Cuando la publicidad busca salvar vidas: Percepción social comparada de las campañas de comunicación sobre salud pública y su aplicación en la seguridad vial

Mireia Faus Real; Cesáreo Fernández Fernández; Francisco Alonso Pla; Estela Bernad Monferrer

doi:10.4185/rlcs-2026-2699

Authors

Mireia Faus Real Instituto Universitario en Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (INTRAS)-Universitat de València https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8107-7637
Cesáreo Fernández Fernández Universitat Jaume I https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6429-2231
Francisco Alonso Pla Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (INTRAS)-Universitat de València https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9482-8874
Estela Bernad Monferrer Universitat Jaume I https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9476-9678

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/rlcs-2026-2699

Keywords:

social marketing, social perception, communication strategies and effectiveness, traffic and road safety, public health

Abstract

Introduction: This study evaluates the social perception of social communication campaigns and, in particular, traffic and road safety campaigns, establishing relationships regarding their effectiveness in comparison with commercial advertising. Methodology: The study is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques, including analyses conducted with SPSS and Alceste software. These techniques are applied to communication campaigns according to parameters such as recall, attention, information transmission, attitude change and behavioural change, as well as to the assessment of communicative strategies such as realism, humour, fear and empathy, among others. The perceived effectiveness of different preventive measures aimed at reducing road traffic accidents is also evaluated, and proposals for improvement are collected through open-ended questions. Discussion and Results: The study participants consider commercial advertising to be more effective than social advertising, especially in terms of recall, attention, and changes in attitudes and behaviours. Traffic campaigns are perceived as more memorable and as having a greater capacity to capture attention than other social campaigns, although their overall effectiveness is considered limited and their perceived efficacy low. Conclusions: Citizens’ perception of social communication campaigns, particularly those related to traffic and road safety, does not always coincide with the actual effectiveness of the communicative techniques applied. This points to the need to further refine the design of communication campaigns so that they are better aligned with their social purposes and can increase their capacity for awareness-raising and prevention.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Mireia Faus Real, Instituto Universitario en Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (INTRAS)-Universitat de València

Ph.D. in Psychology Research from the University of Valencia. Assistant Professor in the Department of Basic Psychology and a member of INTRAS at the University of Valencia. She has participated in more than 15 projects with public agencies and private companies. Her research areas include public health communication, social marketing, traffic and road safety, user behavior, active transportation, and sustainability, among others. She has authored more than 50 research articles and has presented at more than 10 international scientific conferences. She contributes to several scientific journals as a Guest Editor and Advisory Board Member, and has served as a reviewer for more than 40 journals.

Cesáreo Fernández Fernández, Universitat Jaume I

Ph.D. in Business and Institutional Communication from the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón and a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Universitat de València. He is a tenured professor in the Department of Communication Sciences at the UJI. He is a member of several research teams working on government-funded projects. He has supervised and continues to supervise several doctoral dissertations at the UJI and the UV. Author of various publications in books and indexed scientific journals in the field of communication. Main areas of research: political and social communication; different forms of media and technological communication; event communication; philosophical, psychological, and artistic dimensions of communication.

Francisco Alonso Pla, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (INTRAS)-Universitat de València

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Ph.D. in Decision Making from the University of Valencia; Master’s degree in Communication from Miguel Hernández University in Elche; and Master’s degree in Strategic Consulting from the University of Valencia. Full Professor at the University of Valencia specializing in “Traffic and Road Safety,” affiliated with the Department of Basic Psychology in the School of Psychology. Director of INTRAS from 2014 to the present. He has participated in more than 150 consulting, research, development, and innovation projects carried out for public administrations, institutions, and companies. He has published more than 50 scientific books, more than 70 scientific articles, and has participated in more than 150 scientific conferences.

Estela Bernad Monferrer, Universitat Jaume I

She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Valencia (UV) and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Jaume I (UJI). She has been a full-time professor at the University of Jaume I since its founding in 1991 and has served on the university’s administrative team as Deputy Secretary General. She began as a member of the Department of Private Law, in the area of commercial law, and in 2005 she joined the Department of Communication Sciences, where she currently serves. She has been and continues to be a member of various research groups focused on topics such as Gender and Communication, Intangible Aspects of Communication, Cultural Communication and Protocol, Public Relations, and the Media and Gender.

References

Akbari, M., Lankarani, K. B., Tabrizi, R., Heydari, S. T., Vali, M., Motevalian, S. A. y Sullman, M. J. (2021). The effectiveness of mass media campaigns in increasing the use of seat belts: a systematic review. Traffic Injury Prevention, 22(7), 495-500. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2021.1921168 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2021.1921168

Antonetti, P., Baines, P. y Walker, L. (2015). From elicitation to consumption: assessing the longitudinal effectiveness of negative emotional appeals in social marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(9-10), 940-969. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1031266 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1031266

van den Berghe, W. y Christie, N. (2022). International and intercultural differences in arguments used against road safety policy measures. IATSS research, 46(1), 46-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2021.10.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2021.10.007

Chung, S. y Lee, S. Y. (2019). Visual CSR messages and the effects of emotional valence and arousal on perceived CSR motives, attitude, and behavioral intentions. Communication Research, 46(7), 926-947. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650216689161 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650216689161

Faus, M., Alonso, F., Fernández, C. y Useche, S. A. (2021). Are traffic announcements really effective? A systematic review of evaluations of crash-prevention communication campaigns. Safety, 7(4), 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety7040066 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/safety7040066

Faus, M., Fernández, C., Alonso, F. y Useche, S. A. (2023). Different ways… same message? Road safety-targeted communication strategies in Spain over 62 years (1960–2021). Heliyon, 9(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18775 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18775

Friedman, A. L., Kachur, R. E., Noar, S. M. y McFarlane, M. (2016). Health communication and social marketing campaigns for sexually transmitted disease prevention and control: what is the evidence of their effectiveness? Sexually transmitted diseases, 43(2S), S83-S101. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000286 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000286

Gordon, R., McDermott, L., Stead, M. y Angus, K. (2006). The effectiveness of social marketing interventions for health improvement: what's the evidence? Public health, 120(12), 1133-1139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2006.10.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2006.10.008

Girotto, E., Loch, M. R., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Guidoni, C. M. y Andrade, S. M. (2020). Comportamentos alimentares de risco à saúde e fatores associados entre motoristas de caminhão [Unhealthy eating habits and associated risk factors among truck drivers]. Ciencia & Saude coletiva, 25(3), 1011-1023. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020253.11402018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020253.11402018

Gupta, D., Jai, P. N. y Yadav, S. J. (2021). Strategic communication in health and development: concepts, applications and programming. Journal of Health Management, 23(1), 95-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063421994943 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063421994943

Hamiot, J. Y. (2025). Combining methodologies for textual data analysis. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 33(5), 1161-1179. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2023-4132 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2023-4132

Helmig, B. y Thaler, J. (2010). On the effectiveness of social marketing—what do we really know? Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 22(4), 264-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495140903566698 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10495140903566698

Kite, J., Chan, L., MacKay, K., Corbett, L., Reyes-Marcelino, G., Nguyen, B., Bellew, W. y Freeman, B. (2023). A model of social media effects in public health communication campaigns: systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e46345. https://doi.org/10.2196/46345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/46345

Li, W. y Cho, H. (2023). Health campaigns: Unintended effects. The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication, 1-8. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0781 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0781

Li, Z., Man, S. S., Chan, A. H. S. y Zhu, J. (2021). Integration of theory of planned behavior, sensation seeking, and risk perception to explain the risky driving behavior of truck drivers. Sustainability, 13(9), 5214. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095214 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095214

Masuri, M. G., Isa, K. A. M. y Tahir, M. P. M. (2012). Children, youth and road environment: Road traffic accident. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 38, 213-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.342 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.342

Netemeyer, R. G., Burton, S., Andrews, J. C. y Kees, J. (2016). Graphic health warnings on cigarette packages: the role of emotions in affecting adolescent smoking consideration and secondhand smoke beliefs. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 35(1), 124-143. https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.15.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.15.008

Ontiveros-Jiménez, M. (2020). Posibles efectos de la campaña de salud alimentaria: Chécate, mídete, muévete en estudiantes universitarios en Cuajimalpa, México. Estudios sociales. Revista de alimentación contemporánea y desarrollo regional, 30(55). https://doi.org/10.24836/es.v30i55.886 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24836/es.v30i55.886

Peng, W., Huang, Q., Mao, B., Lun, D., Malova, E., Simmons, J. V. y Carcioppolo, N. (2023). When guilt works: a comprehensive meta-analysis of guilt appeals. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1201631. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1201631 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1201631

Phillips, R. O., Ulleberg, P. y Vaa, T. (2011). Meta-analysis of the effect of road safety campaigns on accidents. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 43(3), 1204-1218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2011.01.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2011.01.002

Salazar, G., Monroe, M. C., Ennes, M., Jones, J. A. y Veríssimo, D. (2022). Testing the influence of visual framing on engagement and pro‐environmental action. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(10), e12812. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12812 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12812

Shen, W., Wang, S., yu, J., Liu, Z., yuan, Y. y Lu, F. (2021). The influence of advertising creativity on the effectiveness of commercial and public service advertisements: A dual‐task study. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(5), 1308-1320. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3864 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3864

Sivakumaran, B., Harindranath, R. M., Nandakumar, N. y Srivastava, E. (2023). Public service announcements: A literature review and way forward. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(6), 2451-2478. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12942 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12942

Suryani, A. (2024). Digital dialogues: Analyzing the impact of social media on the effectiveness of public health campaigns. Social Communication, 25(1), 82-97. https://doi.org/10.57656/sc-2024-0009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.57656/sc-2024-0009

Whang, J. y Lee, S. (2025). How ad variation and repetition influence memory recall: effects of brand familiarity and message similarity. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2480474. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2480474 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2480474

Woelbert, E. y d’Hombres, B. (2019). Pictorial health warnings and wear-out effects: evidence from a web experiment in 10 European countries. Tobacco Control, 28(e1), e71-e76. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054402 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054402

World Health Organization (2023). Global status report on road safety 2023. https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/safety-and-mobility/global-status-report-on-road-safety-2023

Yousef, M., Dietrich, T. y Torrisi, G. (2021). Positive, negative or both? Assessing emotional appeals effectiveness in anti-drink driving advertisements. Social Marketing Quarterly, 27(3), 195-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004211025068 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004211025068