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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Scott W. Connolly, MPH, John K. Worden, PhD, Brian S Flynn, ScD, Kathleen D. Howe, and Melissa Drzewiczewski, MA. Office of Health Promotion Research, University of Vermont, 4428 C UHC Arnold, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-656-4110, scott.connolly@uvm.edu
Public health communicators responsible for planning mass media campaigns can use audience research data to increase the likelihood that health messages reach their intended audience. Successful media placement also relies on researching the channels available before the campaign launch by profiling the DMA, which is a geographically defined area that contains media outlets. This profile includes obtaining coverage maps, determining current programming availabilities, and tracking local and national industry trends. Understanding the characteristics of a DMA increases the ability of campaign planners to make strategic placement decisions before and during the campaign. Audience research methods using focus groups and surveys also contribute to the campaign effort by providing campaign planners with more accurate audience information about media preferences of specific audience segments than is typically offered by audience rating services. These data allow planners to predict what media channels in specific markets that specific segments of the audience may be using. In order to link the DMA profile and the audience research and segmentation data, a media placement plan was created. This plan matched the current program and media outlet availabilities with the media preferences of each audience segment. While health communicators must anticipate changes in the media preferences of their audiences they must also track changes in the media market such as programming and format changes that may impact placement of media. This paper highlights this and other opportunities and challenges experienced during the first year of a youth tobacco prevention and cessation media campaign conducted in four states.
Learning Objectives: After the presentation participants will understand how to
Keywords: Health Communications, Audience Segmentation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.