Comparison of COVID-19 Behaviour Change Campaign Ads in Tanzania: Results From a Randomised Controlled Survey-Based Experiment

Abstract

Background In circumstances where vaccine hesitancy is high, like in Tanzania in 2021, measures to control the spread of COVID-19 infection through non-pharmaceutical interventions, specifically mask-wearing, hand-washing and physical distancing, become crucial. This study was undertaken to inform the development of a context-adapted communication campaign to control COVID-19 in Tanzania. Focus of the Article The study examines the effectiveness of three different behaviour change campaign ads created as part of the same control effort, and two of them by the same creative process, with the same creative team, at roughly the same time, in altering behavioural propensities for relevant target behaviours, including the washing of hands, the wearing of masks and social distancing, and key participant attitudes, such as the sense of obligation to others. Research Question The main research question was: what are the effects of behaviour change campaign ads on propensities for engaging in COVID-19 target behaviours? We also examined behavioural attitudes and consumer appreciation of the ads (believability, likeability, relevance and surprise). The purpose of the study was to provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of different messaging logics, in order to help improve future campaigns. Methods We designed a controlled survey experiment where participants were randomly assigned to receive one of the three campaign ads. These were called: the “Setting” campaign, which was designed using a theory-based Behaviour Centred Design (BCD) approach and produced with local partners; the “Password” campaign, which was the result of a substantial investment by a major international consortium; and the “Balance” campaign, a local adaption of “Password”; as well as an educational public service announcement, which served as an active control. An SMS survey was administered online to 2080 participants in Tanzania in 2022 to evaluate the potential effectiveness and consumer appreciation of the campaigns. Results The results showed that the most costly campaign, “Password”, did not perform better than the other campaigns on any test. In particular, “Password” was not more effective than the theory-based “Setting” campaign on any single behavioural indicator or exposure variable. The “Setting” campaign was more effective than other ads on the expected qualities of appreciation (surprise, believability). However, the educational announcement achieved higher average response levels than all of the narrative-based treatments on measures of consumer appreciation, such as likeability, believability and relevance. Recommendations for Practice This study supported the proposition that a campaign specifically designed to elicit particular kinds of psychological responses could do so. It showed that a theory-based campaign, produced locally and at low cost, can compete on standard marketing values with high-quality creative processes and production values.