MEDIA RELEASE - Alcohol think again campaign hits the spot with the community
August 2015
A study into the success of stage one of the Southern Forests Alcohol Think Again (SFATA) advertising campaign has revealed that 95% of respondents believe it has relevance in the community.
The SFATA campaign is being driven by the Shire of Manjimup in partnership with St John of God Bunbury, WA Country Health and the WA Mental Health Commission. Stage one consisted of a series of poster advertisements in local print media with associated radio ads and was implemented during 2014.
Shire President Wade DeCampo said that the campaign was aimed at the whole community, saying "we as individuals need to look closely at the way we consume alcohol rather than being in denial that it is only other people, or young people, that drink at risky levels. Even the smallest positive change in several individuals can create a larger ripple effect in the community as a whole," said Cr DeCampo.
The study into the success of stage one was conducted via a series of face to face surveys, with analysis of the results undertaken by the University of Western Australia. Other key findings included that over 80% of those surveyed had interpreted the key messages of the campaign correctly.
Though only two thirds of respondents thought the campaign was relevant to them personally, around one in five people reported their intention to do something positive in response to the campaign and a further 15% had already taken action.
"The study has been very useful, because it has helped the SFATA project drivers determine where the focus should be for stage two of the ongoing project," explained Cr DeCampo. "We've got the interest of the broader community, but now we've got to target our messaging and include a call to action, in order to encourage positive changes."
For further information about the SFATA project or the evaluation, please contact Assunta Di Francesco on assunta.difrancesco@manjimup.wa.gov.au .
