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A failed norms social marketing campaign
John D Clapp1, James E Lange, Cristel Russell
1School of Social Work, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, California 92182-4119 USA. jdclapp@mail.sdsu.edu
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
|June 24, 2003
Summary
A social marketing campaign aimed at college students successfully corrected misperceptions about drinking norms. However, the campaign did not reduce heavy drinking behaviors among students living in residence halls.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Marketing
- Higher Education
Background:
- College student drinking is a significant public health concern.
- Heavy drinking among college students, particularly those in residence halls, poses risks.
- Social norms marketing is a popular strategy to address college drinking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive social marketing campaign on heavy drinking behaviors.
- To assess the campaign's impact on perceived drinking norms among college students in a residence hall setting.
Main Methods:
- A pretest-posttest nonequivalent comparison group design was utilized.
- The study involved two comparable residence halls at a large urban public university.
- Data were collected from students in both experimental and comparison residence halls before and after the intervention.
Main Results:
- The social marketing campaign effectively corrected students' misperceptions of peer drinking norms.
- No significant reduction in heavy drinking behaviors was observed in the experimental group.
- Some counterintuitive effects on drinking behaviors were noted, warranting further investigation.
Conclusions:
- While the campaign influenced perceived norms, its impact on actual drinking behaviors was limited.
- Universities should exercise caution and conduct thorough evaluations before widespread adoption of such social norms campaigns.
- Further research is needed to understand the complexities of behavior change in college student populations.