Bray Leino keeps Highways Agency's Traffic Officers up-to-date

We were asked to develop a communications tool to keep traffic officers up-to-date. We have now published nine issues of Traffic Incident Management, a quarterly magazine that has won praise for its effectiveness.

The brief

The Highways Agency’s Traffic Officer Service employs 1,400 people, responsible for more than 2,000 miles of England’s motorways and trunk roads. Our trainers first started to work with the service before its 2004 launch –and now the Bray Leino BroadSkill group handles the full range of marketing communications work for its Traffic Learning Centre (TLC). In 2006 the TLC asked Bray Leino PR to develop a continuous professional development communications tool.

The challenges

Bray Leino was asked to develop a communications tool that would inform and share good practice as well as entertaining and providing a forum for discussion. However it was important that the product was not overtly perceived by recipients as a learning tool.

The solution

We developed Traffic Incident Management magazine, which not only covers issues from new technology to real life case studies, briefing on best practice, procedures and legislation for traffic officers but also stands out for its use of contemporary and eye-catching design and photography.The magazine’s content is planned by an editorial board, which it includes members of the TLC, a senior traffic officer and a mix of traffic officers.It goes through a robust approvals process to ensure consistency and top-quality editorial content.

The execution

We now write, edit and print Traffic Incident Management magazine four times a year. The magazine includes educational articles, shares good practice and provides a forum for readers to express their views on important tissues.Each quarter 2,000 copies are distributed through the service’s seven regional centres and motorway outstation network.

The verdict

“The TIM magazine is without doubt achieving its objectives as a highly effective vehicle for sharing learning among traffic officers,” said Laura Bird, TLC communications manager. “It has become a very well-read publication which has a high level of reader interaction.”

• We first started working with the Traffic Officer Service before it was launched in 2004.
• The Traffic Incident Management magazine is part of a broad range of marketing communication work we do for the Traffic Learning Centre.
• In an evaluation survey, 76% of Traffic Officer Service members said their overall impression of Traffic Incident Management magazine was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
• 55% said it was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ as a learning tool.
• 75% said its design was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
• Traffic Incident Management is printed on 75% recycled content paper.