Using computers to narrowcast health messages: The role of audience segmentation, targeting, and tailoring in health promotion.

Given the vast amount of information that individuals are exposed to on a daily basis public health campaigns face enormous challenges in reaching their audience with messages that are relevant comprehensible and effective in promoting and sustaining healthy behaviors. Careful use of segmentation targeting and tailoring can improve the likelihood of success. To employ these techniques effectively we need to understand audience characteristics channel capabilities and message properties respectively. Although achieving an understanding of these is daunting in and of itself the greater challenge lies in developing theoretical perspectives that take into account how these three factors interact with each other to determine exposure to and reception of campaign messages. In other words it is not sufficient to study these factors individually; rather we must develop models that take into account their collective impact. In future research for example we might segment audience members according to their risk perception differentiate channels according to their reach and tailor messages according to their level of specificity but we also need to investigate how these three factors combine to influence message processing. Otherwise it is unlikely that campaigns will benefit much from such studies. A more fruitful line of research may be to map out whether for example the nature of information sought through the Internet as opposed to interpersonal sources differs according to individuals risk perceptions. In this example we can identify tailoring effects (the nature of the information sought) targeting effects (use of the Internet or interpersonal sources) and segmentation effects (high or low perceived risk). Similarly we might examine the relative effectiveness of various message frames (tailoring) among those with different levels of risk perception (segmentation) holding the channel constant (targeting). The important point here is that audience segmentation channel targeting and message tailoring decisions should be made by considering how each of these factors informs and is informed by the other two. This line of inquiry we believe not only is useful for theory development but also has practical implications. (excerpt)