Impact of Traditional and New Media on Smoking Intentions and Behaviors: Secondary Analysis of Tasmania's Tobacco Control Mass Media Campaign Program, 2019-2021.

backgroundTasmania, the smallest state by population in Australia, has a comprehensive tobacco control mass media campaign program that includes traditional (eg, television) and "new" channels (eg, social media), run by Quit Tasmania. The campaign targets adult smokers, in particular men aged 18-44 years, and people from low socioeconomic areas.

objectiveThis study assesses the impact of the 2019-2021 campaign program on smokers' awareness of the campaign program, use of Quitline, and smoking-related intentions and behaviors.

methodsWe used a tracking survey (conducted 8 times per year, immediately following a burst of campaign activity) to assess campaign recall and recognition, intentions to quit, and behavioral actions taken in response to the campaigns. The sample size was approximately 125 participants at each survey wave, giving a total sample size of 2000 participants over the 2 years. We merged these data with metrics including television target audience rating points, digital and Facebook (Meta) analytics, and Quitline activity data, and conducted regression and time-series modeling.

resultsOver the evaluation period, unprompted recall of any Quit Tasmania campaign was 18%, while prompted recognition of the most recent campaign was 50%. Over half (52%) of those who recognized a Quit Tasmania campaign reported that they had performed or considered a quitting-related behavioral action in response to the campaign. In the regression analyses, we found having different creatives within a single campaign burst was associated with higher campaign recall and recognition and an increase in the strength of behavioral actions taken. Higher target audience rating points were associated with higher campaign recall (but not recognition) and an increase in quit intentions, but not an increase in behavioral actions taken. Higher Facebook advertisement reach was associated with lower recall among survey participants, but recognition was higher when digital channels were used. The time-series analyses showed no systematic trends in Quitline activity over the evaluation period, but Quitline activity was higher when Facebook reach and advertisement spending were higher.

conclusionsOur evaluation suggests that a variety of creatives should be used simultaneously and supports the continued use of traditional broadcast channels, including television. However, the impact of television on awareness and behavior may be weakening. Future campaign evaluations should closely monitor the effectiveness of television as a result. We are also one of the first studies to explicitly examine the impact of digital and social media, finding some evidence that they influence quitting-related outcomes. While this evidence is promising for campaign implementation, future evaluations should consider adopting rigorous methods to further investigate this relationship.