''I know what I'm doing": Communicating a safety message to change the attitudes and behaviours of older men

Drowning is an all too frequent occurrence in Australia where the climate is conducive to outdoor activities, and lifestyle and leisure choices often revolve around water. Males represent more than 80 per cent of all drowning deaths, and a third of all such incidents (34 per cent) concern people aged 55 and over (Royal Life Saving Society - Australia, 2016). Alcohol and illicit drugs are a contributing factor in many drownings, but the relaxation of inhibitions, lowered perception of risk and masculine dynamics of competence and autonomy also increase the risk. Even more tellingly, experience on the water does not lower the risk, with aquatic leisure activities not considered a risk by either experienced or inexperienced water users because potential negative consequences are not conceived as tangible, present or realistic. This is a key reason why social marketing campaigns targeting middle-aged or older men commonly fail to change behaviours or attitudes about water safety. This case study of the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia's 2014 campaign, "The Talk" - Reducing Drowning in People over 55, provides recommendations on how to design social marketing strategies that are applied across the social system, rather than just targeting the individual.