Development and pretest of key visual imagery in a campaign for the prevention of child maltreatment

Abstract

Introduction: This article discusses the development and pretesting of key visual imagery in a promotional campaign developed in Quebec, Canada. This campaign is the media-based component of a broader prevention strategy involving the use of the Triple P program (Sanders, 1999). Objectives: The purpose was to pretest with parents the preliminary version of a poster that uses the campaign’s key visual imagery prior to final production. Method: In total, 26 parents from the regions of Quebec City and Montreal participated in four focus groups. Results: Two general themes emerged from the focus groups: (i) emotions and reactions arising from the key visual imagery; and (ii) comprehension of the message being conveyed. Conclusion: Based on this information, recommendations were made to the marketing agency, which then modified the campaign’s key visual imagery and proposed a final layout.