1. © John Hubley & June Copeman 2013
Chapter 7 Mass Media
© John Hubley & June Copeman 2013

2. Mass media
The defining feature of mass media is their capacity to reach large numbers of people quickly
Advertising a product or event
Communication through entertainment
Public relations (influencing coverage of news and current events)

3. Types of Mass Media Television Radio Newspapers Magazines Bill Boards
Direct Mail

4. TV and Radio Reaches large numbers of people
TV has visual dimension and sound
Radio has only sound
Mass media can be highly trusted – for many it is the main source of information

5. Reach of mass media: Newspapers/magazines
Reach smaller audience than radio/TV but includes decision-makers and influential people
Daily readership can be large

6. News Coverage
Mass media play an important role in influencing public perspectives on health issues – agenda setting
‘Miracle cures’ ‘breakthroughs’ and ‘health scares’ rather than balanced reporting

7. Two different ways mass media can be used
The main purpose of these is entertainment and informing people - but they can also provide coverage of health issues. It is often possible to get free coverage of health topics if they are seen to be newsworthy or of public interest.
Within programme content:
news
drama
quizzes
magazine programmes
documentaries
These deliberately set out to influence people Sometimes free - but usually have to be paid for
Advertising
jingles
spot announcements
public service broadcasts

8. Campaign
A short intensive programme of mass media often supported by other activities such as public events and endorsements by celebrities

9. Advertisements
People are aware that they are being targeted and this can provoke resistance
Credibility will depend on content and sources used
You have complete control over content – but time/space available is limited
High production quality needed to compete with advertising of commercial products
High cost of production and buying of air time

10. Social Marketing Product – packaging of product to be marketed
Price – in money, time, convenience or effort
Promotion – choice of tools to target audience including mass media and face-to-face contact
Place – where promoted: accessible and convenient to target?
Politics – influencing and persuading political players
Public – strategy to recognize different sections of the public
Social marketing is a term coined by Kotler and Zaltman (1971) for the use of commercial advertising approaches to promote social objectives. It
has been employed in the developing world to promote contraceptives, safer sex, oral rehydration solution and mosquito nets and in the industrialized world to promote oral health/fluoridation, cardiovascular health, stopping smoking, sensible drinking and many other healthy behaviours. Social marketing places great emphasis on understanding the consumer’s perspective and separating out (‘segmenting’) the population into component groups – by age, ethnicity and gender, with their separate and distinct needs. Another aspect of commercial marketing that social marketing draws upon is exchange theory, which involves considering what the consumer has to pay in exchange for the product (Houston and Gassenheimer, 1987). In the case of health actions, applying exchange theory involves examining the ‘costs’,
such as effort, time and money, to the person of implementing the desired actions (e.g. stopping smoking, taking exercise, avoiding the sun, etc.). Social marketing activities would then seek to convince people that the costs are worth paying.

11. Appeals and Mass Media Logical arguments Emotional appeals Humour
Messages in posters and advertisements can be expressed in different ways. Among the options are:
Logical arguments based on information, facts and health benefits. These can be one-sided arguments that just present the benefits of action or two-side arguments that present the advantages and disadvantages of taking action.
Emotional appeals that use pictures, music, testimonials and shock/scare tactics to arouse strong feelings and emotions. This might build on positive images of love, belonging and also the promotion of values such as a caring adult, responsible parent, masculinity, femininity, success and status. Shock tactics use fear in an attempt to jolt the person into action.
Humour can to help people identify with a situation, to see things from a different perspective to defuse potentially frightening or embarrassing subjects. For example the Health Education Authority used the comedian John Cleese in a series of advertisements between directed at getting adults to give up smoking.

12. Identify the type of appeal used

13. SENDER RECEIVER reach senses gain attention message understood
message accepted
behaviour change
improvement in health
Figure 7.2 The Six stage model of communication

14. Programme planning for Mass media
Audience research
analyse problem determine socio-cultural influences
decide suitability for mass media
Develop strategy
message design
format
timing
mix of media
mass media/interpersonal mix
Programme planning for Mass media
Figure 7.3 A systematic approach to planning mass media health promotion
Develop programmes
pre-test materials
produce finished versions
Feedback
Broadcast/publish
Evaluate