Spread the Word: A Replication and Theoretical Extension of a Word-of-Mouth model of consumer behavior with regard to the context of HIV prevention campaigns

Background: Although new infection rates for HIV have decreased over the last few decades, the HIV epidemic still has a high level of global relevance, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). At the same time,... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Although new infection rates for HIV have decreased over the last few decades, the HIV epidemic still has a high level of global relevance, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). At the same time, decreasing public health budgets force campaign managers to spend money more efficiently, which is shown in advertising effectiveness studies. However, these studies only control the direct advertising effects of campaigns and neglect the degree of social contagion effects caused by word-of-mouth (WOM) actions within the campaigns target groups.

Objectives:
The objective of this study is to examine how and why MSM communicate regarding HIV prevention campaigns. The results have important implications for the way future campaigns are designed and what they should focus on to foster positive WOM among campaign target groups.

Conceptual considerations:
We apply a WOM model from consumer research in the context of HIV prevention campaigns and extend the model for context-specific variables.

Data and Methods:
Targeting a HIV prevention campaign run by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health in 2015, we conducted a survey among MSM to empirically test our conceptual considerations. The data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (Smart PLS).

Results:
The model that describes the social motives for engaging in WOM behavior in Alexandrov et al. (2013) can be replicated and validated in the context of public health campaigns on HIV prevention behavior among MSM. In particular, the perceived effectiveness of and stated adherence to the recommendations of the campaign greatly encourages other-directed motives instead of self-directed motives to engage in positive WOM for the campaign. This means that the motivation for MSM to tell others about the campaign is driven by the desire to help others and share social information and is only to a small extent due to the desire for social bonding.

Contribution to Public Management:
Because non-communicable diseases are becoming more prominent in public health promotion strategies, public budgets for HIV prevention are reduced. Our study offers new insights about the relevance of WOM in the context of public health campaigns. Based on the study findings, the efficiency and effectiveness of future campaigns can be increased in view of positive WOM effects among target groups.