C59. Atkin, C. K. & Rice,
R. E. (2013). Advances in public
communication campaigns. In E. Scharrer
(Ed.),
The international encyclopedia of media
studies: Vol. 5: Media effects/Media psychology (pp. 526-551). London, UK:
Wiley-Blackwell.
Public
communication campaigns encompass strategies for
producing effects on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of large
populations
across a variety of domains, including political, pro-social,
environmental and
health outcomes. The theories, designs, and impacts of media-based
public
campaigns have been summarized by Backer, Rogers, and Sopory (1992),
Atkin
(2001), Snyder and Hamilton (2002), Noar (2006), Abroms and Maibach
(2008), and
Rice and Atkin (2009). This chapter focuses primarily on the role
of media
campaigns in health promotion, because political effects are covered
elsewhere
in this volume (Section V: In the Political Arena) and because the
theory and
literature on health campaign effects are far more advanced than for
environmental and pro-social effects. Furthermore, the chapter
emphasizes
persuasive aspects of campaigns, rather than highlighting
awareness-oriented or
instructionally-oriented campaign strategies. Because the
research
literature indicates that campaigns typically have only limited direct
effects
on behaviors, a key priority throughout the chapter is to identify
concepts,
processes, and strategies for increasing the effectiveness of public
communication campaigns.
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