Media Planning for Health Promotion Campaign in Indigenous Australian Communities

This report discusses the media planning for a health promotion campaign in Indigenous Australian communities to reduce the risks of obesity and related conditions. The report includes profiling the target market, specifying media objectives, selecting media categories/vehicles, media costs, and recommendations.

Running head: MEDIA PLANNING
Media Planning
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive summary:
Planning of a media is important aspect that can ensure the success of the
advertisement campaign. Effective media planning helps to identify the best combination of
media that can be used for the propagation of the advertisement in the target audience profile
within a limited budget. Planning the media for the advertisement campaign therefore
includes an analysis of the target audience or the target market that helps to identify the
specific needs of the market which can be used to develop the objectives of the advertisement
campaign. Effective media category and vehicle can be selected later that can address the
campaign objectives, and also analyze the approximate expense of the advertisement. The
report is aimed to prepare a media plan for a health promotional campaign for a healthcare
organization in Australia that aims to reduce the risks of obesity and related conditions
among the indigenous Australian populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities. The campaign specifically focuses on individuals above 15 years of age.
Analysis of the target market found that the risks of obesity in the selected communities are
very high, compared to the non Indigenous population. Additionally, the usage of social
media and radio in these communities were also found to be significant, due to which Social
Media and Radio was selected for the propagation of the advertisement messages. It was also
found that the risks of obesity were mainly related to unhealthy diet and lack of physical
activity. Thus the campaign aims to educate people of the health risks due to obesity and how
its risks can increase due to unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, the campaign also aims to
educate on the strategies to reduce obesity risks and the health services that they can opt for
to treat obesity and related conditions. Recommendations are also made that can maximize
the success of the campaign.

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Contents
Executive summary:...................................................................................................................1
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Media Planning:.....................................................................................................................3
Aim:........................................................................................................................................3
Structure of the report:...........................................................................................................3
Findings:.....................................................................................................................................4
Profiling/Selecting the target market:....................................................................................4
Specifying Media Objectives:................................................................................................5
Selecting Media Categories/vehicles:....................................................................................5
Media Costs:...........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................8
Recommendations:.................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................11

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Introduction:
Media Planning:
Media Planning are a set of activities that are focused on the identification and
selection of media or a combination of media platforms such as newspapers, television,
websites, magazines and radio broadcasts as well as outdoor placements in order to
communicate a message (such as an advertisement) to the public or customers by an
organization (Schultz and Block 2018). Media planning helps to identify the best
combination of media that can be used to share a particular message and thereby achieve the
objective of the marketing campaign. Planning the media strategies involves aspects such as
the number of audiences that can be reached through various media, the selection of an
appropriate media vehicle, strategies to place the advertisements or messages in the said
vehicle and costs of the media and advertisement campaign (Xu et al. 2018; Barker 2014).
Aim:
The aim of this report is to prepare a media plan for an advertisement campaign for a
healthcare organization in Australia to improve awareness on the effects of unhealthy or junk
food on Obesity focused on reducing the risks of obesity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Communities in Australia.
Structure of the report:
In the given report, the following aspects would be discussed: the profiling of
selection of the target market for the health advertisement, outlining the objectives of the
health promotion/advertising plan, selection of an appropriate media category or vehicle for
the advertisement, the probable costs for the advertisement using the said media category or

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vehicle. Recommendations would be made based on the information identified in the
discussion that can be used to maximize the success of the health advertising campaign.
Findings:
Profiling/Selecting the target market:
The target market for the health promotion advertisement is the indigenous Australian
communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, above 15 years of age (Hyde et
al. 2018). According to the 2016 Census, The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
represents about 2.6% of the total Australian population (abs.gov.au 2017). This population is
at higher risks of obesity and related co morbidities or chronic conditions such as diabetes,
hypertension, cardiac diseases and renal dysfunction. According to a 2013 survey, 37% of
Indigenous Australians above the age of 15 suffer from Obesity and the prevalence of obesity
was found to be 1.6 times higher compared to non-Indigenous populations. The rates of
obesity was also found to be significantly higher in the inner regional areas (40%), regional
and remote areas (38%) and major cities (37%) compared to the most remote places (32%).
Obesity was also found to be highest among the Indigenous people with least physical
activities, or not meeting the physical activity guidelines (44%), compared to people who met
the physical activity guidelines (36%). It was also found that 41% of Indigenous Australians
above the age of 25 years were obese. The survey also showed that the Obesity was
significantly related to low income, food security and dietary behavior (pmc.gov.au 2014;
Dyer et al. 2017). According to a news reported in The Guardian, 41% of the energy intake
among Indigenous Australians came from sugary foods, and the consumption of vegetables is
30% lesser compared to Non-Indigenous people in Australia (Davey 2016; Browne et al.
2018). According to the national authority in Aboriginal primary health care-Aboriginal
health in Aboriginal hands, almost two out of three adults and one out of three children in

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Aboriginal Communities suffer from obesity, and almost 58 cents for every dollar spent on
food goes to purchase junk foods and drinks (nacchocommunique.com 2018). Studies by
Gwynn et al. (2012) showed that the consumption of energy rich junk food among the
Aboriginal people was the highest in the rural areas, contributing to 45 to 49% of the energy
intake which included hot chips, processed meat high in fats, white bread, salty snacks and
sugared drinks. Such alarming statistics shows the importance of focusing the health
promotion advertisement on Obesity, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food to these
communities in order to improve their understanding on the different risk factors of obesity
and how to reduce the risks of obesity through physical activity and healthy diet (Islam and
Fitzgerald 2016). Age group of individuals above the age group of 15 years is selected since
this age group would be able to understand the message spread through the advertisement.
Specifying Media Objectives:
Understanding the health Risks of Obesity: The first objective of the advertisement campaign
would be to help the people understand how obesity increases the risks of long term and
chronic health conditions such as diabetes (type 2), hypertension, cardiac diseases,
osteoarthritis, asthma, sleep apnea and certain types of cancer. Focus would also be given on
how risks of obesity can be a lifestyle related factor (Langford et al. 2015).
Relation between Sedentary Lifestyle and obesity: The second objective would be to explain
how lack of physical activity can increase the risks of obesity. This can help people
understand how sedentary life can increase the health risks for obesity as well as its related
conditions. Information related to the percentage of individuals not meeting their daily
activity needs or leading a sedentary lifestyle suffering from obesity and related health
conditions in Australia can be shared (Bertoglia et al. 2017).

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Relation between Unhealthy food and obesity: The third objective would be to explain how
unhealthy diet can increase obesity risks. Focus would be given to the types of food that can
be considered as unhealthy or junk food, such as sugary beverages, energy dense food, high
fat diet and fried food (including food that is generally available in fast food outlets). Also,
aspects which generally make a diet unhealthy would also be shared such as high energy
density, high concentration of saturated fats, low fiber content (Boyland and Whalen 2015)
Reducing obesity through healthy diet choice: The fourth objective would help to understand
the choice of healthy diet to support healthy eating habits such as avoiding junk food or
beverage, increase consumption of dietary fibers (such as leafy vegetables) and decrease
consumption of food high in saturated fats and energy (Bertoglia et al. 2017; Barlow et al.
2016).
Meeting physical activity guidelines to reduce obesity: The fifth objective would be to
explain the recommendations of daily activity guidelines (that is the minimum amount of
activity that is recommended for individuals at different age groups) which can help to
prevent the risks of obesity and increase physical activity (Villeneuve et al. 2018;
Koutoukidis et al. 2015; Asp et al. 2017; Chastin et al. 2015).
Healthcare services for obesity treatment: The last objective would be also to provide
information to the indigenous communities about the different healthcare services that they
can utilize for the treatment of obesity. This can help people already suffering from obesity
and related conditions, or are at a high risk of obesity (such as individuals who are
overweight) to seek for services that can reduce their health risks (healthdirect.gov.au 2018;
Baur 2017; health.gov.au. 2018)
Selecting Media Categories/vehicles:

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Selection of a proper media category or vehicle is vital to ensure the success of the
advertisement campaign. The media category or vehicle can be selected through the analysis
of the extent of reach as well as the usage of the media in the selected population or target
audience. It is generally suggestible to select a media that has a good reach and usage in the
target crowd to ensure that the advertisement reaches the maximum number of audiences to
maximize its effectiveness (Torok et al. 2017). To achieve maximum or optimum success (in
terms of reach and usage) a combination of media can be used to broadcast the advertisement
message. For this health advertisement campaign, two media categories can be utilized:
Social Media and Mass Media in the form of Radio broadcast (Scott 2015). The media
vehicles that can be used for the campaign are Facebook and Radio Channel such as
Australian Indigenous Radio (AIR) and National Indigenous Radio Services (NIRS)
(Meadows 2016; Waller et al. 2015)
Social Media: Social Media is widely used among the Indigenous Australian communities.
According to a news article by The Guardian, more and more indigenous Australians are
turning to social media to connect to others, with their culture and forming bonds between the
different generations of the indigenous people in Australia (Carlson 2017). Studies by Rice et
al. (2016) showed that the use of digital media technologies such as social media has rapidly
increased among the indigenous youth in Australia, including people who are living in social
disadvantages situations. Their studies show that 60% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people use social media platforms such as Facebook. Moreover, the usage of social
media among indigenous Australians between the 16-17 years of age is 92% and 14 to 15
years is 85%, which shows that a significant amount of youth between the ages of 14 to 17
years is the users of social media platforms (Meadows 2016; Waller et al. 2015).
Radio: Radio is also a highly used form of media in Australia. Several radio stations are
specifically used for the indigenous communities in Australia. This includes the Australian

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Indigenous radio (AIR) and National Indigenous radio Services (NIRS) as well as the Deadly
Sounds Radio Show. The Deadly Sounds was discontinued since 2014, while AIR and NIRS
still remain operational. AIR broadcasts in more than 40 Aboriginal languages and reaches
about 2400 Aboriginal Communities and is available at all the Remote Indigenous
Organizations (RIMO) and Bush Radio Aboriginal Community Services (BRACS). The
NIRS provides a 24 hour broadcast service daily and reaches more than 140 Indigenous
community radio stations. Thus both AIR and NIRS can be utilized for the health
advertisement campaign (Meadows 2016; Waller et al. 2015).
Media Costs:
Calculation of the probable costs of using the selected media categories and vehicles
is an important aspect that needs to be considered in the advertisement campaign. Calculating
the expenses helps to maintain and abide by the allocated budget of the campaign, and
prevents over expenditures. Since the health campaigns start with a limited budget, it is vital
that the optimal costs are evaluated for the campaign. An efficient and effective selection of
media category and vehicle allows the best outcomes for the advertisement campaign; ensure
it reaches the largest number of the target audience within a limited budget (Xu et al. 2018;
Barker 2014). It is therefore important to have an understanding of the costs associated with
the utilization of the selected media (Facebook and radio broadcasts) for the healthcare
advertisement in the indigenous Aboriginal communities.
Facebook: Using Facebook or any other social media for the advertisement campaign
is almost inexpensive, since no costs are involved in posting messages on community
Facebook pages that are being followed by the target audiences. The Social media page of the
healthcare organization that is promoting the health awareness advertisement campaign can
be used for posting the advertisements, and the page can be shared also on the radio

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broadcasts thereby increasing the visits to the page. The main costs would be involved in the
development of the advertisement message that would be posted on Facebook. The costs can
include the designing of the message (AUD 700) and moderating the social media page
(AUD 1000), making a total of AUD 1700 (Pedersen and Kurz 2016).
Radio: Using radio broadcasts to spread the message would be more expensive than
using Facebook, however Radio can have a larger reach especially in the remote regions and
additionally, access to radio is much easier than digital media. The approximate expense of
broadcasting the advertisement for a week can be about AUD 500. Thus for using two
platforms of radio broadcasts (AIR and NIRS) a total of AUD 1000 might be needed per
week (Order 2016).
Conclusion:
Media planning involves a set of activity that helps to identify a media or a
combination of media that can be used to communicate a message to a target audience in the
most effective manner. The aim of the report was to develop a media plan for a health
promotional advertisement for a healthcare organization in Australia. The advertisement is
focused on reducing the risks of obesity and its related health conditions such as diabetes,
cardiac diseases and hypertension among Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and the
advertisement message is meant for individuals over 15 years of age. In the report, the
selected target audience profile is first discussed, followed by the objectives of the campaign,
selection of an appropriate media category and vehicle and the approximate costs of the
campaign. Recommendations would be made that can improve the success of the campaigns.
Profiling the selected target audience, it was found that the risks as well as the rates of
obesity was significantly higher among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,
compared to the non Indigenous population in Australia. The rates of obesity were also

10MEDIA PLANNING
significantly related with sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet practice among these people.
Based on the analysis, 6 objectives were identified for the advertisement campaign, which
are: explaining the health risks of obesity, relationships of obesity with sedentary lifestyle and
unhealthy diet, reducing obesity risks through physical activities and healthy diet choices and
eating habits and informing about the different healthcare services for obesity and related
conditions. For the advertisement, the most effective media categories selected were Social
Media and Mass Media, and the specific vehicles identified among them were Facebook (for
social media) and radio broadcasting (for mass media). An approximate cost of Facebook
advertisement was estimated to be AUD 1700, while for radio it was estimated at AUD 1000
per week.
Recommendations:
To ensure the best outcomes, the following recommendations can be applied for the
health advertisement campaign:
Keeping the message simple and avoiding technical jargon: This can ensure that the message
does not become too complicated for the audiences to understand and also help the spread of
awareness through word of mouth (Lupton 2014).
Involving media personalities to endorse the campaign: Involvement of personalities who are
famous and respected in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can help to
draw more attention and attraction towards the campaign and thus increase the extent the
message spreads in the target audiences (Leiss et al. 2018).
Ensuring cultural sensitivities are taken into consideration in the campaign: It is vital that the
cultural sensitivity and cultural needs of the target audiences be kept in mind while making
the health promotion advertisement. This can ensure the message or campaign to be culturally

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respectful, avoid biasness and discrimination and takes into account the cultural history of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Bonevski et al. 2014).
Involving healthcare educators to design the healthcare advertisement messages: This is
another vital recommendation that can ensure that the healthcare message is informative and
holistic thereby helping to develop a comprehensive understanding of the health risks of
obesity, how the risks of obesity can increase and how to reduce the risks. Involving
healthcare professionals would also support the reliability of the message among the target
audience (Lu et al. 2015)

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