Communication through Advocacy Advertising for Public Health Promotion

MAHENDRA KUMAR PADHY
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, India

This research work is an investigation into the reception of anti-smoking advertisements that make use of “fear appeals”. The objective of the research is to bring audience perceptions, interpretations and making sense processes of such advertising campaigns to the limelight. Instead of measuring effects or effectiveness of anti-smoking messages using shocking images, this project has at its basis the assumption of an active audience that interprets, makes sense and decodes media texts in various ways. Research methods used in this study are qualitative by nature. Research findings show that the prospective audience champion the use of anti-smoking advertisements and see the use of fear appeals
as a one-way road to drawing the audience’s attention, they nevertheless perceive these communication efforts in a highly individualized manner, resisting to advertising techniques of persuasion and showing signs of desensitization towards fear appeals. Findings show that advocacy advertising using fear appeals are always decoded within the wider media context and the identity of smokers themselves often nourished by media representations of smoking, which plays an role in the way the audience gives different interpretations and relates to these messages.

Keywords: Advocacy advertising, advertising campaign, anti-smoking, fear appeal

References

Abstract
Andreasen, A. R. (2001). Ethics in Social Marketing. Georgetown University Press, Washington.
Andreasen, A. R. (2002). Marketing Social Marketing in the Social Change Marketplace. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
Atkin, C. (1979). Research Evidence on Mass Mediated Health Communication campaigns, Sage Publications.
Atkin, C. (2000). Designing Effective Media Campaigns, Sage Publications.
Austin,W.V.,(2005). The Real World, Journal of Communication,3rd Edition, 346.
Backer, T., Rogers (1992). Designing Health Communication Campaigns, Sage Publications.
Basil, M.,(2013). Effects of Social Marketing: Potentials and Limitations, Journal of Media Studies, Vol-5,552-566.
Bashe, G., & Hick, N. J. (Eds.). (2000). Branding Health Services: Defining Yourself in the Marketplace. Sage Publications, Gaithersburg.
Beaudoin,B.,(2002), Benefiting from Social Capital in Online Support : An Empirical Study of Cancer Patients, Cyber Psychology and Behaviour, Vol-4,587-550.
Beaudoin, E. Christophher.(2002),The Impact of Health Campaign on Health Social Capital, Journal of Communication, Routledge.
Chapman, S., & Lupton, D. (1994). The fight for Public Health: Principles and Practices of Media Advocacy. London: British Medical Journal Publishing
Dejong,S., & Atlin,Charles.(2008), Public Communication Campaign, Journal of Communication, Vol.36,pp-32-34.
Dorfman,L., 7 Wallack,L.M,(1993).Buy Media Advocacy and Public Health, Sage Publications.
Hastings,Gerald., &Stead,Martine.,(2004), Fear Appeals in Social Marketing Strategies and Ethical Reasons for Concern, Psychology & Marketing, Vol.21, Issue-11.
Hastings,G.,& Haywood,A.,(1991),Social Marketing and Communicating in Health Promotion, Health promotion International , Vol-2, 135-145.
Hastings& Mc Dermott,206 ; Chapman,2007, Audience Perception of Health Promoting Advertising, Journal Of Communication, Vol-4, 345-352.
Guttman,N., and Ressler,W.H.,(2001), On Being Responsible: Ethical Issues in Appeals to Personal Responsibility in Health Campaigns , Journals of Communication, Routledge.
Kotler & Zattler(1971), Social Marketing for Public Health, Journal of Marketing,Vol.35, 3-12.
Levanthal, Howard.,9(1970). Findings and Theory in the Study of Fear Communication, Advances in Experimental Social psychology, Vol-5,119-186.
Pavis et al.1997,Parker,1998, The Changing Consumer: Markets and Meanings,Vol-5,359.
Rogers,E.M.(1983), Diffusion of Innovations, Edn.1,Sage.
Roser,Connie,(1995), Fear Appeals and the Active Publics, Journal of Communication, Vol.45, pp.103- 122.
Wallack,L.M., (1989),Communication for Social Change, Sage Publications.
Wang,Jian.,(2008). The Power and Limits of Branding in National Image Communication in Global Society, Journal of International Communicatior,258.
Witte, Kim.,(2000). A Meta Analysis of Fear Appeals : Implications for Effective Public Health Campaigns, Health Communication Behaviours, 591-615.

Dr. Mahendra Kumar Padhy is an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow-226 025, India.