Planning Public Service Advertising Messages: An Application of the Fishbein Model and Path Analysis

This paper applies Fishbein's Behavioral Intention model and path analysis to the subject of message content assessment. Using a pre-test - post-test experimental design, two groups of subjects were presented with a belief message and an evaluative message—one message type for each group. The Fishbein model was used as a framework to measure message response. The influence of the framework components (Fishbein model) were calibrated using path analysis. The results of the study indicated that the evaluative message was the most effective and that the subjective norm component of the Fishbein model had the most influence.