Alternative methods for collecting antitobacco campaign exposure and reaction data: Examples from Ohio

Measuring exposure and reactions to antitobacco campaign messages has been established as an important factor in understanding how campaigns are working among target audiences. These measures have been recognized as predecessors of important intermediate and long term outcomes. In an environment where collecting data from random digit dial telephone surveys has become increasingly difficult due to a variety of factors (including higher numbers of households without land-lines or with Caller ID features), it has also become increasingly important to find alternate methods for collecting reliable data that capture these results.

The Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation has created paid media campaigns that target a variety of audiences, and has faced data collection issues to measure them in innovative ways. This study looks at the results from two data collection efforts.

In the first, a web-panel was used to assess awareness of campaign messages among adults (ages 18 and older). Comparisons are made within the survey, between the reactions to specific advertisements of those who could demonstrate “confirmed awareness” (previous exposure), and the reactions of those who were exposed to the advertisements only after viewing them as part of the survey.

In the second, both a web-panel and a telephone sample were used to assess campaign awareness among young adults (ages 18-24). Comparisons are made between the two data collection methods, and include comparisons of the measures of campaign exposure, and the relationship between campaign exposure and reactions to campaign messages.

This study describes the implications for data collection in social marketing.