Why Do Smokers Talk About Antismoking Campaigns? Predictors of the Occurrence and Content of Campaign-Generated Conversations

Smokers often talk about antismoking campaigns, and these conversations can contribute to campaign effectiveness. However, little is known about the predictors and content of naturally occurring campaign-generated conversations. In two studies (Study 1,N=480; Study 2,N=232), we systematically examined whether the occurrence and content of smokers' conversations after exposure to one of eight antismoking television advertisements were predicted by characteristics of (a) the message, (b) intrapersonal responses to the message, (c) the individual, and (d) the social context in which exposure occurred. In multivariable models, we found that conversations were more likely to occur when advertisement exposure occurred in the presence of others, and as the amount of anxiety elicited by the advertisement increased. Conversations were more likely to contain a favorable appraisal of the advertisement when the message elicited higher levels of sadness, and less likely to contain favorable appraisals when the respondent had finished secondary education (vs. lower levels of education). Stronger feelings of guilt reduced the likelihood that conversations contained unfavorable appraisals, and increased the likelihood that they contained quitting talk. These findings suggest several promising avenues for future investigations into why smokers talk and talk in particular ways.