narrowing the audience

This week, class focused on how to segment groups so that we can target our messages for specific audiences.
The video we watched really got me thinking about different ways to interview and learn about populations. I thought the psychologist did a good job getting depth from really different types of people. She really showed how important it is to be able to relate to people and open them up to create messages that will attract people and reinforce the campaign goal. Knowing how far ahead advertising and corporate sectors are from health in that arena is frustrating though! It's clear to see that their messages are sticking more concretely in consumer's minds that those from public health.

I thought the expanded demographic survey used was interesting... I've never seen a survey that coupled motivations with demographics to determine a personality type. I wonder how widely used these survey results are in health comm campaigns. They seem like a good place to start when beginning any new program where the audience could be massive.

moving past research!

The past few weeks of class have been interesting, but I must admit, I'm excited to move beyond theories and research! Although, it’s not really moving “beyond.” Research is crucial to developing any good campaign, and I know I will be referencing these theories throughout my career, but I'm looking forward to getting into the more practical portion of class.

The lab that we did really made me pay attention to the details of conversation. It was tough to fly by the set of my pants, grab a topic that seemed relevant to the interviewee, and talk for a few minutes… I was a bit nervous (or maybe just completely sleep deprived from Austin City Limits!), and I think I wound up talking too fast... It was good to watch and discuss others interactions and note techniques I would like to employ.

After the break we talked a bit about presentation skills, and then set out the group projects. I am stoked to get started motivating college students to take action against global warming and climate change! I wonder what approaches our groups will take… Increasing consumption of local produce and products? Increasing use of public transit? Biking? Carpools? Recycling? Maybe we can get some volunteers to stand near groups of trash cans, and scold people for not recycling! Or… how about we just put receptacles next to all the trash cans? Seriously, it seems like there are less than ten places on campus (outside of cafeterias/commons) to toss paper/plastic/glass/cans… compared to trash cans every ten feet!

do you know about bone marrow?

I just had my mind blown by modern science!

I've always wanted to be a bone marrow donor. I've been down for blood, plasma and organs for years, but was a bit scared of the marrow because it seemed like such a painful process... invasive and potentially very risky. Granted, it's been 2-3 years since my last looks into donation but, suddenly, it's become amazingly simple to donate bone marrow and help a fellow person in a huge way.

Bone marrow donation has become almost as simple as donating blood… doctors will give you injections of a medication [filgrastim (Neupogen)], for 4-5 days, to draw the blood stem cells out from your bone marrow and into your bloodstream. That way they can be easily filtered from your blood. Then a machine will remove blood from one arm, filter out the stem cells, and return it to the other arm. There are typically 2-4 sessions, each taking only 4-6 hours.

Think about it: give up a couple weekends of your life so that someone else can live!

There are some side effects to the medication, however, at the worst they add up to feeling like you have the flu while you’re on them.

I found these few facts from The Mayo Clinic and the National Bone Marrow Registry.


There is a donor drive in National City on October 13th, but you can also register from the comforts of your home!

-note: there is a one-time cost to registering for donation (~$50), yet they have sponsorship programs, or partial payment programs. Check it out!

sneaking in through the window

This week we delved heavily into theories that shape health campaigns. Strong health campaigns are rooted in research and theories of public health, but there is also the major aspect of how to market these campaigns so the public will actually listen, learn, and change their behaviors. it seems against the nature of working for a social good to manipulate people into embracing our messages, and, initially, manipulation makes me think of so many corporate ad campaigns that have led people to their current poor health habits... it makes me cringe a bit to think of going to that level to really be successful. Wouldn’t it be nice if people just intrinsically cared about being healthy? If it wasn't such a forced concept? Dreamland is a nice place to visit. I’ll just have to work on making the truth that appealing!

Communication was presented as a house, and manipulation as merely coming in through the window instead of the front door. We have to find ways to grab people's attention so we can promote our messages without being thought of as solicitors. This all makes me want to take marketing classes to learn to get the attention of the public, hold on to it, and get the message across... to use the media theories for the greater good of the people, not the corporations!