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February 2nd, 2011:

Promoting calls to a quitline: quantifying the influence of message theme, strong negative emotions and graphic images in television advertisements

Feb 2nd, 2011
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ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the relative effectiveness of
television advertisements that differ in their thematic
focus and portrayals of negative emotions and/or graphic
images in promoting calls to a smokers’ quitline.
Methods Regression analysis is used to explain variation
in quarterly media market-level per smoker calls to the
New York State Smokers’ Quitline from 2001 to 2009.
The primary independent variable is quarterly marketlevel
delivery of television advertisements measured by
target audience rating points (TARPs). Advertisements
were characterised by their overall objectivedpromoting
cessation, highlighting the dangers of secondhand smoke
(SHS) or otherdand by their portrayals of strong
negative emotions and graphic images.
Results Per smoker call volume is positively
correlated with total TARPs (p<0.001), and
cessation advertisements are more effective than
SHS advertisements in promoting quitline call volume.
Advertisements with graphic images only or neither
strong negative emotions nor graphic images are
associated with higher call volume with similar effect
sizes. Call volume was not significantly associated with
the number of TARPs for advertisements with strong
negative emotions only (p¼0.71) or with both graphic
images and strong emotions (p¼0.09).
Conclusions Exposure to television advertisements is
strongly associated with quitline call volume, and both
cessation and SHS advertisements can be effective. The
use of strong negative emotions in advertisements may
be effective in promoting smoking cessation in the
population but does not appear to influence quitline call
volume. Further research is needed to understand the
role of negative emotions in promoting calls to quitlines
and cessation more broadly among the majority of
smokers who do not call quitlines.

ABSTRACTObjective To understand the relative effectiveness oftelevision advertisements that differ in their thematicfocus and portrayals of negative emotions and/or graphicimages in promoting calls to a smokers’ quitline.Methods Regression analysis is used to explain variationin quarterly media market-level per smoker calls to theNew York State Smokers’ Quitline from 2001 to 2009.The primary independent variable is quarterly marketleveldelivery of television advertisements measured bytarget audience rating points (TARPs). Advertisementswere characterised by their overall objectivedpromotingcessation, highlighting the dangers of secondhand smoke(SHS) or otherdand by their portrayals of strongnegative emotions and graphic images.Results Per smoker call volume is positivelycorrelated with total TARPs (p<0.001), andcessation advertisements are more effective thanSHS advertisements in promoting quitline call volume.Advertisements with graphic images only or neitherstrong negative emotions nor graphic images areassociated with higher call volume with similar effectsizes. Call volume was not significantly associated withthe number of TARPs for advertisements with strongnegative emotions only (p¼0.71) or with both graphicimages and strong emotions (p¼0.09).Conclusions Exposure to television advertisements isstrongly associated with quitline call volume, and bothcessation and SHS advertisements can be effective. Theuse of strong negative emotions in advertisements maybe effective in promoting smoking cessation in thepopulation but does not appear to influence quitline callvolume. Further research is needed to understand therole of negative emotions in promoting calls to quitlinesand cessation more broadly among the majority ofsmokers who do not call quitlines.

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/4/279.full.html

2 Feb 2011

Download PDF : Cessation. Quitline and TV ads, USA. TC 11 07