- Title
- Source credibility and skin cancer prevention messages: Comparing effectiveness of celebrities, celebrity doctors and medical practitioners as health spokespersons
- Creator
- Woods, Candice-Brooke
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Skin cancer is the most prevalent, preventable cancer in Australia (Cancer Council Australia, 2015). However, the majority of skin cancers could be prevented “if the public could be persuaded to adequately protect themselves from the sun” (Jones, Rees, Johnson, & Tang, 2005, p. 189). Celebrity spokespersons are often engaged to feature in public service announcements that promote skin cancer prevention messages. However, the impact of a celebrity without medical training, in comparison to a spokesperson with medical training is unknown. This program of work investigated the impact of different spokespersons on delivering skin cancer prevention messages. It explored the association between spokesperson type (celebrity, medical practitioner, and celebrity doctor), intention to act, and message acceptance. Source credibility and its three character dimensions (expertise, physical attractiveness, and trustworthiness) provided the theoretical underpinning. Nationwide, participants (n=1,191) took part in one of three online studies. Study 1 examined the effect of spokesperson type and source expertise on intention to act. Study 2 explored the relationship between spokesperson type, level of source attractiveness, and audience age on message acceptability. Study 3 assessed the association between spokesperson type, payment disclosure, source trustworthiness, and intention to act. Participants were directly asked their preferred option for spokesperson in each study. Source expertise had a significant impact on intention. Source attractiveness, however, did not impact message acceptance, with the hypothesised relationship of attractiveness being valued more by younger audiences not substantiated. Though trustworthiness had a significant effect on intention, disclosure of spokesperson payment information did not impact trustworthiness. Finally, participants for each study overwhelmingly reported preference of receiving information from a medical practitioner spokesperson (92%–97%) rather than a celebrity or a celebrity doctor. More research on this topic is recommended, including theoretical applications and collecting additional information to explore the impact of spokesperson on different socio-economic groups. Results support use of medical practitioner spokespersons for cancer prevention messages. Physical attractiveness is not important for message acceptance, nor is disclosure of spokesperson payment essential.
- Subject
- skin cancer; social marketing; spokespersons; celebrity; medical practitioner; credibility
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1395108
- Identifier
- uon:33816
- Rights
- This thesis is currently under embargo and will be available at 14.12.19., Copyright 2018 Candice-Brooke Woods
- Language
- eng
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