ABSTRACT

Public communication campaigns can be broadly defined as (1) purposive attempts (2) to inform, persuade, or motivate behavior changes (3) in a relatively well-defined and large audience, (4) generally for noncommercial benefits to the individuals and/or society at large, (5) typically within a given time period, (6) by means of organized communication activities involving mass media, and (7) often complemented by interpersonal support (adapted and expanded from Rogers & Storey, 1987). The use of digital media in campaigns extends the traditional definition a bit. The International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (www.isrii.org) defined “Internet interventions [as] treatments, typically behaviorally based, that are operationalized and transformed for delivery via the Internet. Usually, they are highly structured; self-guided or partly self-guided; based on effective face-to-face interventions; personalized to the user; interactive; enhanced by graphics, animations, audio, and video; and tailored to provide follow-up and feedback,” but do not include sites that just provide information (Ritterband, Andersson, Christensen, Carlbring & Cuijpers, 2006).