Efficiently and Effectively Evaluating Public Service Announcements: Additional Evidence for the Utility of Perceived Effectiveness

Abstract

Recent research has made significant progress identifying measures of the perceived effectiveness (PE) of persuasive messages and providing evidence of a causal link from PE to actual effectiveness (AE). This article provides additional evidence of the utility of PE through unique analysis and consideration of another dimension of PE important to understanding the PE-AE association. Current smokers (N =1,139) watched four randomly selected anti-smoking Public Service Announcements (PSAs). PE scores aggregated by message were used instead of individual PE scores to create a summed total, minimizing the likelihood that PE perceptions are consequences of an individual's intention to quit, supporting instead the PE→AE order. Linear regression analyses provide evidence of PE's positive and significant influence on smoking cessation-related behavioral intentions.

Keywords: Public Service Announcements; aggregate score; anti-smoking; behavioral intentions; perceived effectiveness.

Figure 1

The creation of participant sum perceived effectiveness scores aggregated by video. Individual PE ratings of each video were first aggregated by video, then aggregate video PE scores were substituted for each individual’s PE score for the videos they watched. Finally, the aggregate video scores were summed to create a unique summed aggregate PE score for each participant. In the figure, P = participant, PE = perceived effectiveness score, V = video, x = the total number for that variable.