Assignment 5A and B

Assignment 5A

Advertising in Britain has become an important means of communicating information to the general public. Both Government and charitable organisations spend large sums of money on advertising campaigns every year in order to raise public awareness on a wide range of health related issues. Last semester, I posed the question, ‘Does this type of advertising work?’ I was particularly interested to find out whether money is being spent effectively and if these campaigns can actually have a positive impact on health seeking behaviour.

In order to investigate the success of recent health initiatives and ascertain the most effective means of targeting a specific group, two journal articles relating to this subject were sourced:

‘Can a public health intervention improve awareness and health seeking behaviour of glaucoma’ (Baker & Murdoch, 2008) and ‘Impact of a media campaign for disaster mental health counselling in post-September 11 New York.’ (Frank, et al, 2006)

The findings obtained from the analysis of these two journals suggested that media campaigns can have a positive effect and can indeed help raise awareness of particular health issues.

Achieving health-seeking behaviour was a top priority in both research projects, and this proved to be a success in each case. However even though the evidence suggested that the campaigns were effective, both journal articles concluded that further study would have to be carried out before adopting a similar approach to future campaigns. One journal also highlighted the importance of knowing the target audience prior to carrying out a health awareness campaign. Hence, having background information could prove to be fundamental in successfully reaching a specific group of individuals.

I therefore reasoned that in order to investigate the effectiveness of health advertising further I would require the use of several primary research techniques in order to collate as much information as possible about the target group.

Carrying out an observational study could help provide valuable insight into the public’s reactions and feelings towards health advertising. This type of study could either take place in a doctor’s surgery or a hospital waiting room. The patients and members of the public waiting there would be observed in regards to their behaviour and response towards the health advertisements found in these areas. Particular attention would be paid to their reactions to various advertising mediums. For example, which posters did they look at and for how long? Did they pick up leaflets to take away or did they quickly scan them on the premises? Did they look at magazine articles? This would hopefully provide data on which types of advertising are the most effective (posters/literature) and whether or not people take the time to view health awareness posters or choose to dismiss them.

Carrying out this particular type of research is particularly useful as no attempt would be made to directly influence the outcome. However, the main problem prior to carrying out this kind of study would be to gain permission from the general public. One way to tackle this issue, would be to have a notice at the entrance of the waiting room explaining that a study was taking place but without giving specific details. This would inform the patients whilst hopefully reducing the risk of influencing their natural behaviour.

After previously partaking in an observational experiment, I found that this particular research method was a valuable means of eliciting true findings as the participants appeared to act naturally and the researchers were able to experience the atmosphere of the surroundings .If I were to carry out the above proposed observations then I would have to record my findings through notes or sketches. Confidentiality is an important issue, some members of the public will object to photographs being taken or names given, therefore records would have to remain anonymous.

Carrying out interviews could also provide useful information. Conducting interviews would gain more in depth knowledge on the public’s reactions to health advertising than would be achievable through observation alone. Key questions would be asked in a semi-structured interview however, deviation from the plan maybe necessary to follow up interesting comments in more detail.

In order for this research to be successful a cross section of the public or a specific target group would have to be identified, depending on the subject matter, to ensure reliable results. Problems may arise as some people may not want to discuss health related issues, others may not be totally honest with their answers and say what they think you want to hear. To try to prevent this from happening a pilot interview would have to be conducted to ensure the questions were suitable and that the interviewer was not leading the person (influencing answers). Personal experience has shown that an interviewer can inadvertently prompt certain answers or push for information rather than have it given freely.

Finally one method, which I haven’t looked at so far, but believe could provide helpful results, would be to conduct a focus group. This research method would encourage an invited group of participants to share their thoughts and opinions on a certain subject. I would perhaps sit participants in a room with health magazines or alternatively a television programme could be viewed and during the break a health advert shown and the viewers reactions noted. For example, did they remember what the advert was about? Did it Influence them or get them thinking? The main problems likely to arise from this form of research are that some members of the group may be more vocal than others. Some participants may agree with the majority or others might be too embarrassed to give an honest opinion.

All of the above research methods would differ in regards to the data collected. The observational study would aim to provide true insight into natural behaviour whilst interviews would aim to provide deeper, more personal information on thoughts and feelings. The focus group would be particularly useful in discovering whether television ads/ magazines are effective as well as providing participants personal views on the subject matter. Combining the information from the types of research discussed would enable substantial data to be analysed so that the advertising campaign implemented would successfully reach and positively influence the specific target audience.


Assignment 5B

These various research methods could be applied across a whole range of projects, including studio briefs. One of my projects, in which these research methods could have been particularly useful, was titled The Origin of Food, which I received earlier this semester. The purpose of the brief was to take your allocated plant, in my case the raspberry, as a starting point for research. We were encouraged to investigate work being conducted at Scottish Crop Research institute (SCRI), sustainability and the plant itself. The research gathered was then to be presented in the form of a broadsheet. Meeting the main aims of this studio brief required the undertaking of appropriate research, analysis of findings and the selection of a potential direction for further development.

If I were given the chance to do this assignment again, I would choose to use the university library as my initial starting point. The library catalogue would provide a list of relevant books, online newspapers, journals, electronic resources as well as image and sound resources relating to my particular research subject.

The library’s Cross Search available on the university’s website is a ‘ service for searching bibliographic databases.’ (Library and Learning Centre) I would utilise this database to identify useful resources covering my topic of investigation. The cross search allows users to search through different Quick Sets including subjects such as Accounting, Finance and Economics right through to Art, Design and Media. Having this option means that I would be able to research raspberries in relation to a number of different subjects/areas. The journal articles available through this service contain information written by researchers and go through checks in order to ensure they are accurate. This would ensure that the research information I gathered would be completely authentic which is not always the case when information is sourced from magazines or certain websites.

If an opportunity had arisen I would have interviewed employees of SCRI. Even though the SCRI website has a good search engine, research papers and publications it would have been a good chance to gain more specific information through conducting face to face interviews.

I would have also carried out interviews with members of the general public to find out what they knew in regards to the subject under investigation. I was required to research sustainability, society and the environment and present my findings in an interesting manner. Since the broadsheet was to be displayed at a public exhibition it would have been useful to learn what the public already knew in relation to these topics and which topics they would like to investigate further. If I had engaged in semi- structured interviews with a small number of people I would have collated enough information to determine which relevant subject matter related specifically to my broadsheet.

After collecting all this information I would produce a mind map on raspberries. To do this I would apply the skills and knowledge I learnt from reading and carrying out the activities in Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping book in semester one. I find that it can often be difficult to sift through pages and pages of information so a mind map can be a great way to summarise large amounts of data. Not only would it help establish the main points/areas it would have helped me to produce the information for the broadsheet.

It was essential that raspberries were researched from all angles in order to select the focus for the broadsheet. Deciding which topic would form the main focus was difficult and it was the subject of much discussion amongst the class members. If I could do this project again I would suggest a quick brainstorming session. Small groups of people could get together to take part in this quick creative thinking exercise. Working with other people would generate a larger quantity of ideas than what we could have achieved individually. Some of these ideas would then have been developed further until I came up with my final concept. Had I carried out all these research methods it would have been interesting to see what impact it would have had on my end product.

If I were employed in this Industry, research such as this would be common practise, in order to produce the most effective pieces of design. Companies allocate money to researching target audiences/ carrying out focus groups, as it is extremely important to collect the correct data in order to achieve the desired outcome. Therefore I can see how all these research skills play an important role in the design process. I will now be able to apply them to my studio briefs and future projects.

Level 3 will bring with it more complex projects and the participation in live briefs. If I apply my knowledge of these research skills to next year’s projects it will hopefully prepare me for my future career in graphic design. My interviewing and observational skills can only improve through practise therefore by utilising these techniques from now on will enable me to refine them over time.

At the moment, I do feel as though I am still a student at Dundee art school, however I am acutely aware of the importance of global issues and how they could be tackled through design. The knowledge and skills I am learning at university will provide me with the confidence and ability to address such issues when I enter the wider world.


Bibliography

Baker, H. (2008) ‘Can a public health intervention improve awareness and health-seeking behaviour for glaucoma?’ British Journal of Ophthalmology, 92 (12), pp. 1670 – 1675

Frank, R. (2006) ‘Impact of a media campaign for disaster mental health counselling in post-September 11 New York.’ Psychiatric Services, 57 (9), pp. 1304 -1308.

Library and Learning Centre. (2010) CrossSearch [Online]
Available from: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/library/search/