See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/263298775

Exploring Government-led Social Marketing Campaigns: Alcohol, Think

Before you Drink…Too Much

Article  in  International Journal of Management Cases · January 2011

DOI: 10.5848/APBJ.2011.00121

CITATIONS READS

2 1,377

2 authors:

Alexandra Kenyon Emma H. Wood

Leeds Beckett University Leeds Beckett University
35 PUBLICATIONS   133 CITATIONS    45 PUBLICATIONS   1,167 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

COLECO Erasmus+ project: Higher education curricula development on the Collaborative Economy in Europe. View project

Innovation in events View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Alexandra Kenyon on 02 August 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 I n t e r n a t i o n a l
EXPLORING GOVERNMENT-LED SOCIAL
MARKETING CAMPAIGNS: ALCOHOL,
THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK…TOO MUCH
Alexandra J. Kenyon
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Emma H. Wood
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Abstract
To avoid the top-down, heavy-handed legislative
process, many Governments have turned to
Social Marketing and Persuasion Theory to
encourage the public to take responsibility for their
own physical and social well being. Persuasion
theory is used in television campaigns to change
alcohol related harm behaviour through verbal
and symbolic images under the premise of “free-
choice”. This notion of personal choice is very
important; particularly in countries where liberty
and free will are key social factors.
The social marketing campaigns that will be
examined are “anti binge drinking campaigns”
and “drink driving campaigns”. Persuasion
theory, used in these campaigns, was generally
based on two main fear appeals. The first appeal
is Physical Fear which can be high fear such as
death, substantial harm or intense pain or low fear
such as “easily avoidable” accidents. The second
fear is Social/psychological Harm ranging from
feelings of dirtiness, disgust, lack of social skills
and rejection.
The research concludes that whilst physical and
social/psychological fears are used in all campaigns
reviewed, recent alcohol related harm campaigns
have shifted from depictions of physical harm to
those of emotional and mental suffering.
Key words: Social Marketing, Alcohol, Advertising,
Persuasion Theory
141
J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s es
Introduction
This paper takes the reader through four separate
sections. It begins with background information
highlighting the fact that alcohol related health
harm is of Global concern and is a particular
burden on the UK tax payer. Because of this the
UK Government continues to try to persuade some
consumers to change their behaviour by reducing
excessive alcohol consumption and/or not to drive
whilst drunk. Therefore, the second section of this
paper outlines Social Marketing theory and Fear-
Persuasion Relationships which aim to encourage
consumers to change their behaviour. Six Public
Information Communications are examined and
a Content Analysis Coding system is developed
to discover the range of fear-persuasion images,
locations and people shown in the communications
and these are shown in the third section of this paper.
The third section also provides a Content Analysis
Coding has been developed from the examination
of the Public Information Communications. The
paper’s final section suggests that the Content
Analysis Coding could be adapted and used
across Continents to compare the similarities and
differences regarding excessive drinking and drink
driving Public Information Campaigns.
Background to Global Alcohol Related
Health-harm
Drinking alcohol has many positive effects such
as social well being, reduced risk of gallstones
and reduced risk of heart disease (Anderson
& Baumberg 2006). However, excessive and
sustained binge-drinking is often stated as the
Internation a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t
catalyst for health problems, physical injuries and
psychological difficulties.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) leads a
global research network for the aforementioned
health, physical and psychological alcohol
related health-harms by providing countrywide
updates on health trends. Another of WHO’s key
outputs is to provide ethical and evidence-based
policy options for high mortality trans-national
diseases such as HIV, tobacco and alcohol related
illnesses. Therefore the WHO are seen as the
unofficial “guiding light” for strategy and policy for
Governments and Industry who want to tackle the’
alcohol problem’. Globally, alcohol consumption
is on the increase and Governments look to WHO
to provide research, strategies and solutions to
temper the associated alcohol related health-harm.
At present, the top five countries that have the
highest recorded alcohol per capita consumption
are Uganda, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic,
Ireland and the Republic of Moldova (Food and
Agriculture Organisation 2003). The estimated
global deaths from alcohol causes, such as illness
or unintentional injuries, is 3.9% of all deaths (Rehm
et al 2009) with proportionally more men dying than
women 5.6% to 0.6% respectively (WHO 2002).
Table 1. European Commission – Alcohol Related Health Harm Priorities
(Eurocare 2007)
These themes provide general guidance for
member states to produce their own aims,
objectives and strategies; indeed the majority of
countries in the EU have recently put in place an
Alcohol Strategy. Governments have a difficult
balancing act in that they understand the cost
burden alcohol related issues has on their purse
strings they are also aware of the income gained
through taxes on alcoholic beverages. The costs
of associated with alcohol related health-harm in
the UK are up to £1.7 billion in health services, up
to £7.3O billion for criminal justice, drink/driving,
142
C a s e s
This equates to one in four deaths alcohol related
deaths in European men aged 15 to 29 years and
as high as one in three in Eastern Europe (WHO
2002). Each year there are 17,000 deaths on EU
roads due to drivers being under the influence of
alcohol (Anderson 2008)… but it is worth noting
that approximately half of those deaths are of
passengers or pedestrians. And more men than
women are found to drink and drive (IAS 2007) In
the UK the number of drink driving related fatalities
in 1979 was 1640; this has reduced significantly
to a stabilised rate of 460 drink driving related
fatalities in 2007 (a figure which was the same in
1998 and 1999) (Department of Transport 2007).
These research findings together with other works
from scholars and Government/health and/or
industry-related bodies assessing the world’s
health and psycho-social consequences of alcohol
consumption has brought a greater understanding
of the associated health-harm related costs
to family networks, the workplace, health care
and crime-related expenditure which in turn has
galvanised continents to form overarching priorities
for their Member States (see Figure 1 below) The
European Commission set five priorities reducing
alcohol related health harm. The priorities are:-
public order services and up to £6.4 billion in
workplace absenteeism, alcohol related deaths and
lost working days (Cabinet Office 2004); these are
tangible costs, however, the intangible, emotions
or psychological costs to family breakdowns or
children affected by alcoholic parents can not be
measured. On the other hand, money paid into
the UK public purse, from alcohol tax revenue
and customs, is £8,302 million (HMRC 2002) plus
of course the income taxes and revenues which
come from the millions of people that work in the
alcohol industry, are beneficial to the country’s
 I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s es

finances. The aforementioned facts and figures are revealing and in some cases stark (see Figure 1
below for a summary).

Figure 1 The Costs of Alcohol Related Harm

The Cabinet 2004 p. 14

However, the UK Government, like many other
Governments, are unlikely to legislate against
alcohol consumption or implement prohibition as
most people enjoy a peaceful, relaxing evening
socialising in pubs/clubs and bars with their friends
and family. Despite the majority of law-abiding,
“untroublesome” consumers , the UK Government
regularly change alcohol policies, introduce new
legislation, increase tax duties to price alcohol out
of the with the average consumer’s pocket and
debates of what can be drunk where and when
will last ad infinitum. Current discussions include
excessive alcohol drinking and death/accidents
through drink driving - both of which are priorities
in Europe (see Table 1 above).
Therefore, many Governments are using Social
Marketing techniques to tackle their country’s
alcohol and health related problems (Robinson
& Robertson 2010). They do this through Public
Information Communications; advertisements,
which encourage consumers to reflect upon
their own behaviour, take responsibility for their
behaviour and consider the impact their behaviour
has on others. The following section will outline
Social Marketing and Persuasion Theory that
supports the wave of putting responsibility back
into the consumer’s lap as opposed to enforcement
and legislation.
Social Marketing and Persuasion Theory
Social Marketing theory has been applied to
health promotion policy in recent years through
the Department of Health, National Health Service
and the Home Office for a range of health related
communications from sexual health, alcohol related
health-harm to obesity issues. In terms of road
traffic offences the Home Office and Department of
Transport have used Social Marketing campaigns
from drink-driving, wearing seatbelts to the
importance of level crossings at train junctions.
The style and type of communication by these
Government bodies is varied and interesting and it
is the style and storylines that are used that is the
focus of this paper.

143
Internation a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t
The basic tacit of advertising are to inform, remind
and reassure consumers about products and
services – generally advertisements have a clear
‘call to action’ to encourage consumers buy and/or
visit the aforementioned product or service. Social
marketing campaigns have similar underlying
basics in that they are there to inform/educate, and
persuade consumers to act responsibly. The Public
Information Communication ‘call to action’ is quite
similar to product or service led advertisements in
that it requests consumers to act, but they differ
by suggesting consumers deter from current
behaviour and move their allegiance to a different
type of behaviour. Social Marketing and persuasion
theory, therefore, is used to encourage the public
to take responsibility and ownership of their
physical and social well through symbolic appeals
that help influence and change behaviour under
the premise of “free-choice” (Perloff 2003; Pfau &
Wan 2006). Therefore, the ‘call to action’ in Public
Information Communications include notions such
as eat healthily, stop smoking or pay the annual
television license. Messages in social marketing
are varied in style and storyline and range from
fun informative ideas to announcements told in a
grave, authorisation way. This paper reviews how
the UK Government has used fear-persuasion
relationships to encourage consumers to change
their behaviour of excessive alcohol intake
and driving whilst drunk. The fear-persuasion
relationships that are shown in Public Information
Communications reviewed demonstrate types of
behaviour, which will evoke fear arousal which
in turn should ‘persuade’ consumers ‘away from’
risky behaviour to safer behaviour.
“Fear appeals” in advertisements and Public
Information Communications have been used and
researched for many years, identifying positive
outcomes (Hoek, Maubach & Gendall 2006) and
there are mixed-feelings as to the effectiveness of
such a strategy (Hastings et al., 200; Rossiter and
Thornton, 2004; Rotfeld, 1999; Ray and Wilkie,
1970). Indeed Harmand and Murphy (2008)
stated that ‘over the top fears’ are often ignored
because consumers think “it will never happen to
me” and others state that the ‘laboratory research
techniques’ used do not replicating real-life (Burnett
and Lunsford, 1994; Laroche et al., 2001).
However, social marketing and persuasion theory
has been used for many years with images of
“fearful” consequences in advertisements and
144
C a s e s
Public Information Communications which places
the consumer in a complex series of psycho-
physiological arousals. And it is the differing
types of arousal that have fascinated theorists and
practitioners alike (LaTour 2006; Laroche et al.,
2001).
One of the fundamentals to “Fear-persuasion
relationships is that there are three types of fear;
1. physical harm or threats to the body, 2. social/
psychological fears or 3. fear of financial ruin or
disaster. Further, these threats can be sub-divided
to include topics such as to the nature and intensity
of the fear (Maciejewski 2004), how the ‘fearful
message’ impacts upon attitudes and behaviour
(Smith & Stutts 2003) and how audiences are
motivated to protect themselves from the fear
‘seen’ in the advertisement (Laroche, et al 2001).
Physical fears and threats to the body can range
from high fear such as death, substantial harm or
intense pain; and at the other end of the scale low
fear, including tolerable pain or “easily avoidable”
accidents. Gallopel & Valette-Florence (2002)
state that the stronger the threat, in high fear
messages, the more positive affects are gained.
Hoek, Maubach & Gendall (2006) agrees as they
found in their anti-smoking advertising that high fear
pictorial messages not only made smokers “think
again” about their habit, but it also discouraged
non-smokers from taking up the habit. However,
other scholars have found that cognitive defence
mechanisms “shut down” messages that are too
distressing or go past their tension “threshold”
(Harman and Murphy 2008; Henthorne et al 1993).
Therefore, high fear messages, that are considered
to be “too unbelievable”, “ridiculous” and “stupid”
also have a lessening affect. But, when severely
or permanently injured “real people” tell their own
story a believable, credible “it happened to me”
message is accepted Donovan et al 1999).
Moving on from physical and high fears, social/
psychological fear and/or avoidance motivators
tend to ‘pull’ on a consumer’s evocations of
emotional damage which can range from feelings
of dirtiness, feelings of disgust, lack of social skills
and rejection (Beaudoin 2002; Laroche, et al
2001). Public Information Communications often
use evocations of dirtiness when shown images of
drunk people vomiting or rejection by friends when
a person in an advertisement has killed a child due
to drink driving.
 I n t e r n a t i o n a l
It is the range of images and storylines that
are used in the recent Public Information
Communications that will be evaluated in this
paper. The next section, therefore, will provide an
outline of 6 advertisements to ascertain what fears
are shown, the people taking part in the storyline,
their locations and so on. The section will also
recommend a Content Analysis Coding Table that
can be used to assess other Public Information
Communications across continents.
Research Process
Based the literature above, this research attempts
to discover the persuasive fears, forms, images
and characters shown in 6 communications.
Therefore, to ascertain the type of Fear-Pursasion
Relationships shown in Public Information
Communications the following research aims are
posed.
a) To explore the physical and social/
psychological fears depicted in 3 anti-binge
drinking communications
b) To explore the physical and social/
psychological fears depicted in 3 anti-drink driving
communications
c) To explore high/low physical fear
d) To explore types of social/psychological
fear
e) To explore target audience
Table 2 and 3 provide a brief outline of the storyline
of the 6 Public Information Communications; Table
2 shows Drink Driving communications and Table
3 showing Anti-binge Drinking communications.
Following the exploration of the Public Information
Communications the above ContentAnalysis Coding
system was established. The Content Analysis is
a systematic and objective, measurable view of
communications (Wimmer & Dominick 2000) and
shows some stark contrasts in current campaigns
to campaigns over 4 years old. Firstly, the drink
145
J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s es
driving and anti-binge drinking campaigns that
are over 4 years old; Summertime and Invincible;
show storylines where death as the consequence
to the risky behaviour. It may be considered, in
light of Harman and Murphy 2008; Henthorne
et al 1993 suggestions, that death is outside the
tolerance threshold for consumers and maybe the
UK Government have changed tack and moved
from physical to psychological fears. The current
campaigns clearly show social/psychological fears
as the driver for behavioural change; as opposed
to purely high physical fear. Does this mean that
the UK Government thinks that encouraging drink
drivers and binge drinkers to consider their own
personal self worth and the socio/psychological
consequences of their behaviour rather than pain
will be more effective? Naturally, this question
is outside the remit of this paper; and only time
and post campaign research will tell if the current
campaigns are more effective.
Strangely, despite Donovan et al’s (1999)
suggestion that testimonials are very effective no
campaign; current or over 4 years old, show ‘real
life’ characters telling their story.
The evaluation of the Public Information
Communications shows that in terms of target
audiences the communications are targeted at
male drivers and male binge drinkers; this sits
comfortably with the facts shown by WHO (2002),
Anderson (2008), IAS (2007) and the Department
of Transport (2007) in that more men are involved
in alcohol related health-harm and drink driving
incidents.
The Content Analysis Coding provides a way to
evaluate a whole range of Public Information
Communications by UK Governments and
Governments across the Continent. If an extensive
range of communications messages were to be
included, descriptive statistics, such as frequencies
and cross-tabulations, Chi-square tests and t-tests
could be conducted to ascertain the characteristics
of Public Information Communications.
Internation a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s e s

Table 2 Drink Driving Storyline

146
 I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s es

Table 3 – Anti-binge Drinking Storyline

147
Internation a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t
Table 4 Comparison of 6 Public Information Communications
Conclusion
This paper has highlighted the Global need to
consider ways of changing drink driving and binge
drinking behaviour. Governments have used
Social Marketing and Fear/Persuasion Theory to
persuade consumers to avoid risky, harmful alcohol
related behaviours. The aim of this paper was to
evaluate recent Public Information Communications
and provide a coding system to ascertain the
characteristics within the advertisement. It seems
from the 6 communications evaluated that there
has been a shift from physical fears to socio/
psychological fears in both drink driving and binge
drinking communications. However, to provide
a more in-depth analysis of the characteristics
shown in Public Information Communication
storylines more drink driving and/or anti-binge
drinking campaigns from the UK and even across
continents should be analysed.
148
C a s e s
References
Anderson, P. (2008) Reducing Drinking and Driving
in Europe Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen
e.V. (DHS) (2008) Reducing Drinking and Driving
in Europe.Hamm:DHS
Anderson P, & Baumberg B. (2006) Alcohol in
Europe: a public health perspective. London:
Institute of Alcohol Studies
Biener, L. (2004) The Impact of Emotional Tone,
Message, and Broadcast Parameters in Youth
Anti-smoking Advertisements Journal of Health
Communication Volume 9 pp 259-274
BPBA (2009) British Pub and Beer Association
Manifesto London
Beaudoin C. E. (2002). Exploring antismoking ads:
Appeals, themes, and consequences. Journal of
Health Communication, 7, 123–137.
 I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Blythe, M. & Cairns, P. (2009) Critical Methods &
User Generated Content: the iPhone on YouTube
27th Conference: Human Factors & Computing
Systems Boston, April 4-9
Cabinet Office (2004) Reduction Strategy for
England Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit March
2004 p. 14
Department for Transport (2007) Road casualty
statistics for 2007 were published in Road
Casualties Great Britain Main Results 2007 on
26th June 2008)
Donovan, R. J., Jalleh, G. & Henley, N.C. (1999)
Executing effective road safety advertising. Are
big budgets necessary? Accident Analysis and
Prevention Vol 31 pp 243-252
Eurocare (2007) EUROCARE press release on
the EU Alcohol Strategy http://www.epha.org/IMG/
pdf/EUROCARE_press_release_after_adoption_
EU_Alcohol_Strategy.pdf [accessed 24th October
2008
Food And Agriculture Organisation Of The United
Nations (2003) Trends Schiedam: Produktschap
Voor Gedistilleerde Dranken World Drinks
Freeman, B. & Chapman, S. (2007) Is ‘‘YouTube’’
telling or selling you something? Tobacco content
on the YouTube video-sharing website British
Medical Journal,16, 207–210.
Harman, B & Murphy, M. (2008) The Application
of Social Marketing in Reducing Road Traffic
Accidents among Young Male Drivers: An
Investigation Using Physical Fear Threat Appeals
International Journal of Business and Management
July pp 129-139
Hastings, G., Stead, M & Webb, J. (2004) Fear
appeals in social marketing: Strategic and ethical
reasons for concern Psychology & Marketing Vol 2
(11) pp 961-986
Hoek, J., Maubach, N. & Gendall ,P. (2006) Effects
Of Cigarette On-Pack Warning Labels On Smokers’
Perceptions And Behaviour World, 284(4), 483-
485 pp 173-180
HMRC (Revenue & Customs) (2008) Alcohol
Factsheet July London:HMRC
IAS (Institute of Alcohol Studies) Reducing Drinking
and Driving in Europe London July 2007
149
J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s es
LaTour, M. S. & Rotfeld, H. J. (1997) There are
threats and )maybe) fear-caused arousal: Theory
and confusions of appeals to fear and fear arousal
itself Journal of Advertising 26 (3) pp 45-59
Laroche, M.,Toffoli, R., Zhang,Q., & Pons, F. (2001)
A cross-cultural study of the persuasive effect of
fear appeals in cigarette advertising International
Journal of Advertising, 20, 3–11.
Maciejewski, J. J. (2004), Is the Use of Sexual
and Fear Appeals Ethical? A Moral Evaluation By
Generation Y College Students Journal of Current
Issues and Research in Advertising, Volume 26,
Number 2 (Fall).
Jones, G. & Schieffelin, B. B. (2009) Talking
Text and Talking Back: ‘‘My BFF Jill’’ from Boob
Tube to You Tube Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication 14 (2009) 1050–1079
Nielsen (2006) You tube U.S. Web Traffic Grows 75
Percent Week Over Week, According To Nielsen//
Netratings http://www.nielsen-online.com/pr/pr_
060721_2.pdf
Perloff, R. M.(2003) The dynamics of persuasion:
Communication and attitudes in the 21st century
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Pfau, M., & Wan, B. (2006) Persuasion: An
intrinsic function of public relations. C. H. Botan
& V. Hazelton (Eds.), Public Relations Theory II
101–136 Mahwah, NJ: L. E. Associates.
Ray, M.L. & Wilkie, W. L. (1970) Fear: The potential
of an appeal neglected by marketing Journal of
Marketing 34 pp 54-62
Rehm, J., Mathers C., Popova S.,
Thavorncharoensap M., Teerawattananon T.,
Jayaep Patra J. (2009) Global burden of disease
and injury and economic cost attributable to
alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders The Lancet,
73, 9682, 2223 - 2233, 27 June 2009
Robinson, M. & Robertson, S. (2010) The
Application Of Social Marketing To Promoting
Men’s Health: A Brief Critique International Journal
of Men’s Health, Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2010, 50-
61.
Rossiter, J. & Thornton, J. (2004) Fear-pattern
analysis supports the fear-drive model for
antispeeding road safety TV ads Psychology &
Marketing 21 (11) pp 945-960
 Internation a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e m e n t C a s e s

Rottfeld, H. (1999) Misplaced marketing

commentary: Social warnings and rational
precautions: A review of the psychology of fear
Journal of Consumer Marketing 16 (2) pp 119-121
WHO (2002) (2002).Global Burden of Disease
http://www.who.int/global_burden_disease.pdf
WHO (2009) Evidence for the effectiveness and
cost–effectiveness of interventions to reduce
alcohol-related harm http://www.euro.who.int/
document/E92823.pdf
Wimmer, R. D. & Dominick, J. R. (2000) Mass
Media Research: An Introduction 6th Edition
Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company
World Health Organization (2007) Evidence-based
strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-
related harm 60th World Health Assembly 5th April
2007

150

View publication stats