ABSTRACT
What do you think? Are these PSAs compelling? Hokey? Possibly effective? Whatever your
reactions, you are no doubt familiar with AIDS public service announcements like these. They
are part of the communication landscape in the United States and abroad, a familiar aspect of
media campaigns. This chapter examines the structure and effects of such media and
community-level AIDS prevention campaigns. It extends the exploration of AIDS, safer sex,
and persuasion to a larger macro level. Thus far, the predominant emphasis has been micro as I
have examined ways in which messages influence beliefs and how people persuade them-
selves to modify risky sexual behaviors. However, in a large diversified society it is also
necessary to harness community resources and devise mass media campaigns to reach in-
dividuals at risk for HIV infection and help them move through stages of change. This
chapter discusses such macro level communication interventions, applying knowledge
of communication channels and receivers (based on McGuire’s input-output matrix), as
well as theories of social change. The chapter discusses how large-scale AIDS prevention
campaigns are conducted, focuses on campaign limits and effects, and suggests how
communication can be used to influence individuals in diverse AIDS risk groups. One of
the themes of the chapter is that effective AIDS interventions require systematic application of
theory, in-depth understanding of the target population, and keen use of community resources.
