As an employee of AMS Safewalk, I believe that the service has really stepped up, largely through effective marketing.

In light of the recent sexual assaults on UBC campus, from a “business” standpoint, Safewalk has achieved the goal of growing new and current customer bases by improving satisfaction and raising awareness.

The cause for such a spike in demand was due to the sexual assaults on campus – all of a sudden, Safewalk had very high value to female individuals on campus who need to get around at night. From the perspective of an individual of Safewalk’s target market, the service provides a perfectly inelastic service (because people generally fear assaults), and it is free.

Again, looking at Safewalk  as a company (even though they are a AMS funded service)

They effectively used the 4 P’s:

Place: Call from anywhere on campus and get picked up, or go to the office at the SUB.

Price: Free. Students love free.

Promotion: Posters in every residence and many buildings, giant TV screen advertising, pamplets, boothing, news reports and newspapers, the service itself (walkers promote person to person advertising), and even on Translink buses (announcement at the end of the 99 prompts you to call Safewalk).

Product: Safewalk has incorporated more walking teams per night, longer operating hours, and even a car!

All in all, fear culture created the perceived value and Safewalk captured, communicated, and delivered the service that customers (people on campus) wanted, which benefited society at large.