"America Responds to AIDS": its content, development process, and outcome.

During the 1987-90 period, five phases of new AIDS information materials were released to the general public in the ARTA campaign, including a national mailer. The five were "General Awareness: Humanizing AIDS" in October 1987, "Understanding AIDS," the national mailout, April 1988, "Women at Risk/Multiple Partner, Sexually Active Adults," October 1988, "Parents and Youth," May 1989, and "Preventing HIV Infection and AIDS: Taking The Next Steps," July 1990. From planning to implementation to evaluation, ARTA is based on well-established theory and practice. Initially, the campaign was a response to an immediate crisis. It has evolved into the deliberate and systematic development of objectives to combat a chronic problem. ARTA represents one of the most comprehensive formative research processes in the history of public service campaigns. The dynamic process of carefully developing each new phase to include such important entities as State and local health agencies and community-based organizations is at least as important as the quality of the end materials. The objectives of each new phase are based on the needs of the public and of specific audiences. Maximum input from all relevant constituencies is obtained to ensure that they support the campaign's objectives and implementation strategy.