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Target audience definition
The primary youth target audience for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is middle school-aged adolescents (approximately 11 to 13 years of age), focusing primarily on at-risk non-users and occasional drug users. There are two secondary target audiences: late elementary school-aged children (approximately 9 to 11 years of age) and high school-aged adolescents (approximately 14 to 18 years of age), again focusing on at-risk non-users and occasional users of drugs. Within each of these target audiences, considerations must be made, as appropriate, of gender differences, racial and ethnic differences, and geographic differences (as related to region and population density).
An "at-risk non-user" is an adolescent who has not started using drugs but has behavioral, environmental, or psychological attributes that indicate an increased risk of initiation. For purposes of the campaign, an "at-risk non-user" is defined as an adolescent who has not used illicit drugs in the past year, but has at least one of the following characteristics: he or she used either alcohol or tobacco in the past year; has a close friend or sibling who currently uses drugs; or scores in the top 50th percentile on a test of sensation seeking (Hoyle, et al., in press). An occasional user is defined as an adolescent who has used an illicit substance at least once but fewer than 10 times during the past year (L. D. Johnston, personal communication, February 10, 1998; G. J. Botvin, personal communication, February 11, 1998). An adolescent who used drugs at least 10 times in the past year is defined as a regular user. While campaign messages will not be specifically developed to target regular users, they will receive campaign messages with the same reach and frequency as other youth audiences.
Primary youth audience:
- Middle school-aged adolescents (approximately ages 11-13), focusing primarily on at-risk non-users and occasional users.
Secondary youth audiences:
- Late elementary school-aged children (approximately ages 9-11), focusing primarily on at-risk non-users and occasional users.
- High school-aged adolescents (approximately ages 14-18 years), focusing primarily on at-risk non-users and occasional users.
There is relative consensus among drug use prevention experts that there is little to be gained by intervention efforts targeting youth under the age of 9. Children ages 8 and younger are firm in their anti-drug convictions but too young to acquire the resistance skills they eventually may need. Similarly, adolescents over the age of 18 are excluded from the audience definition because the majority of drug use initiation occurs among younger adolescents.
Age is a necessary segmentation factor for both developmental and practical reasons -- adolescents ages 9 to 18 are simply too diverse to be considered a single audience. Rather, this age range consists of at least three distinct audiences: late elementary school age (approximately aged 9 to 11), middle school age (approximately aged 11 to 13), and high school age (approximately aged 14 to 18).
Middle school-age adolescents are the primary target audience for a number of compelling reasons. The transition from elementary to middle school marks a major increase in the rate of drug use initiation; for example, the 1997 PATS Youth Study indicates that 5 percent of 4th to 6th grade students and 27 percent of 7th to 8th grade students have tried marijuana. This dramatic increase in drug use behavior among middle school students is a consequence of a sharp decline in their anti-drug attitudes and beliefs, and increased exposure to people who use drugs. Moreover, school-based prevention programs for middle school students that are based on the social influence model have been shown to be highly effective in preventing sharp increases in drug use rates.
Risk status is also a critical segmentation factor. While it is true that all children in the United States are at risk for drug use, research has shown that some behavioral, situational, and psychological factors increase this risk manyfold. Directing a more intensive prevention effort toward higher risk adolescents will help to ensure maximum campaign impact for two important reasons. First, the research evidence suggests that messages that are designed for high-risk adolescents are also likely to be effective with low-risk adolescents, whereas the converse is not true (Everett & Palmgreen, 1995; Palmgreen et al., 1991). Second, and perhaps more important, because adolescent drug use initiation is fundamentally a social process, one of the most effective ways to prevent lower risk adolescents from initiating use is to effectively prevent initiation among higher risk adolescents.
Moreover, the risk factors that we have identified are not rare occurrences; on the contrary, they are rather commonplace among youth today. Many children have friends and siblings who use illicit drugs; many adolescents have tried alcohol and tobacco; and, by definition, half of all youth would score above the median on a test of sensation seeking. Thus, the focus on "at-risk non-users" simply indicates that messages should focus on target behaviors and factors that are likely to lead to drug use. It does not mean that they will be directed at a small segment of the youth audiences and will ignore the vast majority of youth.
The campaign must also be sensitive and responsive to a variety of other differences among adolescent target audience members. These include gender differences, racial and ethnic differences, regional differences, and differences related to urban, suburban, and rural influences. At a minimum, this entails ensuring that campaign messages are not offensive to, or counter-productive with, members of these diverse audiences. But, in some cases, special messages may be needed that target the specific concerns of certain sub-audiences.
Message tailoring can enhance the perceived relevance and effectiveness of messages with audience sub-groups, but it is not always necessary to ensure program effectiveness. Generic school-based drug prevention programs (i.e., programs not specifically tailored to gender, culture, or geography) have been shown to be highly effective across diverse adolescent populations (Botvin et al., 1995b; Johnson et al., 1990). For the sake of campaign efficiency, messages should be designed to be effective with the full range of audience segment members whenever possible.
Parents and Other Primary Caregivers
Target audience definition
Parents or other primary caregivers of middle school-aged adolescents are the primary parent/caregiver audience for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The campaign has two secondary parent/caregiver target audiences: parents or other primary caregivers of late elementary school-aged and of high school-aged adolescents. Within each of these target audiences, considerations must be made, as appropriate, of gender differences, racial and ethnic differences, and geographic differences as related to region and population density. Special consideration may also be required for parents who are former or current users of illicit substances.
Primary Parent/Caregiver Audience:
- Parents or other primary caregivers of middle school-aged adolescents.
Secondary Parent/Caregiver Audiences:
- Parents or other primary caregivers of late elementary school-aged children.
- Parents or other primary caregivers of high school-aged adolescents.
Rationale
The campaign should target both youth and parent/caregiver audiences with complementary and synergistic messages. Parents or other primary caregivers of middle school-aged youth are identified as the primary parent/caregiver target audience for the same reasons that middle school-aged youth were selected as the primary youth audience -- middle school is a critical age for prevention of onset of drug use.
The reasons given for considering ethnic and cultural differences among youth audiences also apply to their parents. Ethnic membership has implications for determining message content, message design, and delivery channels. To reach these audiences effectively, messages must be consistent with their customs and values, and must recognize the special challenges of parenting kids in high-risk environments. Moreover, to the extent that members of ethnic minority groups give less credence to mainstream media, other credible channels may be needed to reach them effectively.
There is evidence that adolescents who know that their parents currently use or have used marijuana are at greater risk for drug use (National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse II, 1996). Although motivated to prevent their children from using drugs, these parents may inadvertently be encouraging, or at least not adequately discouraging, drug use through their words and their actions. For this reason, parents who formerly or currently use illicit drugs warrant consideration as an audience in need of tailored messages that address their situation.
Other Youth-Influential Adults
Target audience definition
Many different types of people can positively influence members of the youth target audiences in a number of different ways. As a consequence, the definition of this audience is intentionally broad, and includes any person who, by virtue of what he or she does or does not do, has potential to educate, motivate, and enable young people to reject the use of drugs. This includes family members, school personnel, mentors, religious leaders, youth activity leaders, health care providers, celebrities, and any other member of the community who is willing to get involved in a positive manner.
Rationale
Although somewhat at odds with the precepts of effective communication planning, this broad target audience definition will allow campaign planners and partners considerable latitude to pursue a variety of youth influential audiences, as appropriate and consistent with the communication strategy. Mentoring relationships, for example, are known to help prevent drug use but there is currently a major shortage of adult volunteers for mentoring programs (Tiernay, Grossman, & Resch, 1995).2 Not all schools have effective drug prevention programs in place, and key school personnel and interested members of the community may be unaware that effective options are available. Celebrities who so dramatically influence the lives of our young people may be willing to speak out or take other actions against drugs, but may never have been asked to do so. Each of these audiences, and many others, are legitimate targets for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
