Consumers were caught unawares by the initial call as they did not realize that it was staged and as a result the call made a big impression on listeners. The follow-up discussion reinforced the message and also served to put the listeners’ minds at ease. This non-traditional use of radio was very impactful and engaged listeners, many of whom called the station, greatly concerned about the driver.

Although tangible effects in terms of a reduction of the number of people drinking and driving cannot be measured, the call generated a huge amount of interest with listeners phoning in to check the driver’s status. After the “hoax” was revealed, a lot of discussion on the topic followed on-air.