Aspects of Anti-Smoking Advertising

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Anti-smoking advertising is conventionally divided into several main messages, which are depicted using visual and verbal symbols. Several advertising messages can be attributed to the main message – smoking kills. Usually, such advertisements depict a cigarette and its harm – as a rule, images of weapons, bullets, bodies under sheets, and other symbols are used here. Another group of visual messages talks about the dangers of secondhand smoke – that is when smoke poisons the air and harms others. The third type is about the harm that is done to one’s health. A separate area of anti-smoking advertising even targets the problem of child smoking. However, how truly effective are these advertising campaigns for specific groups of people, such as committed smokers and health or marketing experts?

The first article reports the results of the study on the differences in perception of anti-smoking advertisements smokers and people with medicinal or advertising knowledge display in comparison with non-smokers or non-knowledgeable individuals. The research conducted by Lizama et al. (2019) aims to provide more insight into developing future public health promotion campaigns concerning such particular groups of people as listed above. The authors (2019) state that “although the effectiveness of different advertisement characteristics has been well documented, previous research has typically provided limited information about the individuals who code advertisement characteristics” (p. 529). Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, the authors found out that there are, indeed, significant differences in the perception of anti-smoking advertising campaigns by smokers and health or advertising experts.

Lizama et al. (2019) state in their research that it is a historical feature of all anti-smoking advertising campaigns to have a multitude of approaches and promotion techniques. Mostly, however, negative images and testimonials are used to elicit quitting behavior, and negative health messages are usually conveyed through them. The authors note that, while different advertisements target different ages or socioeconomic groups such as youths, non-smokers, or the general public, there is still limited information on the demographics and habits of the coding groups. Thus, the authors claim that an understanding of the qualities of coding groups could be crucial for future advertising campaigns. The authors aim to estimate whether the commercial features’ coding is constant among diverse groups, smokers specifically. Moreover, Lizama et al. (2019) also try to “assess whether evaluations of anti-smoking advertisement characteristics differ between smokers and ‘experts’ to determine whether these two groups are likely to provide comparable assessments” (p. 529). In the end, the authors emphasize the potential of taking into account these differences when creating anti-smoking advertisements.

The authors chose 49 cigarette smokers and 42 specialists from Western Australia to code the anti-smoking advertisements according to four main characteristics and the usage of eight execution advertisement techniques. The evaluated characteristics were: emotional or perceptive approach, positive or negative commercial tone, communication frame, and chief message. The execution techniques were: inducing fear; real-life testimonials; pictures of the smoker’s household; inducing shame or guilt; graphic imagery; song lines or melody; humor, and counter-arguments. The respondents were asked to evaluate 22 anti-smoking advertisements that aired on Western Australian television in the timespan from 2003 to 2017. Lizama et al.’s (2019) findings show that “compared with experts, smokers more frequently perceived advertisements as positive or neutral in tone and less frequently identified the main message of advertisements to have a negative impact” (p.531). Moreover, the smokers were less likely to see anti-smoking advertisements as inducing fear or laughter or containing the smoker’s family or song lyrics than experts.

The authors state that, overall, experts were significantly more likely to perceive the negative examples of smoking portrayed in the advertising. Lizama et al. (2019) conclude that, in the light of indicated inconsistencies in perception between smokers and experts, “relying solely on either group to code such advertisements could lead to misclassification of advertising elements” (p. 531). Thus, it is safe to say that the authors’ main and intended audience is the creators of anti-smoking public health advertisements. The insights provided by this study could help change the approach to anti-smoking advertisement campaigns to be more effective in the future. Moreover, the authors also add that advertisement messages that contain a negative emotional tone and health messages are more likely to prompt the viewers to quit smoking. Thus, the anti-smoking campaign’s creators could use this research for the development of new advertisements.

This article directly applies to the Strategies of Health Promotion course, as it provides valuable conclusions about the importance of differentiating the advertising strategy for different social, economic, or demographic groups. Recently, advertisers began to set higher importance on the balanced arrangement of advertising communications. It happens due to several reasons, which prove to be of utmost importance when speaking about public health promotion. First, when the advertisement campaign is organized properly, it can help not only to reach the target audience with the messages of the commercial but to develop continuous, evolving relations with it. As a result, the public health sector can establish strong relations with the population, acquiring more influence. Second, this method gives the promoters the possibility to spend the commercial’s budget deliberately and advantageously, leading to positive outcomes and eliminating unnecessary costs. With the help of behavioral and look-alike targeting, the promoters can show advertisements to people who are similar to the target audience of the campaign. This makes it possible to reach as many potential viewers as possible with the lowest search costs.

The research conducted by Lizama et al. (2019) also indicates the need to use cross-channel marketing when creating public health advertising campaigns. With this approach, the promoters can use different channels of communication with the audience and keep a complete record of the interactions between them. It is an important aspect of public health promotion, as it allows the maximization of the reach and efficiency of the advertising campaign. The results provided by this study complement the information from the textbook, expanding more on the aspect of the sociodemographic strategy of public health promotion. However, the authors could expand more on the peculiarities in the perception of anti-smoking advertising by experts with health and marketing knowledge separately. There is not enough information about the differences between these two sub-groups. The authors decided to place health and marketing experts into one group while it might be more insightful to differentiate them, too. Still, the research provides a comprehensive study of the differences between smokers’ and experts’ perceptions of anti-smoking advertisements, offering a deeper analysis of their assessment process.

People who suffer incurable diseases in terminal stages, such as stage IV cancer, require special care that combines medical, psychological, and social assistance. Often, after treatment for one reason or another turns out to be ineffectual, a person is left alone with their problems. Relatives of such a patient also often do not know how to improve their quality of life, how to help them cope with fears, and relieve pain. Professional palliative care has a positive impact on various aspects of the life of patients and their loved ones. Unfortunately, people are often afraid of hospices – even those who know about how they work and need their help hesitate to contact them and get the required care. Public health advertising campaigns are crucial for creating a positive image of palliative care and for convincing people to get into it.

The study conducted by Seymour (2018) investigates the impact public health awareness campaigns have on the population’s awareness of palliative care and its quality. The author states that despite the right to get palliative care being basic in society, inequalities still pose a significant barrier for some people to get it. According to Seymour (2018), “raising awareness is a key plank of the public health approach to palliative care but involves consideration of subjects most of us prefer not to address” (p. 1). This means that the effectiveness of public health advertising of palliative care has not been investigated enough. Seymour (2018) states that, while public health advertising campaigns do increase the population’s awareness of palliative care, there is limited evidence on whether it improves the quality of said care. Several key factors need to be considered before developing the campaign, such as targeting, networking, SMART objectives of the campaign, constant evaluation, and adherence to state and international policies. The author also emphasizes that comprehensive public health campaigns about palliative care should have clear and simple terminology, well-piloted materials, and use a wide variety of mass media channels to ensure the best reach.

The main point of the research provided by Seymour (2018) is to provide insight into the factors that determine the efficiency of a public health advertising campaign about palliative care. The author states four main questions that he addresses in his research. First, Seymour (2018) investigates the most effective techniques for informing people and encouraging them to participate in general health questions. Secondly, he determines how to most efficiently improve public knowledge of the issues of palliative therapy and help individuals communicate with their family members. Thirdly, he evaluates the best methods for increasing knowledge of advanced care planning and investigates its effect on care quality. Finally, he provides an analysis of existing successful palliative care advertising campaigns to determine their key features.

The author studies various types of campaigns in his research and draws on the connections between them. Overall, Seymour (2018) states that “an important condition for the success of any campaign is that individuals must feel able to trust the information given” (p. 4). He also underlines that, for example, in Canada, most people found the advertisements “distrustful” if they perceived the ads as provided by the government. Moreover, Seymour (2018) states that nowadays, a mixed approach to advertising is recommended, as it would provide the best reach. Younger people tend to find information online, while the older generation is generally drawn to television. However, working with a wide range of media resources in a cross-platform context presents a significant challenge for advertisers. This requires the right strategy, the right people, and the right tools to connect and track the diverse types of target audiences through their perception and potential application for care. Public health promoters should apply the success of the campaign to the next strategy and planning.

Although palliative care cannot cure the patient, it still has a positive effect on the patient’s general condition. In addition to medical manipulations, competent care for the terminally ill and simply elderly people also plays an important role in alleviating suffering. Relatives, with all their love for the patient, are not always able to provide such care: they are forced to be distracted by work and other daily activities. The way out of this difficult situation is to promote specialized institutions for the care of terminally ill and elderly people. Seymour (2018) adds that “evidence show benefits from public deliberation methods in bringing insights into social values; improving understanding of complex issues (particularly ethical and social dilemmas); and enhancing civic-mindedness” (p. 5). He also notes that social media can increase awareness of public health issues, which includes palliative care. Social media-based interventions, Seymour (2018) reports, are challenged with the need to reach diverse communities with different concerns regarding healthcare issues.

The intended audience of this research is the public healthcare sector that addresses the issues of palliative care. Seymour’s (2018) study provides valuable insight into the mechanisms behind successful health promotion advertisements aimed at raising awareness of palliative care. The systematic review concluded by the author gives a comprehensive overview of different approaches to promoting palliative care and the evaluation of their effectiveness. Public health promoters could find this study quite insightful and useful when developing new advertising campaigns for palliative care. For example, Seymour (2018) advises the creators of advertising campaigns to “start young,” as “involving and educating much younger people would prepare them better to deal with the issues in their families and communities” (p. 6). Moreover, he also adds that the messages should be culturally and socially tailored to avoid creating advertisements that would repel certain population groups. Overall, this research can be considered useful for any public health promotion campaign, as it provides a generalized overview of the most efficient strategies to reach the audience.

This article is a very good addition to the Strategies for the Health Promotion course, as it offers valuable insight specifically into the factors that impact the effectiveness of a health advertisement strategy. Seymour (2018) gives a review of the majority of existing studies on the subject of promoting palliative care, with a comprehensive evaluation of each. The concepts described and assessed in this research support the information from the textbook, giving real-life examples of strategic planning of advertising campaigns. Moreover, Seymour (2018) also provides thoughts on the possible interventions regarding the quality of palliative care. According to the author (2018), “opportunities for community engagement and action to improve palliative care at local, regional, and national levels can be built into complex interventions to improve the quality of palliative care” (p. 10). However, the author did not expand much on every research he reviewed and evaluated, rather only giving short insight into every study. Perhaps, some of the studies could provide more valuable information than the author concluded. Still, this article gives very important knowledge about strategic planning for public health promotion, addressing key features of successful advertisement campaigns.

References

Lizama, N., Slevin, T., & Pettigrew, S. (2019). Anti‐smoking advertisements are perceived differently by smokers and individuals with health or advertising knowledge. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 43(6), 529–531.

Seymour, J. (2018). The impact of public health awareness campaigns on the awareness and quality of palliative care. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 21(S1).

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Aspects of Anti-Smoking Advertising

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