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Mass media campaigns and the 'file drawer problem: a Delphi study of how to avoid campaign failure

Kite, J.; Thomas, M.; Bellew, B.; Bauman, A.; Grunseit, A.

2023-11-01 public and global health
10.1101/2023.11.01.23297917 medRxiv
Show abstract

Mass media campaigns are frequently used to address public health issues. Considering the considerable cost, there has been surprisingly little analysis of why campaigns sometimes fail. This study used a modified Delphi approach to explore the mechanisms that can lead to failure and to identify what can be done to avoid or overcome common mistakes in campaign planning, implementation, and evaluation. Through interviews and a survey with 28 public health social marketing and mass media campaign experts, we identified four systemic factors that drive success: long-term strategic thinking and commitment, understanding the campaign context, doing and learning from evaluation, and fostering strong relationships. The factors did not operate in isolation, rather good (or poor) execution in one area was likely to influence performance in another. The experts also emphasised that a change of political context could drastically affect one or more of the identified factors. Our analysis showed that campaign failures are not simply individuals making mistakes. Systemic issues throughout the planning, execution, and evaluation phases need to be addressed if campaign outcomes are to improve.

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