Targeted communication and race: explicating perceived message relevance

Objectives: Targeting is a communication strategy in which a message is designed to address a particular group. It has been postulated that targeting increases message relevance; however, researchers are still explicating relevance and its impact on downline cognitive processes (e.g. message quality, cognitive cost). The current study addresses both gaps by evaluating the impact of targeted materials for White and African American audiences. Design: Adult women (N = 266) aged 18-74 (M_age = 47.12, SD = 1.40) were recruited to participate in a 2 (targeting: multiracial, African American) × 2 (race: White participants, African American participants) × 2 (topic: Hypertension, Environmental Breast Cancer) message experiment. Results: Across both topics, African American participants in the African American condition had reduced cognitive costs, increased message clarity, and increased message relevance. An indirect serial mediation model was supported wherein the relationship between targeting and behavioral intention was mediated by perceived relevance and perceived message quality. Conclusion: Targeting enhances perceived message relevance which, in turn, impacts behavioral intentions via perceived message quality. This model is consistent with the postulates of relevance theory and informs both intervention design and evaluation.