Why college anti-drinking ads are backfiring
April 12, 2010 by Jacob HawleyPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Student Life
Public service announcements (PSAs) against binge drinking are backfiring. Why are these ads causing even more binge drinking escapades?
Anti-alcohol ads that associate binge drinking with shame may only foster resistance to the message, says a new study from Northwest University’s Kellogg School of Management.
The study surveyed 1,200 undergrads who viewed PSAs that relied on self-disgust and guilt over drinking (such as a young woman hugging a toilet bowl with the slogan, “Best night of my life”). The response: Students not only ignore the ads – they try to prove them wrong by drinking more.
And shame-based ads don’t just target drinking – they cover smoking, drug use and STDs, too.
The takeaway: The way to improve behavior isn’t through guilt, which only makes the audience defensive.
That means doing away with heavy-handed lectures in favor of lighter, more helpful messages. Lead researcher Nidhi Agrawal recommends more positive messages that give students tools and tactics for avoiding risky situations.
How does your school combat binge drinking? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Tags: Binge drinking, Kellogg School of Management, public service announcements
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April 20th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Ummm….they’ve never worked. I’m amazed they still try. Remember the whole “this is your brain on drugs” campaign?
Please…this make me want a drink…..:)
April 20th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
You can combat binge drinking by simply EDUCATING the students. Scare tactics NO LONGER work!!! Provide them with accurate information and they will listen to the message and potentially change their drinking behaviors. Teach them about what a “Standard Drink” of alcohol is, and how the body processes alcohol, and why they still feel drunk 8 hours later if they have had 12 drinks.
April 20th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
I would agree with the findings, but would add that “shame” type portrayals can be powerful when it is created by students. We invited students to create art works in response to the topic of alcohol (without telling them to do a message, or tagging it as HRD prevention). Some of the work did end up portraying student’s vomiting. The art was powerful because it was authentic. And I think that is the difference. It didn’t come off as the “adult world” attempting to be didactic about what one ought to do. You can view the art here: http://www.latenightsprogram.com/art-as-social-change/gallery
April 20th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
The whole economy of the U.S. is based on addictive behavior: consumption. Our movies, TV, radio, events, all foster addictive behavior. Curbing drinking is extremely difficult in this environment that promotes addictive behavior. Many businesses thrive on impulse purchases, and so they promote this kind of behavior, even to the point where companies are having input on movie and TV scripts to maximize product placement effectiveness. How do you discourage impulsive behavior such as binge drinking? Probably not by the same medium (advertising) that is used to promote impulsive behavior.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
The researchers should be involved before the ads air, not after. There is a whole body of research on Shame and Guilt which shows the critical yet clear distinction and the outcomes. (see for example the book Shame by June Tangenay). Shame is feeling bad about your SELF because of your behavior; Guilt is feeling bad about your BEHAVIOR because it is dissonant with your self image. Shame increases likelihood of repeating the behavior. Guilt decreases the likelihood of repetition. Too often public policies and beliefs reflect what people ‘think’ rather than what science knows.
April 21st, 2010 at 9:32 am
We have known for decades that this type of approach is ineffectual. Our work in translational science (translating what works to practice) remains a challenge. This illustrates very well the gap between what we know works and what is often implemented in practice. Multiple approaches at multiple levels of influence may yield the best outcomes. Unfortunately, communities often do not have endless resources to marshal around this public health problem. Harnessing what existing resources do exist in communities and bringing them together might produce positive outcomes that can be sustained. Political and economic challenges make that sort of collaboration sometimes onerous.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:11 am
Remember “Reefer Madness”?
April 21st, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Hey, but on the upside, using ineffectual methods increases alcohol sales, and in the end, isn’t it really all about the economy? Why, I wouldn’t be surprised that the firms contracted to create those ads actually knew that it was an ineffective approach that would backfire, and either consciously or subconsciously chose to do it for that reason.