Communication research: RDW

The number of cars with rolled-back odometers has been steadily declining for years. Nevertheless, odometer fraud remains a social problem that has consequences for road safety. Odometer fraud occurs when the seller of a car rolls back the vehicle's odometer. This often results in the car being sold at an inflated price. The buyer often only discovers later, for example after a few months, that important parts of the vehicle need to be replaced. This not only results in high maintenance costs, but also compromises road safety.

RDW launched its campaign against odometer fraud with the slogan "Don't shortchange yourself, ask for the odometer report," with the aim of further raising awareness about this issue. This campaign was visible during a number of flights on TV, radio, and online. To assess the impact of this campaign, we Campaign effectiveness measurement a Campaign effectiveness measurement .

Qualitative pre-test of the campaign

Based on qualitative research, in the form of group discussions at our office, the commercial developed by BOOM Communicatie was tested among the target group. For RDW, it was essential to know in advance whether the commercial would be successful and whether it would be perceived as appropriate for RDW. 

Campaign effectiveness measurement

In order to assess the effects of radio and television campaigns as accurately as possible, measurements were taken before and after the campaign. Among other things, the study provides insight into

• Familiarity with the phenomenon of odometer fraud
• Meter fraud in practice
• Familiarity with countermeasures against meter fraud
• Awareness of the counter report 
• Campaign recognition and the effect of the campaign on awareness, among other things.

baseline measurement

Prior to the campaign, a baseline measurement was carried out, which serves as a frame of reference for follow-up research. In the follow-up measurements, the results were compared with the baseline measurement in order to reveal the effect of the campaign.

Markteffect 's research Markteffect us enormously to increase the effectiveness of the campaign. Combined with our own figures on the final sales of odometer reports, the research provided a complete picture of car buyers' behavior. Our management was very pleased with this. A campaign without impact measurement is no longer really possible.”
Koen Peeters, Communications Team Leader at RDW

What did the research reveal?

Although awareness of odometer fraud and the odometer report is high across the board among the target group, the results of the baseline measurement show that there are specific target groups that could be made even more aware of this issue. In order to address these specific target groups in a powerful, tailored, and appropriate manner, the campaign has been further tailored to the focus group by the RDW and communications agency BOOM.

These nuances mainly concern the chosen media strategy and the use of stories from people who have been victimized by meter fraud.