The ABCs of Media Campaign Success

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The ABCs of Media Campaign Success

• Renée Bator, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor
• Psychology Department
• State University of New York, Plattsburgh

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The ABCs of Media Campaign Success

• Audience must be evaluated
• Personal Norm Against Littering Survey

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My personal obligation to not litter is

• Do you feel a personal obligation to not litter
  when you are holding an empty soft drink can and
  there are no trash cans available?
• Do you feel a personal obligation to not litter
  when you are holding a gum wrapper and there are
  no trash cans available?
• Do you feel a personal obligation to stop and
  pick up a piece of scrap paper that you
  accidentally drop because you are in a hurry?
• Do you feel a personal obligation to stop and
  pick up a piece of scrap paper that blows off a
  big stack of papers that you are carrying in both
  arms?
• Do you feel a personal obligation to not litter
  when it is dark outside and nobody could have
  seen if you littered?

Survey devised by Cialdini, Kallgren, Reno
(1991)
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The ABCs of Media Campaign Success

• Audience must be evaluated
• Personal Norm Against Littering Survey
• Build an initial message plan
• Focus on social norms

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Water Conservation Experiment
Research conducted by Aronson OLeary
(1982-1983)
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The ABCs of Media Campaign Success

• Audience must be evaluated
• Personal Norm Against Littering Survey
• Build an initial message plan
• Focus on social norms
• People tend to be especially motivated to gain
  social approval and/or avoid social disapproval
• Implications for Public Service Announcements
• Critique the message plan
• Determine effectiveness

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Present Rough Message to Sample Audience

• Message Variables
• Spokesperson
• Message
• Channel
• Audience
• Target behaviors
• Perceived norms

• Response Variables
• Exposure, attention, liking
• Understood message, learned from it, agreed
  with it
• Stored message content in memory
• Followed message
• Reinforcement
• Post-compliance activities

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Test of Anti-Binge Drinking Public Service
Announcements

• Audience must be evaluated

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During the past 30 days, how often did you drink
alcohol?
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Test of Anti-Binge Drinking Public Service
Announcements

• Audience must be evaluated
• Build an initial message plan
• Focus on social norms
• People tend to be especially motivated to gain
  social approval and/or avoid social disapproval
• Critique the message plan

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In the next 30 days, how often do you think you
will drink alcohol?
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Test of Anti-Binge Drinking Public Service
Announcements

• Audience must be evaluated
• Build an initial message plan
• Focus on social norms
• People tend to be especially motivated to gain
  social approval and/or avoid social disapproval
• Critique the message plan
• Determine effectiveness

13
In the next 30 days, how often do you think you
will drink alcohol?