Report to Congressional Committees – July 2025  / GAO-25-107845 – United States GAO – (Government Accountability Office)

A report to congressional committees.

For more information, contact: Triana McNeil – United States Government Accountability Office

What GAO Found

The 12 experts in a forum which GAO convened said that to develop effective media campaigns and evaluate media campaigns, whether on drug misuse prevention or other topics, campaigns need to consider the following: 

·         Identify and understand intended audience. Once a campaign has identified who it wants to reach, it needs to understand the intended audience—including by identifying the underlying causes of the behavior the campaign wants to change. For example, experts noted that campaigns may decide to target the underlying reasons why people misuse drugs rather than developing campaigns to target specific drugs.

·         Create content, select messengers, and decide on delivery methods. Campaigns need to create content to deliver their messages, which need to be credible and relevant for the intended audience. Campaigns also need to select messengers to deliver their messages, such as community leaders. Additionally, campaigns need to decide how to deliver their messages. For example, campaigns may use print and social media, among other options.

·         Test messages. Campaigns need to test their messages with the intended audience to ensure that the messages are relevant and resonate with the intended audience. This testing can include using focus groups, interviews, or surveys, among other methods.

·         Define the intended outcome. Campaigns need to have a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve. Then, evaluators can decide what data are needed to determine whether a campaign is meeting its goals.

·         Select qualified evaluators. Campaigns need independent evaluators who can speak to campaign managers about a campaign’s effectiveness using evidence from evaluations. Evaluators need expertise in research methods, evaluation, and other disciplines and need to understand the campaign substance.

·         Decide when and how to measure effectiveness. Campaigns need to decide if they will evaluate the campaign while it is ongoing or after the campaign has concluded. They also need to decide what they want to measure and what data collection methods they will use.

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