A Comparison of Media Flight Schedules and Seasonality in Relation to the Call Volume of the Maine Tobacco Helpline

Background: Media planning is a critical component to the success of a tobacco control mass media campaign.  The current study fills a gap in the literature by comparing media flight schedules (i.e. pulsing, flighting, continuous), in relation to tobacco quitline call volume, while accounting for seasonality and holidays. 

Methods:  A negative binomial regression model was created to examine the relationship among media flight schedules, number of gross rating points (GRPs), and the Maine Tobacco Helpline (MTHL) call volume, as well as the role of seasonality and holidays,between January 2010 – June 2014.

 

Results: All three media buy types were significant in the model (p< .001 for pulsing and flighting, p=.0108 for continuous); however, a low dose of GRPs, 165 GRPs or less per week in Maine was not significant resulting in little or no effect on call volume.  The continuous media buys had the lowest weekly average of 174 GRPs. Weekly call volume was suppressed by approximately 60 calls during the weeks of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the 4th of July.

 

Discussion: While our analysis revealed a significant increase in call volume among all media buy types, i.e. flighting, continuous, pulsing, our findings provide support for purchasing sufficient rating points as part of a media buy to observe a behavioral response, such as calling a tobacco quitline.  The study is also the first to quantify and report on the suppression of tobacco quitline call volume during US holidays and increases the literature base to support the need for summertime tobacco reduction interventions.