Endorser and Bodily Addressing in Public Service Announcements: Effects and Underlying Mechanisms

Media psychology literature suggests that both celebrity and peer endorsers can be effective in persuasion when taking certain bodily addressing styles but via different mechanisms. To understand the psychological mechanisms underlying audiences’ reactions toward print public service announcements (PSAs) and to design effective PSAs accordingly, we explored this issue by conducting a 2 (endorser: peer vs. celebrity) x 2 (bodily addressing style: front vs. side) between-subjects online experiment (N = 423). Findings suggest that celebrity endorsers with a frontal bodily addressing style induced more parasocial interaction experience (PSE) with the endorser from the audiences, whereas peer endorsers with a side bodily addressing elicited a higher level of empathy toward the endorser. Both enhanced PSE and empathy contribute to effectiveness of the PSAs. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Learn after reading: effects of news framing and responsibility attribution on Chinese college students’ perceived efficacy in identifying others and themselves with depression

Depression is now one of the most severe public health threats in China and among Chinese college students. To examine the effects of depression news coverage on Chinese college students’ mental health literacy, focusing on their perceived efficacy in recognizing depression symptoms, a 2 (news framing: episodic vs. thematic)?×?2 (responsibility attribution: individual vs. societal)?×?2 (gender: female vs. male) between-subjects experiment was conducted among 187 students at a large research university in China. The key findings, after controlling for depression issue involvement, include: (1) the main effects of attribution on perceived efficacy in identifying others (friends and family members) with depression; (2) the association between gender and perceived efficacy in identifying family members with depression; and (3) the three-way interactions on how framing, attribution, and gender jointly affect not only perceived efficacy in identifying others but also themselves with depression. These findings provide insights on how depression news coverage can help enhance mental health literacy and build stronger depression symptom resilience among Chinese college students. Implications for health journalists and public health communication professionals in China are discussed.     

Incidental Affect and Message Processing: Revisiting the Competing Hypotheses

Using six television public service announcements (PSAs) and with a 3 (message topic) × 4 (frame combination) × 2 (messages) mixed design (N = 270), this study explores the impact of incidental affect on message processing in a broader horizon that incorporates operationalization of depth of message processing and how incidental affect is conceptualized and induced. Results showed that (a) there was no significant main effect of incidental affect on message processing in support of the cognitive capacity or affect as information explanations, and (b) there were significant simple main effects of incidental affect on message processing, but such an effect was consistent with the affect as resource explanation, rather than the hedonic contingency model. Implications and direction for future studies were discussed.     

Comparing the effects of argumentation and facework on Americans and Chinese’ responses to advice in supportive interactions

Advice is a culturally universal form of supportive communication. This study examined cultural similarities and differences between American (N?=?248) and Chinese (N?=?225) college students in their responses to advice messages that differ in terms of argument explicitness and use of facework. A 2 (articulation of response efficacy: presence vs. absence) ×?2 (articulation of feasibility: presence vs. absence) ×?2 (articulation of absence of limitations: presence vs. absence) ×?2 (use of facework: presence vs. absence) experimental design was used in the study. A hypothetical problem situation (failing an exam) was employed in the design and three types of advice substance were included (talking to professor, studying with others, dropping the course). Participants were randomly assigned to read one of the hypothetical conversations in which they received advice from a friend about the problematic situation. The findings of this study demonstrated that, in both cultural groups, advice was more effective (resulting in higher perceptions of advice quality and facilitation of coping, as well as stronger intention to implement the advice) when advice givers outlined the efficacy of the advised action, explained the feasibility of undertaking the advised action, addressed the potential limitations of the advised action, and employed politeness strategies when giving advice. Theoretical and pragmatic implications of the study’s findings, as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Alcohol's Getting a Bit More Social: When Alcohol Marketing Messages on Facebook Increase Young Adults’ Intentions to Imbibe

This study investigates the effects of social media marketing of alcoholic beverages using a 2 (likes: low vs. high) × 2 (shares: low vs. high) × 3 (display ad type: alcohol ad vs. antibinge drinking PSA vs. local bank) × 6 (status update repetitions) experimental design. The study examines how evaluations of alcohol marketing status updates and display advertisements predict social media users’ intentions to consume alcohol, as a function of message virality and display ad type. Participants’ viral behavioral intentions (intentions to like, share, and comment on) for status updates were strongest in predicting intentions to consume alcohol, and this relationship was strongest when the Facebook status update had high likes and shares. The article argues that alcohol marketing on social media reflects a social norm of alcohol consumption, which leads users to consume more alcoholic drinks. Findings are discussed within the framework of persuasion theories and policy changes regarding regulation of alcohol marketing on social media.     

Becoming Extra-Textual: Celebrity Discourse and Paul Robeson's Political Transformation

During the 1930s, news media constructed celebrities as individuals whose public lives naturally reflected (or expressed) their private lives. Paul Robeson, however, offered an intriguing challenge to such seamlessness, foreshadowing contemporary evocations of celebrity that highlight the fabricated nature of public personas. I posit that during the 1930s, the discursive formations of scandal and movie stardom challenged celebrity seamlessness by constructing Paul Robeson as a site of extra-textuality: Paul Robeson “the artist” became detached from Paul Robeson “the man.” Although mired in essentialism, Robeson's extra-textuality was crucial to his activism, for it ultimately created the space from which he voiced his most impassioned political polemics. Thus both regressive and liberatory, the discourses of scandal and movie stardom mediated Paul Robeson's transition from spiritual-singing aesthete to outspoken political activist.     

Health informatics in Chile: responding to health reforms

Chile is in the throes of health reforms aimed at ensuring that every person with specified chronic diseases receives timely and high quality care. CITs are crucial to the achievement of this vision because they make it possible to manage information and knowledge in a more efficient way. Until a few years ago, the incorporation of CITs was limited to individual initiatives, but since 2004 there has been a master plan to coordinate this task in the public sector. Some projects are now operative but there is still a long road to travel before getting to our destination. One of the most underdeveloped areas is the clinical applications of health CITs, especially the incorporation of biomedical knowledge to clinical practice. The two biggest challenges facing the Digital Agenda for the health care system are (i) to develop a critical mass of clinicians and health related professionals with expertise in Health Informatics; and (ii) to foster technical integration of the private and public sectors of the health care market.     

Use of inoculation to foster resistance to credit card marketing targeting college students

Student credit card debt is a growing problem. This study explores the effectiveness of the inoculation strategy to foster resistance to credit card marketing targeting college students. In order to explore further the medical analogy on which the inoculation strategy is based, this study was the first systematically to alter the argument strength of both the counterarguments and refutations in the inoculation pretreatment message to determine whether argument strengths impact effectiveness of inoculation treatments. In addition, this investigation explored whether inoculation spreads from person to person via social channels, similar to the marketing concept of viral marketing. Results indicated that conventional inoculation treatment messages successfully inoculated college students against credit card advertisements, manifested in attitude valence and behavioral intentions, and that matching argument strength is the most effective inoculation strategy.     

Assessing information-seeking patterns and needs of nutrition, food science, and dietetics faculty

This research examines how faculty in academic nutrition, food science, and dietetics locate and access relevant information sources; what information service needs they perceive; which scholarly journals they consult regularly for current awareness; and which journals they use for research and teaching. An e-mail survey was conducted at a large urban public university offering graduate and undergraduate programs in the fields of nutrition, food science, and dietetics. Scholarly journals remain the most common and effective information source for academic nutrition and food science faculty. The PubMed database from the U.S. National Library of Medicine was identified as the main platform for accessing MEDLINE, the most frequently used database for scientific literature searching. The findings inform and support subject librarians in their collection-building decisions, enabling them to improve the services they currently offer to academic communities in these fields.     

An Exploration of Transportation and Psychological Reactance in Organ Donation PSAs

The present study expands on prior work on the use of narratives in persuasive communication by examining students’ (N = 201) reactions to six organ donation public service announcements (PSAs). Reactions to the type of appeal, donor-focused or recipient-focused, were also explored. Results indicated that being immersed in the PSA was positively associated with message reactions and negatively associated with threats to overall freedom of choice when deciding whether or not to become an organ donor. Those perceived threats partially mediated the relationship between immersion into the story of the PSA and message reactions, such that increased threats were associated with reduced message reactions. Individuals exposed to the recipient-focused appeals were more interested in the narrative of the PSAs than those exposed to donor-focused appeals. Results are discussed in the context of future message and campaign development.     

The effect of issue obtrusiveness,issue congruence,and response strategies on the acceptance of crisis communication messages

Based on issue ownership theory, this study identifies the effects of issue obtrusiveness, issue congruence, and crisis response strategies on the level of acceptance of crisis communication messages employing 2 × 2 × 3 (issue obtrusiveness × issue congruence × response strategies: scapegoat, justification, reminder) experimental research. Two large Korean business groups (Hyundai and SK) were selected. There was a main effect in crisis response strategies and a three-way interaction effect. A crisis communication message was effective when a corporation owns congruent and unobtrusive issues. Implications for public relations research and practices were discussed.     

Health check for Latvia: opportunities for information professionals in a new democracy

Background: This paper outlines developments in medical information in Latvia since independence from the former USSR in 1991, and analyses the health information gap faced by professionals. Objectives: To explore international initiatives and co‐operation in health information provision in Latvia; to describe the activities of Latvian medical librarians at national, regional and international level; to look at health information provision by specialist information centres; and to discuss the role of librarians in health information provision in public libraries. Methods: An extensive search was made of databases and medical library and health information centre staff were interviewed; a questionnaire survey of librarians was carried out. Results: International initiatives and co‐operation by medical librarians have extended their services at national, regional and international level. Health information portals exist, with online contacts and links to smaller health centres and organizations, but rarely employ qualified librarians or information professionals. Ninety‐three per cent of public librarians had provided health information, with 79% using the Internet. The most popular sources of health information were magazines, books, local pharmacies and the Internet, but mostly for healthy lifestyle, not medical problems. Conclusions: E‐health and medical informatics are high government priorities. Medical librarians are actively involved in these initiatives.     

From Prime-Time to Daytime: The Domestication of Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres was celebrated. She was chastised. And then she was cancelled. Her current success makes it easy to forget how short-lived her lesbianism initially lasted on television (less than two years). Ironically, in the aftermath of Ellen's, demise we witnessed a profound increase in queer characters, themes, and programming as well as her own spectacular comeback. Moving beyond most academic consideration of Ellen DeGeneres’ initial emergence as lesbian celebrity, I highlight the cancellation of her sitcom as a particularly crucial moment for understanding the fierce multilayered disciplining of Ellen's public persona. Further, I consider the disparate discourses and entertainment journalism that articulated a public/private DeGeneres with her television character(s), working to shape her public persona in the interest of preserving prevailing cultural norms.     

Controversial Issues

Abstract

Health professionals and members of the public are often interested in locating exercise information on the World Wide Web (the Web). There is a large amount of information available on the Web; however, the challenge for all people is to identify the high quality information that can be depended upon. Much of the quality exercise information on the Web is hidden within sites of reputable organizations concerned with exercise and health. This article examines several categories of commonly needed exercise related information. For each category, a few high quality sources of exercise information are listed. Combined, these Web sites provide an excellent and extensive body of knowledge for a person who is not experienced with exercise and wants to get started learning, or for a person with a moderate level of experience and knowledge who wants to learn more.     

Health, sport and nutritional information: tailoring your approach

One of the intended legacies of the London 2012 Olympics is to increase the level of physical activity amongst the general population. Health information on the positive health benefits of sport and nutrition can assist in this goal and its positive benefit can been seen in communities within and beyond the United Kingdom, particularly within an educational context. In the United States, young people view their teachers as a valuable source of health information, and in Taiwan, teachers have been key collaborators in the development of a national Health e-Learning Network providing multimedia-learning modules for use in the classroom. However, classrooms are not the only source of health information and, with the reported inaccuracies in the translation of health information from academic papers to the popular press, school librarians have a role to play in facilitating students' ability to assess the quality of the health information they access, whatever the source.     

Influence of TV endorser types on advertising attitudes and purchase intention among Indian rural women: an exploratory study

India has a growing rural consumer base that has been largely ignored by advertisers. Today, Indian rural consumers, especially women, are increasingly literate, brand savvy, and possess rising disposable incomes. Considering the nation's love for films and the availability of television broadcasting, celebrity endorsement has become one of the most popular strategies used by advertisers in India. However, its impact on rural consumers has yet to be tested. Using self-categorization as the theoretical framework, the current study examined the influence of endorser types (national celebrity, regional celebrity, and noncelebrity) on advertising attitudes and purchase intention of Indian rural women. In addition, the authors also analyzed the impact of the three dimensions of source credibility. A sample of rural women (N = 167) from the Kudumbashree mission, one of the largest woman empowerment projects in the country, was recruited for the experiment. Findings showed that noncelebrity endorsers were most effective and that trustworthiness was valued more than expertise and attractiveness. Implications for advertisers are discussed.     

Exercise information resources on the World Wide Web

Health professionals and members of the public are often interested in locating exercise information on the World Wide Web (the Web). There is a large amount of information available on the Web; however, the challenge for all people is to identify the high quality information that can be depended upon. Much of the quality exercise information on the Web is hidden within sites of reputable organizations concerned with exercise and health. This article examines several categories of commonly needed exercise related information. For each category, a few high quality sources of exercise information are listed. Combined, these Web sites provide an excellent and extensive body of knowledge for a person who is not experienced with exercise and wants to get started learning, or for a person with a moderate level of experience and knowledge who wants to learn more.     

Hitching wagons to stars: celebrity,metonymy, hegemony,and the case of Will Smith

Representations of celebrities operate as politically and culturally significant resources for the construction, regulation, and even contestation of hegemonic discourses about race and gender in the United States. Not simply meaningful or important to fans, star images may also provide resources to critics aiming to interrogate and intervene against potentially oppressive cultural norms. Forwarding an approach called metonymic criticism, this essay argues that the associative logic of metonymy plays a central role in both the articulation of celebrity personae and the operations of hegemonic discourse formations. The analysis develops by considering the case of a star whose public image has unique probative value for studying the intersecting discourses of race and gender in US culture: Will Smith.