The Chris Witty Video !

[Travelledtheworld]

Huge respect for Chris Witty dealing with a very difficult job.
But he isn't really the right person to front the Governments new video to tell people to stay at home.
Who would you use to get the message across to men, teenagers, deniers and other hard to influence people and what would they say ?

I think you're getting a hard time OP.

Just because he's the most qualified to issue the advice, it's doesn't mean he has the greatest influence on public behaviour. That's not a criticism or judgement about him, but a reflection of the diversity of the audience the message needs to reach.

It's common sense that a multi-channel, multi-spokesperson approach would have the greatest impact, but practicalities will restrict their options.

I get where the OP is coming from. Trust in the government is at an all time low. Whitty is a government representative, and has often failed to publicly stand up to the cabinet when they've made poor decisions. The only people that will listen to him are those that are already staying at home.

The government need to find a way to rebuild trust, and to engage with people who don't care anymore. I don't know what the answer is, but they need to do something urgently.

(I'm staying at home, respect Chris Whitty, so the video makes no difference to me.)

I think you’re on to something here!

Excellent idea and I think a musician or footballer someone who youngsters look up to.

@Orf1abc The CMO's role is not to publicly oppose the government. They have much greater influence by maintaining a professional relationship with the government, so that their advice is more likely to be heard and trusted by the right people. I'm pretty sure that Chris Whitty has disagreed with a fair few government decisions, but leaves the public opposition to others who are more able to express their opinions freely, such as independent academics. That doesn't mean he's not principled or committed to doing his best for the country. In government you can often (although of course not always) have more impact by operating behind the scenes than by going public.

But he is a straight, white, educated middle aged man.

So we need to find a gay, black, uneducated young woman? Any suggestions?

How can people stay at home if they have to go to work?

All the teenagers I know are sticking to the rules and not seeing friends or going to school.
It’s the parents of younger kids who are still having Grandma or Auntie collect little Billy from school and take him home in their car or you’ve got Doreen down the road who’s ‘only popping to Brenda’s house for a quick cuppa’ who are breaking the rules.
Big families out for a walk with their 6 toddlers in tow.

When I say big families I mean groups of multiple families! Not that I’ve seen the Radfords out with their gazillion kids

After Thursdays briefing I would use Simon Stephens. He left no one in any doubt what he thought and what they should do.

I actually don't think the idea of getting an influencer to reach the younger generation is stupid. Look at all the followers Lauren Goodyear got for being anti vax. Maybe we do need the anti anti vax influencer?

I agree about ethnic minority communities. They are very wary of white western medics. They maybe need a religious leader of someone they trust more?

What about signing, subtitles for HI, different languages etc.

If we want to educate the nation we need to reach the WHOLE nation.

Hmm I wonder how people would respond if it was suggested that somebody was not suitable to deliver a message they are qualified to give because they were black?

Are teenagers, young working class men, Covid deniers etc

Those people are complying near me. It’s the older people here, who are seeing friends here. My in-laws feel massively hard done by that we won’t meet them when their friends are still meeting their adult children. And then my friends. 30 year olds with kids too old for a support bubble, who are meeting up and saying it’s no different then being a childcare bubble.

How do you appeal to them? I don’t think it’s a rapper or an Instagram influencer - they got footballers to share the message last time who were then caught at parties, Grealish for one, who was caught less than 24 hours later. Instagram influencers have been flying round the world on holidays.

One of the people I’d have said was a close friend who now appears to have about 8 bubbles, based on her loose interpretation of the rules and her own risk assessment, is the only person I know who has had Covid, as has her partner. Not even that seems to have changed anything. And she’s been seeing her dad throughout, who is 85 and lives alone, and he’s fine despite them hugging... I don’t think there’s anything that will convince her it’s worse than her own experiences.

Even the death figure just seems so abstract now. What’s that phrase about 2 deaths being a tragedy, and 2000 being a statistic? We’re well passed that point for most people, I think.

I wonder if any of the people ignoring the rules even watch the news or briefings.

Purplethrow

“I wonder if any of the people ignoring the rules even watch the news or briefings.“

Very good question.

Interesting, round here the middle aged and up and sticking to it but 20s/30s neighbours etc are constantly breaking the rules.

Chairman Mao.

Our area is very wealthy and the teenagers are not complying. They can be seen walking up and down our street to the local park and commons. They also make a racket at night, returning high and drunk. I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s working class young men!

What a condescending suggestion. Chris Whitty is of course the right person to deliver the message. JVT is great too.

Communication 101 is start with the audience. Who you are trying to persuade, what did you need them to do. What arguments resonate with them? Who influences them?

It depends who the audience is. Chris Whitty is a great, credible, authoritative messenger who will persuade some audiences.

Others probably do need footballers and Dua Lipa.

As a pp said it's going to take a range of messages and messengers to reach the entire population.

I would not take advice on these matters from a celeb who had no clue what they were talking about and neither would any of my DC.

Eh?
Why is Chris Whitty not the right person? He's highly intelligent, qualified and knowledgeable. Who would be better?

Footballer? Can't think of a single one who has the right intellect to qualify.

I don’t think OP is denying he’s amazing. A lot of young people see him as ‘government’ standing next to BJ.

It would no doubt help if the people they look up to were to reinforce the message which is a different idea entirely from denying CW is great.