Public Opinion Campaigns PDF

PUBLIC OPINION Dr. Nirvana Ahmed Fouad Public Speaker & Academic Lecturer  Lecture 10: News influence on civic life  Public Opinion Campaigns What it the public opinion Campaigns ? Public Opinion Campaigns try to :  Generate specific outcomes or effects in a relatively lar...

PUBLIC OPINION Dr. Nirvana Ahmed Fouad Public Speaker & Academic Lecturer  Lecture 10: News influence on civic life  Public Opinion Campaigns What it the public opinion Campaigns ? Public Opinion Campaigns try to :  Generate specific outcomes or effects in a relatively large number of individuals, usually within a specified period of time and through an organized set of communication activities  Those activities may include ad placements in magazines and on the Internet and social media, promotional displays, reviews on trade publications and newspapers  Public Opinion Campaigns What it the public opinion Campaigns ?  The specific message may vary depending on the medium and the target audience  The campaign tries to make the target audience aware of the product/ service or to make the audience aware of a certain issue that will influence the social good of impact the environment  Public Opinion Campaigns  Some campaigns or messages do not directly target behaviors, but instead try to influence people’s beliefs and attitudes.  For example, to persuade them that a problem exists, to convey optimism that “we can fix it,” or to build support for a particular policy change.  These social marketing programs attempt to use many of the concepts of commercial marketing to promote social change.  Public Opinion Campaigns Campaign Strategies and Tactics:  Many marketing campaigns—including political campaigns—have similar design strategies.  First marketing research is used to identify potential audiences and to determine their existing ideas and behaviors regarding the product (perhaps a candidate) or problem.  Then potential themes and messages are tested with smaller groups of people.  Public Opinion Campaigns Campaign Strategies and Tactics:  The targeted audiences are segmented by their demographics, awareness, and interest in the topic and by their existing behaviors  Appropriate media are then chosen to reach particular audience groups.  Modern polling and statistical analysis techniques help marketers target their strategies toward various groups differenet perceptions.  Public Opinion Campaigns  Evaluating social marketing campaigns is a bit difficult.  Often the intended outcomes can only be measured through survey research, at great expense compared with the amounts spent by industry to promote consumer goods  Many public service efforts only become possible through the willingness of media outlets— especially television—to donate free time or space. .  Public Opinion Campaigns How successful a campaign is depends a great deal on how effectively it is planned, produced, and delivered to its audience. Reviews of successful campaign strategies and tactics suggest that key factors include the following: 1. Using social science models of public opinion and persuasion in their design rather than relying on “gut feel” or conventional wisdom about social influence  Public Opinion Campaigns 2) Taking into account audiences’ existing cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as their communication patterns and habits. 3) Using extensive pre-campaign research to examine audience perceptions and needs, then pilot-testing possible themes and messages on targeted groups, Appropriate use of audience surveys and focus groups can be helpful.  Public Opinion Campaigns 4 ) Having clear and realistic campaign goals; high- quality, professionally produced materials; and a careful, well-executed delivering strategy,  Bear in mind that it is far easier to build awareness about an issue than to prompt changes in behavior, especially changes that individuals see as costly or requiring great effort. 5) Implementing a multimedia campaign that combines television, radio, print, the Internet, social media, and mobile platforms. Multimedia campaigns generally are more effective, but require careful coordination  Public Opinion Campaigns Societal Consequences of Campaigns  Both commercial and public information campaigns may have influences on public opinion other than their directly intended ones.  For Example : Ford’s latest campaign to sell its newest F-Series pickup truck may or may not successfully sway buyers away from Dodge Rams, The societal impacts may include increased fossil fuel consumption and air pollution (these trucks often use 40–50 percent more fuel than efficient midsized cars  Public Opinion Campaigns Societal Consequences of Campaigns  Based on reasoning about social impacts, tobacco advertising has been restricted in an attempt to reduce overall demand for cigarettes and other tobacco products, especially among the young.  Some social critics have extended this argument to conclude that product campaigns, drive us toward being a society of consumers, more concerned with shopping and material possessions  Public Opinion Campaigns Societal Consequences of Campaigns  Other commentators take a positive view: they see advertising campaigns as tending to strengthen the market economy and thereby increase social well- being.  it is clear that commercial campaigns help determine what is “in” or “out of” our consumer culture and How such consumer opinions may carry over into the political sphere  Public Opinion Campaigns Societal Consequences of Campaigns  The same can be said for public information campaigns.  The tremendous growth in preventive health campaigns since the 1970s, have strongly contributed to make audience a more health aware and responsible society.  The more subtle message of most public health and safety campaigns has been one of citizens taking more individual responsibility for their well-being.