Abstract:
The study targeted to studying an agreement between message strategies used- advertising appeals and advertising execution in televised anti-smoking advertising campaign, both in general and participatory types and tailored between 2011 and 2013 and youth’s interpretation on such smoking cessation campaigns launched on television stations. To achieve the goals, the mix methods of content analysis, documentary research, in-depth interviews, and focus groups were employed in this study. The key informants were those who worked for the Thai Health Promotion Foundation while the focus groups were conducted with those who were smoking and not. The findings revealed that there was a shared agreement between what the Thai Health Promotion Foundation intended to convey and that what the youths interpreted. This just happened with the televised anti-smoking advertisements created by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation per se. It was the other way round when being exposed to the ones allowing youths to participate in creating the advertisements. It was specifically apparent that emotional appeals and information/rational appeals were delivered in both types of advertisements. Although reminder advertising was disseminated in the general types, but it was not seen in their counterparts. It was vice versa when teaser advertising was highlighted in participatory advertisements, but not for reminder advertising. The youths shared their perspectives that more odds of perceived awareness, feelings, and acceptance were generated when smokers and nonsmokers were being exposed to the advertisements initiated by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation than the ones produced by the youths. Failures in the participatory advertising were because of their specific target audiences, no impacts of changing smoking behaviour, and perceived negative image and thoughts on those who smoked. In contrast, the general advertisements made smokers and nonsmokers clear about dangers in smoking and information about smoking-quit lines. This research contributed to the further development of an advertisement and campaign focusing on a particular target group including secondhand smokers, male smokers, and female smokers.
TRC Data Center