REACHING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS WITH HEALTH MESSAGES: FROM OLD TO NEW MEDIA Michael Mackert, Ph.D. Department of Advertising, The University of Texas

Agenda  Reaching underserved populations using traditional mass media and new digital media  How to incorporate voices from underserved populations into educational tools  Generic vs. targeted and tailored tools in driving behavior change

If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevancy even less. -General Eric Shinseki Old Media to New Media

Traditional Media Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Traditional Media Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

New Digital Media Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Viral Video Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

New Digital Media Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

.gov and.edu “If you are looking up something medical and you read some paragraph, but it sounds somewhat… research-y… Then you look up the link and it’s something-something.edu, most likely I won’t go there because it’s most likely some research paper or something...” “Yeah, it’s not in layman’s term. Or if it’s.gov, just skip it all together.” Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment. They are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination. -David Ogilvy Incorporating Consumer Voices

Formative Research  Formative research is crucial  Theory-driven  Qualitative and quantitative research methods  Uncovering unknown insights  Confirming and quantifying findings  Guiding message development and pre-testing communication strategy Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Social Media: Not the Answer Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Online Communities Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Consumer Generated Content “If you look up a drug on the Internet whether it’s generic or branded, Google almost any drug and you are going to hit Wikipedia almost instantly, which is excellent. They have in-depth articles on pretty much every drug you can imagine.” Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Consumers Sharing Their Stories  Focus groups with low health literate parents  Participants sharing their knowledge, experiences, and stories  Impromptu classes and support groups  Can we make this easier for them to do? Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Steal from Advertisers Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. -Abraham Lincoln Targeting and Tailoring

Research on Targeted Messages  Targeted/tailored messages in health education and promotion more likely to:  Engage audiences with relevant messages  Stronger intention to engage in behavior change  Produce faster and longer lasting results Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

An Example: Folic Acid Reaching Underserved Populations ● Consumer Voices ● Targeted Messages for Change

Conclusion  Reaching underserved audiences through old or new media begins with good message strategy – which comes from proper formative research  Questions? Michael Mackert, Ph.D. Department of Advertising The University of Texas