University students' perceptions of the alcohol campaign : "Is Getting Pissed Getting Pathetic? (Just Ask Your Friends)"

The present study examined students' understanding and perceived effectiveness of a recent Australian alcohol campaign designed to increase students' awareness of excessive and harmful drinking. Six hundred and seventy one university students (51% females), who had seen the campaign posters, with the tagline "Is Getting Pissed Getting Pathetic? (Just Ask You Friends)", were asked to comment on the messages that the campaign was communicating and how informative, relevant, and effective they perceived the campaign. Many students were positive in their evaluations and described the messages as "truth and realistic", "clear and to the point", and that the campaign made them think about their own drinking. However, other views were more negative and indicative of psychological reactance. These included concerns that students "won't listen" or "don't care" about media campaigns, and that "they don't what to be told what to do". The findings highlight how media campaigns can help an audience contemplate behavioral change, however, they can also alienate students and promote counterproductive attitudes.

Multimedia campaign on a shoestring : promoting 'Stay Active - Stay Independent' among seniors

Issue addressed: This paper describes a multimedia campaign implemented in rural New South Wales on a budget smaller than that typical of many published campaigns. The 'To Be Young at Heart- Stay Active Stay Independent' (SASI) campaign was one arm of a multi- strategic program to reduce falls among seniors by promoting physical activity. Methods: This 18-month campaign used social marketing techniques. Central to this campaign was strong formative research, significant use of corporate, community and media partnerships and a detailed, strategic distribution plan. Campaign reach was evaluated by a community intercept survey. Results: A variety of high quality information, education and communication (IEC) resources were developed. Overall, the campaign cost was calculated at $191,000. The actual cost of $42,000 (excluding staff time) was used to generate almost double this amount in sponsorship ($82,000). In the mid-campaign reach survey, 36% recognised the campaign and attributed this to television (58%), newspaper (33%), poster (13%) and bus-back advertising (8%). Of these respondents, 21% reported seeking information about physical activity, 33% reported increased intention to be more active, and 22% reported becoming more active as a result of the campaign. Conclusions: It is possible to develop and deliver a well designed, multimedia campaign on a limited budget by using sound formative research and engaging community and corporate partners to generate sponsorship. An effective distribution strategy is crucial and may require additional partnerships at State or national level.

Australian perceptions of the Orient 1880-1910

Abstract not supplied. Keywords taken from contents page.

Building the perfect beast : scientific romance and Jewish representations 1880-1914

Various cultural mediums portrayed Jews in Britain in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Scientific romance harnessed past communicative 'discourses' such as history, folklore, theology, and mythology and was an innovative form of literature that heralded a new era in the construction of Jewish identity between 1880 to 1914.