Finding the keys to successful adult-targeted advertisements on obesity prevention: an experimental audience testing study.
BACKGROUND
Mass media communications are an important component of comprehensive interventions to address population levels of overweight and obesity, yet we have little understanding of the effective characteristics of specific advertisements (ads) on this topic. This study aimed to quantitatively test audience reactions to existing adult-focused public health television ads addressing overweight and obesity to determine which ads have the highest levels of message acceptance, argument strength, personalised perceived effectiveness and negative emotional impact.


METHODS
1116 Australian adults aged 21-55 years recruited from a national online panel participated in this web-based study. Quotas were applied to achieve even numbers of males and females, those aged 21-29 years and 30-55 years, and those with a healthy weight (BMI = 18.5-24.9) and overweight/obesity (BMI = 25+). Participants were randomly assigned to view and rate four of eight ads that varied in terms of message content (health consequences, supportive/encouraging or social norms/acceptability) and execution style (graphic, simulation/animation, positive or negative testimonial, or depicted scene).


RESULTS
Toxic fat (a graphic, health consequences ad) was the top performing ad on all four outcome measures and was significantly more likely than the other ads tested to promote strong responses in terms of message acceptance, argument strength and negative emotional impact. Measure up (a negative testimonial, health consequences ad) performed comparably on personalised perceived effectiveness. Most ads produced stronger perceptions of personalised perceived effectiveness among participants with overweight/obesity compared to participants with healthy weight. Some ads were more likely to promote strong negative emotions among participants with overweight/obesity.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings provide preliminary evidence of the most promising content and executional styles of ads that could be pursued as part of obesity prevention campaigns. Ads emphasising the negative health consequences of excess weight appear to elicit stronger cognitive and emotional responses from adults with overweight/obesity. However, careful pre-testing of these types of ads is needed prior to their inclusion in actual campaigns to ensure they do not have unintended negative impacts such as increased stigmatisation of vulnerable individuals and increased levels of body dissatisfaction and/or eating-disordered behaviour among at-risk population sub-groups.
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Helen.Dixon@cancervic.org.au.
Helen
H
Dixon
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Maree.Scully@cancervic.org.au.
Maree
M
Scully
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Sarah.Durkin@cancervic.org.au.
Sarah
S
Durkin
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Emily.Brennan@cancervic.org.au.
Emily
E
Brennan
World Lung Foundation, 61 Broadway, Suite 2800, New York, NY, 10006, USA. trish.cotter@optusnet.com.au.
Trish
T
Cotter
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Sarah.Maloney@cancervic.org.au.
Sarah
S
Maloney
Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Level 2, Medical Foundation Building, K25, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia. blythe.ohara@sydney.edu.au.
Blythe J
BJ
O'Hara
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, 615 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. Melanie.Wakefield@cancervic.org.au.
Melanie
M
Wakefield
D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology