Social marketing campaigns aimed at preventing drunk driving

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role of social marketing programs in preventing drunk driving, and how protection motivation theory (PMT) can be used to create effective anti drunk driving communications.Design/methodology/approachCommunication and program materials aimed at reducing drunk driving were identified and gathered from English‐language websites from the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and a qualitative review was conducted.FindingsThe review provides a description of the key themes and messages being used in anti drunk driving campaigns, as well as target population, campaign components, and sources of funding. A key facet of this review is the examination of the use of PMT in social marketing campaigns designed to prevent drunk driving.Originality/valueThe review presents social marketing campaigns aimed at preventing drunk driving in English‐speaking countries, and shows that PMT can be successfully used in this context. The paper provides a guide for future initiatives, as well as recommendations for social marketing practitioners.

Water management information campaigns and protection motivation theory

“…More recently, PMT has been applied to other fields of study including environmental topics and personal safety (Cismaru and Lavack 2010;Cismaru et al 2009;Floyd et al 2000). PMT is a theory that employs a persuasive technique based on arousing fear in the target audience due to some proposed threat and subsequently, exploiting their desire to cope with or avoid the proposed threat.…”

The Perfect Little Bump: Does the Media Portrayal of Pregnant Celebrities Influence Prenatal Attachment?

“…Increasingly, however, the notion that celebrities can market ideas and model positive lifestyle behaviors has become accepted and useful in applications such as social marketing (e.g., Cismaru, Lavack, & Markewich, 2009;DeBar et al, 2009) and the dissemination of health information messages through television soap operas (Dutta-Bergman, 2006). Fetal development research stemming from what was originally known as the Barker hypothesis points to the intrauterine environment as a critical time, not only for the neonatal and infancy period, but as a factor that may affect a baby's health much later in life (Barker & Clark, 1997).…”

What messages does social marketing advertising send? A content analysis of advertisements aiming to minimise harm from alcohol consumption

“…In order to ensure consistency in our interpretation, only social marketing interventions created by English‐speaking countries were included in the study. Several earlier studies have focused on a similar comparison analysis, such as content analyses of drink‐driving campaigns (Cismaru et al ., ), and of social marketing campaigns aimed at moderating alcohol intake among young people (Cismaru et al ., ). The third criterion, the presence of a video advertisement, was set because of the fact that in comparison with print advertisements and Internet sites, video advertisements reach a broader audience and are widely available on the Internet.…”

“…Studies have demonstrated that social marketing campaigns aimed at preventing harmful drinking behaviours can be effective in addressing this problem (Yanovitzky & Stryker, 2001;Gordon, McDermott, Stead, & Angus, 2006;Hastings & McDermott, 2006). As the application of social marketing to the design and implementation of campaigns that aim to minimise problems caused by alcohol consumption has increased in popularity and use within the public health sector (Glider & Midyett, 2001;Grier & Bryant, 2005;Cismaru, Lavack, & Markevich, 2009;Tay, 2005), this research focuses specifically on the communication aspect of social marketing in the form of social marketing advertising (Arthur & Quester, 2003).…”