this project with great pride,” said McLean. “The district attorney, the Eyes Up Phones Down clients, and President Hodge gave such amazing feedback and positive reactions that I don’t think I’d be able to find any negatives with our work if I tried. Not only that, but myself and another student have been in contact with them to potentially do another project with them next semester. That project would be another huge opportunity for me, and it's all because of this class and the work we all put in. From now and forever, I think I'll always look back at this project with great pride.”

Cavallero was also proud of the teamwork that created the campaign. “I will always look back at this project as one of the most useful experiences that I have contributed to during my time at Fitchburg State,” she said. “I am proud of how the class and I navigated through challenges that may have arisen, but also how we were able to maintain creativity while addressing a serious matter. This project will always be something that I can say I am grateful for and proud to be a part of.” 

Early told the students their campaign assets will be effective modes of communication as he seeks to prevent accidents related to distracted driving. “The whole reason I got into this job was to try to prevent crime,” Early said. “Life can and often does change in the blink of an eye.” 

Professor Moody was proud of his students’ work. 

“This class stood out to me because working with the District Attorney's office on this campaign allowed us to do some direct social good on an important issue within Worcester County,” he said. “The students saw the issue, stepped up to the challenge, and offered their best work while also keeping an eye on making the content fit to industry standards. Every professor dreams of a class like this, where everybody is firing on all cylinders and bringing their best to every meeting. I am very proud of every student, and have been lucky to see them grow so much over a short period of time.”