Social branding framework to address smoking among alternative peer crowd teens

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to describe the social branding framework, which uses lifestyle branding to change behaviour within psychographically-defined target audiences. Syke, a social branding programme to reduce cigarette use within the higher-risk alternative teen peer crowd in Virginia, USA, is presented as a case study with evaluation results. Design/methodology/approach Social branding first creates an authentic lifestyle brand that appeals to a psychographically-defined audience. Once sociocultural authority is built, the lifestyle brand introduces tailored behavioural messaging using targeted messaging channels, relying on experiential marketing events and in-group influencers to align the desired behaviour with the audience’s social identity and values. The evaluation consisted of annual cross-sectional surveying (2011–2014; n = 2,266) on brand recall, liking, message comprehension and current smoking. Among those with recall, the prevalence of liking/comprehension categories (disliked and did not understand; liked or understood; liked and understood) and of smoking within categories was compared across years using chi-square tests. Multivariate logistic regression explored liking/comprehension as a predictor of smoking. Findings Recall, liking and comprehension were significantly higher in 2014 than in 2011, as was the proportion who both liked and understood Syke. Those who liked and understood Syke had half the odds of current smoking compared to those who disliked and did not understand it. Originality/value Syke reached, was liked by and was understood by the target audience. The social branding framework effectively appeals to and reaches higher-risk audiences, with learnings applicable to other behaviours and populations.

Psychographic segmentation to identify higher-risk teen peer crowds for health communications: Validation of Virginia's Mindset Lens Survey

“…Additionally, the V-MLS brings researchers one step closer to directly measuring the core characteristics that differentiate peer crowds-values, mindsets, and worldviews-making it a more efficient means of gathering insightful peer crowd data. The V-MLS provides information critical to effective health communication by revealing the values and mindsets that characterize each peer crowd and that should be incorporated into message framing for a peer crowd-targeted campaign (9,14,83). Per the mindsponge model, the values that pass through a teen's filters and comfort zone to reach their core beliefs will influence their behavior and reinforce acceptance of similar values and mindsets in the future (23,24).…”

“…While critical to successful message development, information provided by the V-MLS does not address other important elements of campaign development such as the look, style, and feel of the campaign or the media channels where content should be placed (9,14). As such, we believe that peer crowd visual cue data such as that provided by the I-Base Survey or qualitative data collection remains important to inform the style of campaign ads and actors, while data on media channel preferences should also be collected to ensure tailored content efficiently reaches the target crowd (83).…”

“…Together, these data can provide the detailed portrait of teen peer crowds necessary to inform targeted health communication campaigns. Additionally, health communication campaigns should still rely on information processing frameworks such as 3D creativity management theory or prototype-willingness model, and campaign design frameworks such as Social Branding or social marketing benchmark criteria to translate audience insights into effective campaigns (14,63,(106)(107)(108).…”

“…Peer crowds also tap into a key factor in teen and young adult behaviorsocial influence (12)-by identifying groups of youth with shared norms who can be reached together and whose behavior influences each other. Finally, peer crowd campaigns can be delivered efficiently by focusing resources on media channels where crowd members naturally gather, increasing campaign exposure among the target crowd without increasing campaign waste (13,14).…”

“…Experimental studies indicate that peer crowd-matched educational materials can influence behavioral attitudes and beliefs (55)(56)(57). In realworld applications (see Supplementary Figure 1 for examples), youth and young adult peer crowd-targeted campaigns have been associated with high levels of awareness, positive receptivity, and desired behavior change (14,(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63). Peer crowd segmentation for public health communication represents a promising means of increasing equity by focusing resources on crowds with disproportionate risk.…”