, QUESTION 1
Communication Campaigns and Persuasion Theory: Key Concepts from
Learning Units 1–5
1.1 Definition, Primary Purpose, and Types of Communication Campaigns
A communication campaign is a purposively designed, organised set of
communication activities conducted within a specific time frame by a change agent to
achieve measurable changes in an audience's knowledge, attitudes, or behaviour. Its
primary purpose is not merely to transmit information but to produce a desired
outcome, whether that is individual behaviour change, policy influence, or shifts in
social norms. Throughout the module, several types of campaigns were identified.
Political campaigns seek to mobilise support for candidates or issues. Marketing and
advertising campaigns aim to persuade consumers toward products or services.
Public communication campaigns address social issues such as health, environment,
and safety. Within these, health communication campaigns specifically promote health
behaviours (vaccination, condom use), while social marketing campaigns apply
commercial marketing principles to advance social good. A South African example is
the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which combined grassroots education, civil
disobedience, and media advocacy to pressure the government into providing
antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV.
1.2 Individual Behaviour Change Campaigns vs. Public Will Campaigns
Individual behaviour change campaigns target personal behaviours such as condom
use, handwashing, or vaccination by raising awareness, shifting attitudes, and
motivating individuals to adopt recommended actions. Success is measured by
statistical changes in behaviour across a population. Public will campaign, by contrast,
aim to change structural conditions, policies, or social norms rather than individual
conduct. They seek to build public pressure on decisionmakers to act. In South Africa,
an individual-level example is the HIV prevention campaign promoting condom use
through community outreach and peer education, which encourages individuals to
protect themselves. A public will example is the TAC's campaign for antiretroviral
treatment access: its core demand was not that individuals change their behaviour,
but that the government change its policy. The campaign succeeded when, in 2003,
Communication Campaigns and Persuasion Theory: Key Concepts from
Learning Units 1–5
1.1 Definition, Primary Purpose, and Types of Communication Campaigns
A communication campaign is a purposively designed, organised set of
communication activities conducted within a specific time frame by a change agent to
achieve measurable changes in an audience's knowledge, attitudes, or behaviour. Its
primary purpose is not merely to transmit information but to produce a desired
outcome, whether that is individual behaviour change, policy influence, or shifts in
social norms. Throughout the module, several types of campaigns were identified.
Political campaigns seek to mobilise support for candidates or issues. Marketing and
advertising campaigns aim to persuade consumers toward products or services.
Public communication campaigns address social issues such as health, environment,
and safety. Within these, health communication campaigns specifically promote health
behaviours (vaccination, condom use), while social marketing campaigns apply
commercial marketing principles to advance social good. A South African example is
the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which combined grassroots education, civil
disobedience, and media advocacy to pressure the government into providing
antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV.
1.2 Individual Behaviour Change Campaigns vs. Public Will Campaigns
Individual behaviour change campaigns target personal behaviours such as condom
use, handwashing, or vaccination by raising awareness, shifting attitudes, and
motivating individuals to adopt recommended actions. Success is measured by
statistical changes in behaviour across a population. Public will campaign, by contrast,
aim to change structural conditions, policies, or social norms rather than individual
conduct. They seek to build public pressure on decisionmakers to act. In South Africa,
an individual-level example is the HIV prevention campaign promoting condom use
through community outreach and peer education, which encourages individuals to
protect themselves. A public will example is the TAC's campaign for antiretroviral
treatment access: its core demand was not that individuals change their behaviour,
but that the government change its policy. The campaign succeeded when, in 2003,
