Henderson Vida, Carnahan Leslie, Cohn Eliza Brumer, Waite Ana Williams, Mersha Tigist, Block Robbin, Kolpack Michelle, Sommers Jonathan, Salum Kauthar, Hoskins Kent F, Nguyen Ryan
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Public Health Sciences Division, 1100 Fairview Ave N., Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
University of Illinois Cancer Center, Community Engagement and Health Equity Office, 818 S. Wolcott Ave., Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Sep 1;25(1):3003. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-24194-x.
Ineffective dissemination of cancer research and information among the public contributes to cancer inequities. Dissemination rarely involves efforts to engage non-research audiences and end-users in developing effective messaging. Efforts to promote equity in clinical trial participation may benefit from marketing strategies traditionally applied in the business sector. Black Americans suffer the highest death rates from most cancers than any other race/ethnicity, yet only 5% of patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials are Black. Our team used a marketing strategy framework to create a culturally responsive public service announcement (PSA) video to increase awareness of clinical trials among Black audiences.
We partnered with a marketing recruitment firm and a marketing agency to conduct six focus groups (n = 54) with social support networks of Black cancer survivors and Black community members. Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit a national sample of eligible participants that varied in age, education, geographic region, and gender. Focus groups were conducted over three phases that informed script development, script and storyline testing, and sought feedback on the PSA video post-production. We used the Marketing and Clinical Trials Reference Model to guide marketing strategies, data collection, video content development and production. We used rapid qualitative data analysis techniques to identify themes for each phase to guide PSA development.
Partnered with a film production company, we produced a 2-min PSA video that uses professional actors and storytelling and marketing techniques to describe clinical trials, provide relevant statistics, address barriers to participation expressed by participants, and provide credible resources to seek further information. We also produced 30 s and 60 s versions of the PSA to accommodate different marketing media outlets. Participants felt the videos were engaging and relatable and that the messaging was clear. The videos ignited meaningful discussions about clinical trial participation and motivated participants to share the information learned.
Using marketing communication strategies is a low-tech, pragmatic approach to effectively produce health information that is meaningful, can be tailored for specific audiences, and disseminated to broader audiences.
癌症研究及信息在公众中的无效传播加剧了癌症方面的不平等。传播工作很少涉及让非研究受众和最终用户参与制定有效信息的努力。促进临床试验参与公平性的努力可能会受益于商业领域传统应用的营销策略。美国黑人在大多数癌症中的死亡率高于任何其他种族/族裔，但参与癌症临床试验的患者中只有5%是黑人。我们的团队使用营销策略框架制作了一个具有文化适应性的公共服务公告（PSA）视频，以提高黑人受众对临床试验的认识。
我们与一家营销招聘公司和一家营销机构合作，与黑人癌症幸存者和黑人社区成员的社会支持网络进行了六个焦点小组（n = 54）的讨论。采用最大差异抽样法招募了一个涵盖不同年龄、教育程度、地理区域和性别的全国性合格参与者样本。焦点小组讨论分三个阶段进行，为脚本编写、脚本和故事情节测试提供信息，并征求对PSA视频后期制作的反馈。我们使用营销与临床试验参考模型来指导营销策略、数据收集、视频内容开发和制作。我们使用快速定性数据分析技术来确定每个阶段的主题，以指导PSA的开发。
与一家电影制作公司合作，我们制作了一个2分钟的PSA视频，该视频使用专业演员以及故事讲述和营销技巧来描述临床试验，提供相关统计数据，解决参与者提出的参与障碍，并提供可靠资源以获取更多信息。我们还制作了30秒和60秒版本的PSA，以适应不同的营销媒体渠道。参与者认为这些视频引人入胜且相关，信息清晰明了。这些视频引发了关于临床试验参与的有意义讨论，并促使参与者分享所学到的信息。
使用营销传播策略是一种低技术、务实的方法，能够有效地制作有意义、可针对特定受众量身定制并传播给更广泛受众的健康信息。
