Do you guys mind if I make a suggestion?
As some of you on here will know, I work in the petro/chemical industry and the company for whom I work has been subcontracting to one of the top three players in this sector for nearly 20 years now.
Previous to doing this I worked for nearly ten years offshore, again subcontracting mainly to multinational oil companies.
One thing i therefore have experience with is safety campaigns
.
Not only am i actively involved in promoting our own company's safety culture but also have to impress on our employee's the current safety demands of the oil company for who we are working.
What you have to appreciate when trying to convey a certain safety culture is that nothing resists change quite as much as an individual's attitude. This change is particularly difficult to achieve when no enforceable rules or regulation are set in place to act as a deterrent.
Something else to appreciate is that what you as Rib.net members are attempting to do will take a very long time. Just printing off a few t-shirts will have little effect unless it is a sustained campaign lasting months if not years.
This obviously requires considerable effort, not to mention considerable funding. If your not looking long term then there is very little point of starting.
From experience, putting up brash, shock tactic posters or printing similar t-shirts will also accomplish very little. People will see them the first day, maybe also the second but then walk past them as if they're not even there a few days later.
If i could therefore suggest something to you all it would be this....
You already have the ideal transport to convey your point and that is the "Rib.Net" brand. I would suggest you ask JK nicely if you could use the R.N logo and have it embroidered onto the chest area of nice polo-shirts followed by a small lifejacket and kill-cord design also embroidered on the back, an few inches below the collar. Below these two images would be something very simple like the word "Think!".......and that is all, nothing else.
Dark blue polo's with a contrasting yellow and red LJ and KC picture on the back about 100x100mm in size should IMHO work well.
If you make these desirable to wear, (The Rib.net logo on the front helps) people will want to buy/wear them. Make them discrete and good quality and even people with very limited boating experience will be agreeable to wearing one.
Your word will spread around much faster this way.
To give you an idea, i usually pay between £16-22 for a decent quality (Fruit of the Looms type) embroidered polo.
Do something like this and i might even be tempted to buy one!
Simon
Imogen
White Noise
