Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2019-7
When Do Public Health Epilogues Correct the Influence of Alcohol Story Lines on Youth? The Interplay of Narrative Transportation and Persuasion Knowledge
Youth drinking is a major public health problem. Entertainment content that positively depicts alcohol consumption is often implicated as a factor shaping youths’ attitudes and beliefs about drinking alcohol. This research examines whether and under which conditions corrective epilogues can counteract the influence of a television episode featuring positive consequences of drinking. Building on recent research that demonstrates how consumers’ persuasion knowledge can increase acceptance of a message, this study finds that persuasion knowledge enhances receptivity to epilogues but only among viewers who are highly transported into the story. The research points to a promising approach to remedy the potentially harmful influence of a story line depicting undesirable behaviors on a vulnerable population.
AppelMarkusRichterTobias (2010), “Transportation and Need for Affect in Narrative Persuasion: A Mediated Moderation Model,” Media Psychology, 13 (2), 101–35.
2.
BalogunOlukunmiAiKoyanagiStickleyAndrewGilmourStuartShibuyaKenji (2014), “Alcohol Consumption and Psychological Distress in Adolescents: A Multi-Country Study,” Journal of Adolescent Health, 54 (2), 228–34.
3.
BaroneMichael J.NormanAndrew T.MiyazakiAnthony D. (2007), “Consumer Response to Retailer Use of Cause-Related Marketing: Is More Fit Better?” Journal of Retailing, 83 (4), 437–45.
4.
BonnieRichard J.O’ConnellMary Ellen, eds.; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking (2004), Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
5.
BoushDavid M.FriestadMarianRoseGregory M. (1994), “Adolescent Skepticism Toward TV Advertising and Knowledge of Advertiser Tactics,” Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (1), 165–75.
6.
BrunerJerome (1990), Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
7.
BublitzMelissa G.EscalasJennifer EdsonPeracchioLaura A.FurchheimPiaGrauStacy LandrethHambyAnne. (2016), “Transformative Stories: A Framework for Crafting Stories for Social Impact Organizations,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 35 (2), 237–48.
8.
BusselleRickBilandzicHelena (2009), “Measuring Narrative Engagement,” Media Psychology, 12 (4), 321–47.
9.
CainRita Marie (2011), “Embedded Advertising on Television: Disclosure, Deception, and Free Speech Rights,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 30 (2), 226–38.
10.
CampbellMargaret C. (1995), “When Attention-Getting Advertising Tactics Elicit Consumer Inferences of Manipulative Intent: The Importance of Balancing Benefits and Investments,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 4 (3), 225–54.
11.
CampbellMargaret C.KirmaniAmna (2000), “Consumers’ Use of Persuasion Knowledge: The Effects of Accessibility and Cognitive Capacity on Perceptions of an Influence Agent,” Journal of Consumer Research, 27 (June), 69–83.
12.
CasswellSallyMaxwellAnna (2005), “Regulation of Alcohol Marketing: A Global View,” Journal of Public Health Policy, 26 (3), 343–58.
ChenMeng-JinnGrubeJoel W.BersaminMelinaWaitersElizabethKeefeDeborah B. (2005), “Alcohol Advertising: What Makes It Attractive to Youth?” Journal of Health Communication, 10 (6), 553–65.
15.
CohenJoel B.AndradeEduardo B. (2004), “Affective Intuition and Task-Contingent Affect Regulation,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (2), 358–67.
16.
CohenElizabeth L.AlwardDavidZajicekDanielleEdwardsSarahHudsonRyan (2018), “Ending as Intended: The Educational Effects of an Epilogue to a TV Show Episode About Bipolar Disorder,” Health Communication, 33 (9), 1097–1104.
17.
Dal CinSonyaWorthKeyla A.DaltonMadeline A.SargentJames D. (2008), “Youth Exposure to Alcohol Use and Brand Appearances in Popular Contemporary Movies,” Addiction, 103 (12), 1925–32.
18.
De GraafAnnekeHoekenHansSandersJoseBeentjesHans (2009), “The Role of Dimensions of Narrative Engagement in Narrative Persuasion,” Communications, 34 (4), 385–405.
19.
EllenPam S.WebbDeborah J.MohrLois A. (2006), “Building Corporate Associations: Consumer Attributions for Corporate Socially Responsible Programs,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34 (2), 147–57.
20.
ErskineH. E.MoffittT. E.CopelandW. E.CostelloE. J.FerrariA. J.PattonG.. (2015), “A Heavy Burden on Young Minds: The Global Burden of Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Children and Youth,” Psychological Medicine, 45 (7), 1551–63.
21.
EscalasJennifer Edson (2007), “Self-Referencing and Persuasion: Narrative Transportation versus Analytical Elaboration,” Journal of Consumer Research, 33 (March), 421–29.
22.
FriestadMarianWrightPeter (1994), “The Persuasion Knowledge Model: How People Cope with Persuasion Attempts,” Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (June): 1–31.
23.
GilbertDaniel T. (1991), “How Mental Systems Believe,” American Psychologist, 46 (February), 107–19.
24.
GoldbergMarvin E.NiedermeierKeith E.BechtelLori J.GornGerald J. (2006), “Heightening Adolescent Vigilance Toward Alcohol Advertising to Forestall Alcohol Use,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 25 (2), 147–59.
25.
GreenMelanie C.BrockTimothy C. (2000), “The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79 (5), 701–21.
26.
GreenMelanie C.ClarkJenna L. (2013), “Transportation into Narrative Worlds: Implications for Entertainment Media Influences on Tobacco Use,” Addiction, 108 (3), 477–84.
27.
GrubeJoel W. (2010), “Environmental Approaches to Preventing Adolescent Drinking,” in Handbook of Drug Use Etiology: Theory, Methods, and Empirical Findings, ScheierLawrence M., ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 493–509.
28.
GrubeJoel W.WaitersElizabeth (2005), “Alcohol in the Media: Content and Effects on Drinking Beliefs and Behaviors Among Youth,” Adolescent Medicine Clinics, 16 (2), 327–43.
29.
GruberEnid L.ThauHelaine M.HillDouglas L.FisherDeborah A.GrubeJoel W. (2005), “Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illicit Substances in Music Videos: A Content Analysis of Prevalence and Genre,” Journal of Adolescent Health, 37 (1), 81–83.
30.
GunasekeraHasanthaChapmanSimonCampbellSharon (2005), “Sex and Drugs in Popular Movies: An Analysis of the Top 200 Films,” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98 (10), 464–70.
31.
HamChang-DaeNelsonMichelle R.DasSusmita (2015), “How to Measure Persuasion Knowledge,” International Journal of Advertising, 34 (1), 17–53.
HoganStephen P.PerksKeith J.Russell-BennettRebekah (2014), “Identifying the Key Sociocultural Influences on Drinking Behavior in High and Moderate Binge-Drinking Countries and the Public Policy Implications,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 33 (1), 93–107.
IsaacMatthew S.GraysonKent (2017), “Beyond Skepticism: Can Accessing Persuasion Knowledge Bolster Credibility?” Journal of Consumer Research, 43 (6), 895–912.
36.
JeongSe HoonChoHyunyiHwangYoori (2012), “Media Literacy Interventions: A Meta-Analytic Review,” Journal of Communication, 62 (3), 454–72.
37.
JerniganDavidNoelJonathanLandonJaneThorntonNicoleLobsteinTim (2017), “Alcohol Marketing and Youth Alcohol Consumption: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies Published Since 2008,” Addiction, 112 (S1), 7–20.
38.
JohnstonLloyd D.O’MalleyPatrick M.MiechRichard A.BachmanJerald G.SchulenbergJohn E. (2016), Monitoring the Future National Survey: Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs in Grades 8, 10, and 12. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
39.
KirmaniAmnaCampbellMargaret C. (2004), “Goal Seeker and Persuasion Sentry: How Consumer Targets Respond to Interpersonal Marketing Persuasion,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (3), 573–82.
40.
KirmaniAmnaZhuRui (2007), “Vigilant Against Manipulation: The Effect of Regulatory Focus on the Use of Persuasion Knowledge,” Journal of Marketing Research, 44 (4), 688–701.
41.
KlingleRenee StormAuneKrystyna Strzyzewski (1994), “Effects of a Daytime Serial and a Public Service Announcement in Promoting Cognitions, Attitudes, and Behaviors Related to Bone-Marrow Testing,” Health Communication, 6 (3), 225–45.
42.
KreuterMatthew W.GreenMelanie C.CappellaJoseph N.SlaterMichael D.WiseMeg E.StoreyDoug. (2007), “Narrative Communication in Cancer Prevention and Control: A Framework to Guide Research and Application,” Annals of Behavioral Medicine33 (3), 221–35.
43.
LaneRebekahMillerAnn NevilleBrownChristopherVilarNatalie (2013), “An Examination of the Narrative Persuasion with Epilogue Through the Lens of the Elaboration Likelihood Model,” Communication Quarterly, 61 (4), 431–45.
44.
LeavittMichael O. (2006), A Comprehensive Plan for Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
45.
ManningMatthewSmithChristineMazerollePaul (2013), “The Societal Costs of Alcohol Misuse in Australia,” Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 454, 1–6.
46.
MartinBrett A. S.StrongCarolyn A. (2016), “The Trustworthy Brand: Effects of Conclusion Explicitness and Persuasion Awareness on Consumer Judgments,” Marketing Letters, 27 (3), 473–85.
47.
MiechRichard A.JohnstonLloyd D.O’MalleyPatrick M.BachmanJerald G.SchulenbergJohn E. (2017), Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975–2016, Vol. 1, Secondary School Students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
48.
Moyer-GuséEmilyJainParulChungAdrienne H. (2012), “Reinforcement or Reactance? Examining the Effect of an Explicit Persuasive Appeal Following an Entertainment-Education Narrative,” Journal of Communication, 62 (6), 1010–27.
49.
NoelJonathan K.BaborThomas F.RobainaKatherine (2017), “Industry Self-Regulation of Alcohol Marketing: A Systematic Review of Content and Exposure Research,” Addiction, 112 (S1), 51–56.
50.
O’GuinnThomas C.ShrumL. J. (1997), “The Role of Television in the Construction of Consumer Reality,” Journal of Consumer Research, 23 (4), 278–94.
51.
OwenLauraLewisCharlieAutySusanBuijzenMoniek (2013), “Is Children’s Understanding of Nontraditional Advertising Comparable to Their Understanding of Television Advertising?” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 32 (2), 195–206.
52.
PechmannCorneliaLevineLindaLoughlinSandraLeslieFrances (2005), “Impulsive and Self-Conscious: Adolescents’ Vulnerability to Advertising and Promotion,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 24 (2), 202–21.
53.
PechmannCorneliaReiblingEllen Thomas (2000), “Planning an Effective Anti-Smoking Mass Media Campaign Targeting Adolescents,” Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 6 (3), 80–94.
54.
PechmannCorneliaReiblingEllen Thomas (2006), “Antismoking Advertisements for Youths: An Independent Evaluation of Health, Counter-Industry, and Industry Approaches,” American Journal of Public Health, 96 (5), 906–13.
55.
PechmannCorneliaShihChuan-Fong (1999), “Smoking Scenes in Movies and Antismoking Advertisements Before Movies: Effects on Youth,” Journal of Marketing, 63 (3), 1–13.
56.
PechmannCorneliaZhaoGuangzhiGoldbergMarvin E.ReiblingEllen Thomas (2003), “What to Convey in Antismoking Advertisements for Adolescents: The Use of Protection Motivation Theory to Identify Effective Message Themes,” Journal of Marketing, 67 (2), 1–18.
RideoutVictoria J.FoehrUlla G.RobertsDonald F. (2010), “Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds: A Kaiser Family Foundation Study,” (January 1), http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf.
59.
RussellCristel A.RussellDale W. (2009), “Alcohol Messages in Prime-Time Television Series,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43 (1), 108–28.
60.
RussellCristel A.RussellDale W.BolandWendy AttayaGrubeJoel (2013), “Television Viewing and American Adolescents’ Alcohol Beliefs and Drinking Intentions: The Moderating Role of Trait Reactance,” Journal of Children and Media, 8 (1), 5–22.
61.
RussellCristel A.RussellDale W.GrubeJoel (2009), “Nature and Impact of Alcohol Messages in a Youth-Oriented Television Series,” Journal of Advertising, 38 (3), 97–111.
62.
RussellCristel A.RussellDale W.GrubeJoelMcQuarrieEdward (2017), “Alcohol Storylines in Television Episodes: The Preventive Effect of Countering Epilogues,” Journal of Health Communication, 22 (8), 657–65.
63.
RussellCristel A.RussellDale W.BolandWendyGrubeJoel (2013), “Television's Cultivation of American Adolescents' Beliefs about Alcohol and the Moderating Role of Trait Reactance,” Journal of Children and Media, 8 (1), 5–22.
64.
SacksJeffrey J.RoeberJimBoucheryEllen E.GonzalesKatherineChaloupkaFrank J.BrewerRobert D. (2013), “State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption, 2006,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45 (4), 474–85.
65.
SargentJames D.WillsThomas A.StoolmillerMikeGibsonJenniferGibbonsFrederick X. (2006), “Alcohol Use in Motion Pictures and Its Relation with Early-Onset Teen Drinking,” Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67 (1), 54–65.
66.
ShrumL. J.BurroughsJames E.RindfleischAric (2005), “Television’s Cultivation of Material Values,” Journal of Consumer Research, 32 (December), 473–79.
67.
ShrumL. J.LeeJaehoonBurroughsJames E.RindfleischAric (2011), “An On-line Process Model of Second-Order Cultivation Effects: How Television Cultivates Material Values and Its Consequences for Life Satisfaction,” Human Communication Research, 38 (January), 34–57.
68.
SinghalArvindRogersEverett (1999), Entertainment-Education: A Communication Strategy for Social Change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
69.
SlaterMichael D.RounerDonna (2002), “Entertainment-Education and Elaboration Likelihood: Understanding the Processing of Narrative Persuasion,” Communication Theory, 12 (2), 173–91.
70.
SmithLesley A.FoxcroftDavid R. (2009), “The Effect of Alcohol Advertising, Marketing and Portrayal on Drinking Behaviour in Young People: Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies,” BMC Public Health, 9 (1), 51–62.
71.
SteinNancy L.AlbroElizabeth R. (1997), “Building Complexity and Coherence: Children’s Use of Goal-Structured Knowledge in Telling Stories,” in Narrative Development: Six Approaches, Vol. 1, BambergMichael, ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 5–44.
72.
SternSusannahMorrLindsey (2013), “Portrayals of Teen Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Recent Popular Movies,” Journal of Health Communication, 18 (2), 179–91.
73.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2016), 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality.
74.
ThompsonKimberly M.YokotaFumie (2001), “Depiction of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Substances in G-Rated Animated Feature Films,” Pediatrics, 107 (6), 1369–74.
75.
Van den BulckHildeSimonsNeleBaldwin van Gorp (2008), “Let’s Drink and Be Merry: The Framing of Alcohol in the Prime-Time American Youth Series The OC,” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69 (6), 933–40.
76.
Van LaerTomde RuyterKoViscontiLuca M.WetzelsMartin (2014), “The Extended Transportation-Imagery Model: A Meta-Analysis of the Antecedents and Consequences of Consumers’ Narrative Transportation,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40 (5), 797–817.
77.
VaughanPeter W.RogersEverett M.SinghalArvindSwaleheRamadhan M. (2000), “Entertainment-Education and HIV/AIDS Prevention: A Field Experiment in Tanzania,” Journal of Health Communication, 5 (S), 81–100.
78.
WentzelDanielTomczakTorstenHerrmannAndreas (2010), “The Moderating Effect of Manipulative Intent and Cognitive Resources on the Evaluation of Narrative Ads,” Psychology and Marketing, 27 (5), 510–30.
79.
WeiMei-LingFischerEileenMainKelley J. (2008), “An Examination of the Effects of Activating Persuasion Knowledge on Consumer Response to Brands Engaging in Covert Marketing,” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 27 (Spring), 34–44.
80.
WindleMichael (2016), “Drinking over the Lifespan: Focus on Early Adolescents and Youth,” Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 38 (1), 95–101.
81.
WindleMichaelWindleRebecca C. (2005), “Alcohol Consumption and Its Consequences Among Adolescents and Young Adults,” Recent Developments in Alcoholism, 17 (1), 67–83.
82.
World Health Organization (2014), Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization Press.
