Socioeconomic variation in recall and perceived effectiveness of campaign advertisements

Niederdeppe J, Farrelly MC, Nonnemaker J, Davis KC, Wagner L. Soc Sci Med. 2011 Mar;72(5):773-80. Epub 2011 Jan 27.

This study examined data from five waves of the New York Media Tracking Survey Online (MTSO) to assess whether response to smoking cessation ads varied by socioeconomic status (SES). Findings showed that smokers with low levels of education and income were less likely to recall ads focused on HOW to quit, and perceived those ads to be less effective, than ads using graphic imagery or testimonials that focused on WHY to quit. Variations in readiness to quit smoking failed to explain patterns of response by education level.