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Public service announcements (PSAs) or campaigns aimed at preventing harm can inadvertently risk creating additional harms. It remains unclear whether these unintended effects are considered during campaign development, if risk mitigation strategies are implemented, or how professionals involved perceive these issues. It is in the context of illicit drug use prevention PSAs that our research investigates and explores the perspectives of practitioners—health support professionals and advertising campaign designers and creators. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to capture and synthesize practitioners’ perspectives which were then analysed by applying a framework to address the unintended effects of public health interventions. The results indicated that practitioners from both sectors are aware of unintended harms but place varying levels of importance on different aspects. In the case of illicit drug prevention PSAs, incorporating practitioners’ perspectives in campaign development may result in mitigating the risk of potential unintended harmful effects.

In the study, we analyzed the relationship between creativity and innovation in the design of public service announcements. Their synthesis became the basis for the creation of dynamic visual communications that changed the perception of social message. Using widely known examples of public service announcements, we rethought the content and project features of such phenomenon as public service announcement from a design point of view. We consider innovative public service announcement as a set of dynamic processes which are based on different types of interactions. Therefore, we put a focus on the integration of visual communications with the environment and, moreover, with a human being as an integral part of the information message. The study resulted in the classification of innovations in modern social advertising, which is based on creative experiments related to composition, human sensory sensations, communication and environmental technology. It has been proven that the creation of creative artistic images is based on universal design models, formed as a result of the synthesis of design thinking and innovation and, therefore, they are suitable for solving a wide range of social problems. The study substantiates the system of strategic goals for the development of innovative public service announcements which are aimed at sustainable development of society.

The purpose of this paper is to make a pragmatic account of irony; particularly both sarcastic/non-sarcastic irony used and realised in public service announcements (i.e., PSAs) within a relevance-theoretic framework. As pointed out in Huang (2015: 163), traditionally irony has been known as 'a figure of speech in which one thing is said but the opposite is meant by the speaker'. With reference to this point, by using sarcastic irony, the speaker may reprimand or sneer at other's fault, bad attitude or wrong way of thinking in an indirect way; sometimes, deplore an irrecoverable situation which he/she cannot accept (Sperber and Wilson 1995). On the other hand, however, the speaker may also use (non-sarcastic) irony in order to humorously praise or encourage other person's merit or achievement (Gibbs 1986; Barbe 1995; Kreuz 1996; Lee 2002). Besides these points, beyond blaming/ridiculing other's fault or praising other's merit/achievement, irony can also be used in another way: enlightening or educating the public particularly in PSAs. Irony used in PSAs makes a contribution to guiding people to practise or not to practise the specific values, behaviours and so on. Focusing on this point, by analysing the real cases of irony use shown in PSAs, this paper verifies that all kinds of irony can effectively be explained by a single principle of relevance, instead of other pragmatic approaches (e.g., Grice 1975; Leech 1983), which require to mobilise various maxims. By doing that, this approach may pursue a linguistic economy and contribute to explanatory extendability of relevance theory. (Gyeongsang National University)

To examine levels of exposure and content characteristics for recent televised obesity-prevention campaigns sponsored by state and community health departments, federal agencies, non-profit organizations and television stations in the USA. Nielsen television ratings for obesity-prevention advertising were collected for the top seventy-five US media markets and were used to calculate household exposure levels for 2010 and 2011. Governmental advertisements were coded for content. United States. Average household exposure to obesity-prevention campaigns was 2·6 advertisements per month. Exposure increased by 31 % between 2010 and 2011, largely driven by increases in federal advertisements. In 2011, the federal government accounted for 62 % of obesity-prevention exposure, non-profit organizations for 9 %, community departments for 8 %, state departments for 3 %, and television station-sponsored public-service announcements for 17 %. The greatest percentage increase between 2010 and 2011 was in community advertising, reflecting efforts funded by the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) programme. Among thirty-four state and community campaigns, the majority advocated both healthy eating and physical activity (53 %). Campaigns typically had positive or neutral emotional valence (94 %). Obesity or overweight was mentioned in 47 % of campaigns, but only 9 % specifically advocated weight loss. Exposure to televised obesity-prevention advertising increased from 2010 to 2011 and was higher than previously found in 1999-2003, apart from in 2003 during the federal VERB campaign. Nevertheless, exposure remains low relative to advertising for unhealthy foods. New federal campaigns have increased exposure to obesity-prevention advertising nationally, while CPPW grants have increased exposure for targeted areas.

ObjectivesThis study examined how effectively current policy measures control depictions of tobacco in Mongolian language YouTube videos.MethodsA search of YouTube videos using the Mongolian term for ‘tobacco’, and employing ‘relevance’ and ‘view count’ criteria, resulted in a total sample of 120 videos, from which 38 unique videos were coded and analysed.ResultsMost videos were antismoking public service announcements; however, analyses of viewing patterns showed that pro-smoking videos accounted for about two-thirds of all views. Pro-smoking videos were also perceived more positively and had a like:dislike ratio of 4.6 compared with 3.5 and 1.5, respectively, for the magic trick and antismoking videos. Although Mongolia prohibits tobacco advertising, 3 of the pro-smoking videos were made by a tobacco company; additionally, 1 pro-smoking video promoted electronic cigarettes.ConclusionsGiven the popularity of Mongolian YouTube videos that promote smoking, policy changes are urgently required to control this medium, and more effectively protect youth and young adults from insidious tobacco marketing.

Issue Addressed: Public service announcements (PSA) targeting physical activity are not always effective at enacting behaviour change. One factor that may impact message effectiveness is whether the message matches its intent (ie, what norm is being portrayed and received). The current study explored the effects of two PSAs on parents' perceptions of outdoor play. Methods: Parents (N = 333) completed a pre/postexperimental online survey to examine the acute impact of a PSA on their perception of how often children play outdoors (ie, descriptive norms). Participants provided their descriptive norm perceptions and then were randomised to view one of two PSAs: (a) the Mr. Lonely PSA, which portrayed outdoor activity as not normative, and (b) a control message, which portrayed outdoor activity as the norm (VERB PSA). After viewing their PSA, descriptive norm perceptions were reported again. Results: A two-way mixed ANOVA indicated that participants who viewed the Mr. Lonely PSA (where outdoor play was not normative) perceived that children and youth played outdoors less frequently immediately after watching the PSA compared to before viewing it (P < 0.05). No significant change occurred in the control condition. Conclusions: PSAs can alter individuals' perceptions of whether they perceive outdoor play as normative among children and youth. So what?: As individuals align their behaviour with what is typical, PSA developers should be wary of what message is being conveyed. In terms of activity, portraying that outdoor play is not normative may not have the intended outcome.

Public health campaigns aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are important in reducing disease transmission, but traditional information-based campaigns have received unexpectedly extreme backlash. This study aimed to investigate whether customizing of public service announcements (PSAs) providing health guidelines to match individuals' identities increases their compliance. We conducted a within- and between-subjects, randomized controlled cross-sectional, web-based study in July 2020. Participants viewed two PSAs: one advocating wearing a mask in public settings and one advocating staying at home. The control PSA only provided information, and the treatment PSAs were designed to appeal to the identities held by individuals; that is, either a Christian identity or an economically motivated identity. Participants were asked about their identity and then provided a control PSA and treatment PSA matching their identity, in random order. The PSAs were of approximately 100 words. We recruited 300 social media users from Amazon Mechanical Turk in accordance with usual protocols to ensure data quality. In total, 8 failed the data quality checks, and the remaining 292 were included in the analysis. In the identity-based PSA, the source of the PSA was changed, and a phrase of approximately 12 words relevant to the individual's identity was inserted. A PSA tailored for Christians, when matched with a Christian identity, increased the likelihood of compliance by 12 percentage points. A PSA that focused on economic values, when shown to individuals who identified as economically motivated, increased the likelihood of compliance by 6 points. Using social media to deliver COVID-19 public health announcements customized to individuals' identities is a promising measure to increase compliance with public health guidelines. ISRCTN Registry 22331899; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN22331899.

Adolescence is a period of life often characterized by behaviors that, prima facie, are irrational, such as seemingly excessive risk taking and impulsivity. However, these behaviors can be interpreted as adaptive and rational if one considers that a key developmental goal of this period of life is to mature into an independent adult in the context of a social world that is unstable and changing. It is proposed that for adolescents, the social risk of being rejected by peers outweighs other potentially negative outcomes of decisions, such as threats to one’s health or the prospect of getting caught. Furthermore, peer influence in adolescence can lead to prosocial as well as antisocial behaviors. Neurocognitive mechanisms of peer influence include the social reward of being accepted by one’s peer group, arousal, and increased mentalizing, which is associated with development of the social brain network. The findings from cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology studies fit with recent public health evidence that the opinions of peers are particularly important to adolescents in areas such as school antibullying and antismoking campaigns.

Background Due to the popularity of public service announcements (PSAs), as well as the broader health and social harms associated with illicit drug use, this study sought to investigate how drug prevention messages found in the Government of Canada’s DrugsNot4Me campaign were understood, experienced, and engaged with among a group of street-involved young people in Vancouver, Canada. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 individuals enrolled in the At-Risk Youth Study, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Results Findings indicate that the campaign’s messages neither resonated with “at-risk youth”, nor provided information or resources for support. In some cases, the messaging exacerbated the social suffering experienced by these individuals. Conclusions This study underscores the importance of rigorous evaluation of PSAs and the need to consider diverting funds allocated to drug prevention campaigns to social services that can meaningfully address the structural drivers of drug-related harms among vulnerable youth populations.

This article investigates the influence of perceived source credibility on the effectiveness of health-related public service announcements (PSAs) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communications. Findings indicate that online commenters who are perceived to be credible are instrumental in influencing consumers' responses to pro- versus antivaccination online PSAs. Results further suggest it is not the advertising message (i.e., the PSA-advocated position) alone that influences consumers' responses (even when consumers perceive the PSA sponsor to be highly credible) but rather the commenters' reactions to the claims presented in the PSA that also independently contribute to consumers' vaccination attitudes and behavioral intentions. Finally, results also show that when the relevant expertise of online commenters is identified, the effectiveness of the PSA's advertising message is moderated by the interactive effect of the online comments and their associated perceived credibility.