Effective, Evidence Based Messaging

The December edition of the journal Adolescent Health includes an important study regarding effective messaging for tobacco initiation. The paper, The Perception of Secondhand Smoke Risks Predict Future Adolescent Smoking Initiation , concludes that “perceptions of personal second-hand smoke risks and parental second-hand smoke risks significantly deterred adolescent smoking initiation”. This current research may not be novel but it is impressive in showing that perceptions about the dangers of secondhand smoke have triple the effect on smoking initiation among youth compared to peers’ smoking. And this conclusion is revealing because focusing on peer pressure is a mainstay of industry funded campaigns ostensibly aimed at reducing youth addiction to nicotine. The 2007 CDC Best Practices on Health Communication Interventions cites research showing that these campaigns not only are ineffective they actually can increase youth initiation (p 32). The Best Practices also notes that the most effective media campaigns created a negative reaction to the tobacco industry itself (p 34).

Those campaigns reliant on no evidence base will not be interested in this. But sincere efforts at reducing smoking prevalence in Arkansas can take advantage of this research to fashion campaigns that will not only be effective but also can be crafted to work toward rectifying seriously flawed clean indoor air laws.

Currently Arkansas’ Stamp Out Smoking tobacco prevention media is capitalizing on the recent state and federal tobacco tax increases to promote the 1-800 QUIT NOW cessation services. This may well be justified for a time but should not miss opportunities for long term effective tobacco prevention policies.

Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, the firm that holds the SOS account, has in the past cited market research showing a high degree of brand recognition as evidence of a successful campaign. In 2008 CJRW announced it was becoming an affiliate of the PR monolith Burson Marsteller. With longtime ties to the tobacco industry, BM is responsible for creating the National Smokers’ Alliance and the Accommodation Program as front groups to oppose tobacco taxes and clean indoor air laws.

This tremendous conflict of interest becomes most suspicious when media campaigns do not take advantage of evidence based research for effective prevention. At some point attention should be given to the differences between effective branding and effectively reducing the influences of the tobacco industry on our communities.