Analyzing Messages for Their Effectiveness: Content and Executional Features on Smoking Cessation Advertisements

• In Event: Anti-Smoking PSAs, Web and Peer Influences

Abstract

In order to advance the scientific basis for message design, theories of belief, attitude, and intention change focusing on the importance of arguments must be joined with theories that deal more with a message's executional (or format) features. This paper takes some steps in that direction arguing that theories such as AMIE (Stephenson & Southwell, 2006) and LC4MP (Lang, Bradley, Sparks, Lee, 2006a) can be integrated with the ELM (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) to advance theory and message effectiveness predictions. The basic hypotheses derived from the resulting model are tested on a set of 200 smoking cessation ads evaluated by a large, representative sample of adult smokers. Three robust results were obtained: More effective smoking cessation ads are ones that have strong arguments, use narrative forms to present their content, and invoke strong emotion (fear & guilt). Other significant effects are observed but treated as less robust and await replication.

Authors

• Minji Kim, U of Pennsylvania

• Young Min Baek, Yonsei U

• Sijia Yang, University of Pennsylvania

• Hyun Suk Kim, University of Pennsylvania

• Joseph N. Cappella, U of Pennsylvania