| Todd
Harpers
Executive Director
Quit - Victorian Smoking and Health Program
Australia has developed many strong, successful
and award-winning cessation campaigns in recent
years. These Australian campaigns have helped
to stimulate quitting thoughts and activity from
smokers, and improved knowledge of tobacco harm
among smokers.
Research has convincingly shown that such campaigns
can prompt calls to telephone quitlines. Research
also shows that such services are a valuable aid
for quitters. Since quitline callers represent
only the tip of the iceberg in relation to advertising-prompted
quitting activity, there is great potential to
increase the number of callers through strategic
placement of advertisements. The impact of such
campaigns can be further enhanced by the use of
effective media strategies that determine how
and when such advertisements are used.
Media strategies are designed through variables
such as the types of programs where advertisements
are run, time of the day, day of the week, and
whether advertisements are used in conjunction
with other tobacco control advertisements.
Quit Victoria has utilised a direct-response
television formula that aims to stimulate quitting
behaviour and intention, but also sought to increase
the proportion of quitters who access the Quitline
to support their quitting attempt. This analysis
reveals that television programs which are “less
involving” are more effective in driving
calls to the Quitline ie they lend themselves
to being interrupted without impacting on the
viewing, perhaps because smokers are more inclined
to “take a break” from such shows
to call the Quitline.
Low involvement programs typically have predictable
outcomes, are segmented, repeats and include lifestyle
programs and light drama and chat shows eg Jerry
Springer and Oprah Winfrey.
Programs with higher involvement where the viewer
is less likely to interrupt their viewing to respond
to a commercial include sports, drama and news
and first run movies. This paper analyses the
variables that form part of a media strategy and
how an effective mass media strategy also offers
important benefits in maximising the cost effectiveness
of television advertising.
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