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In Postimees today, health propagator Hannes Lents says drinking is not down in Estonia – no matter the campaigns. According to a fresh TNS Emor poll, there was a 1.8 percent decline, year-on-year, but that’s too little to prove effectiveness of ads on Estonian behaviour. True, less strong liquor and beer was downed, but the milder drinks and wine went up.
As a reason of ineffectiveness of campaigns, TNS Emor experts point to intimidation used in social ads. Contrary to expectations, intimidation will not alter behaviour, and my backfire.
Why? Probably because the fear message stresses the very worst in alcohol consumption, the most tragic that could happen. With extremes used, trustworthiness suffers. With a part of a message not credible, the whole campaign is viewed very critically.
Also, by amplifying the problems by fear, social ads may come across as «commercial». While commercial ads show the perfect skin produced by a cream, or a washing powder working bona fide miracles, the fear-message showcases destroyed livers and comrades around coffins. By using commercial amplification, social ads risk adopting the rest of its traits. While we know the creams and powders don’t really work like they show us, why believe in the destructiveness of alcohol on liver?
As evidenced in TNS Emor analysis, the washing powder ads might even be more believable than the liver deal. According to experts, the negative emotions triggered make people just want to forget the whole thing. Turns out, people tend to look the other way, detecting intimidation. And: the risk group targeted will be the first to look the other way.
As a solution, the experts advise use of humour and entertainment. Which is quite understandable: anti-alcohol campaigns are mostly directed towards the youth, which are prone to rebel against warning and reasoning. Humour, however, does attract – and might get the message across.
Waiting for the solution, why not try trial-and-error. We tried intimidation – didn’t work. As also proven by scientific research cited in the study. So let’s take the funny twist. As already attempted by no-drunk-swimming ads by Märt Avandi and Ott Sepp.