Development of a Marketing Campaign To Recruit Non-adjudicated and Untreated Abusive Men for a Brief Telephone Intervention

• NCJ Number: 223274
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 5 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 343-351
• Author(s): Lyungai F. Mbilinyi; Joan Zegree; Roger A. Roffman; Denise Walker; Clayton Neighbors; Jeffrey Edleson
• Date Published: July 2008
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1 RO1 DA017873
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on the development, implementation, and initial evaluation of a project that used social marketing principles in recruiting male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) into a telephone-delivered, pretreatment intervention designed to motivate abusers of alcohol and drugs to enter treatment.

Abstract

In the initial planning phase, the authors conducted an extensive search for previous or existing marketing campaigns that focused on encouraging abusive men to take action. Evaluation findings from relevant programs suggested that some abusive men are concerned about their behaviors and can be motivated to seek support voluntarily through a marketing campaign. Recruitment strategies targeted adult males 18 years old or older who were being abusive to their spouses/partners; used alcohol or other drugs; were concerned about their behavior in their intimate relationships and their substance abuse; were not currently in treatment or being adjudicated for domestic violence; and were from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. A contract was awarded to a local marketing firm with extensive experience in developing advertisements related to social issues. The recruitment message focused on thoughts these men might be having, the source, the nature of the program, the benefits the receiver can expect to experience, protections offered to the receiver, and the target behavior intended for the receiver. The channels for the message were news stories, paid ads in print media and radio, advertisements in buses, a Web site, brochures and flyers distributed through various agencies and organizations, and staff presentations to human services agencies. Due to a sluggish rate of screened calls (82 calls and 24 enrolled participants over 22 weeks), several changes in the marketing campaign were made approximately 5 months after recruitment began. Following revisions to the marketing strategies, the project reached its enrollment target of 124 enrolled participated over 55 weeks. 5 figures and 15 references