Expect the unexpected in public campaigns

A few days ago, The Chicago Department of Public Health launched a billboard campaign featuring images of pregnant boys, with the intended aim of reducing teen pregnancy rates in the city. The the unusual images were chosen in order to send to young males the message that teen pregnancy is not just the girl's responsibility. The ad campaign has been rolled out in the city and suburbs, on transit buses, trains and billboards, close to local high schools where the teen pregnancy rate has recently increased.

There's no doubt that such shocking images attract the target's attention, but can they be efficient? In my opinion, this campaign has a good change to be well receive and to determine positive effects. The text is short and straight to the point and the images displayed are emotional and powerful enough not just to raise awareness over the fact that teen pregnancy is not a joke, but also to induce a behavioral change among young people, who should take into consideration the fact that protection measures are a must.

Not the same things can be said about another teen pregnancy prevention campaign initiated by the New York's Human Resources Administration. Launched this year, on March 3 in bus shelters and subway stations, this campaign featured pictures of toddlers next to messages addressed to potential teen moms.The posters generated negative comments and reactions and, according to an article published in The Daily Mail, they were accused of using threats and ridicule to 'promote the difficulties of teen pregnancy,' instead of offering assistance and eduction to address what the HRA calls "the real costs of teen pregnancy for teens and their children." Instead of offering real solutions for young people, they are judgmental and create stigma, hostility and fright, as shown also by an interactive component of the campaign. Those who wanted to know "the real cost of teen pregnancy" had the possibility to text "NOTNOW" to a given number. The answer received was a scenario that showed how a teen mother would gain an excessive amount of weight, be ignored by the child's father, and shunned by her parents. However the texts offer no information on how to avoid a pregnancy.
Public campaigns usually approach sensitive issues, so the strategy behind them is extremely important. Two campaigns with similar goals, but with different messages will be perceived differently by people, as the examples above demonstrate. If members of the target group feel offended by this messages, they won't take it into consideration, nor they will change their behavior accordingly.

Alexandra Marta

Source: DailyMail