Public Communication Campaigns
- Ronald E. Rice - University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
- Charles K. Atkin - Michigan State University, USA
The subject of campaigns has become increasingly high profile in the academic world in the decade since the last edition, and hundreds of new studies on campaign theory and practice have been published since 2001. Moreover, the rise of new media has expanded the array of strategies for designing and implementing campaigns.
Largely rewritten to reflect the latest theories and research, this text continues in the tradition of ongoing improvement and expansion into new areas, including sun protection, organ donation, human rights, social norms, corporate social responsibility, use of condoms, ocean sustainability,fear messages, and digital games. Classic chapters are updated, on topics such as campaign history, theoretical foundations, formative evaluation, systems approaches, input-output persuasion matrix, design and evaluation, meta-analysis, and sense-making methodology.
This was a very thorough and interesting book for PR Campaigns, but I think it is too technical for undergraduate students. I will keep this in mind for future graduate level classes.
The IC was received a bit late to be considered for Fall semester.
The textbook focused mainly on public health campaigns. In Portugal, Public Communication includes those campaigns but also communication in the public sector and government. This textbook lacks some diversity of social realities approach and the case studies are not presented considering a common framework. A framework of analysis for the case studies would ease the students perception of what is important and determinant in public communication campaign. Nevertheless the book can be useful if the lecturer prepare and adapt some of the presented case studies for class discussion.
