The purpose of the study was to determine whether using celebrities to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention awareness messages to the African-American community is an effective public relations strategy.
Celebrities are used to persuade people to buy shoes, cars, toothpaste, etc., but can they persuade people to change risky behavior: protecting themselves and others from the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?
Research conducted for this thesis found celebrities to be effective tools when their actions coincide or mirror the message. Celebrities that are perceived to be irresponsible or whose lyrics and/or actions do not coincide with safe-sex aren't taken seriously, thereby rendering their message ineffective.
Messages delivered by non-celebrities can be just as powerful as those delivered by celebrities if done appropriately, according to study findings.
Research for this thesis came from the following: The Centers for Disease Control, face-to-face interviews, Internet searches, and focus panels. The focus panels were conducted to compare listeners' reactions to non-celebrity personal service announcements and celebrity personal service announcements.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of the study was to determine whether using celebrities to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention awareness messages to the African-American community is an effective public relations strategy.</p> <p>Celebrities are used to persuade people to buy shoes, cars, toothpaste, etc., but can they persuade people to change risky behavior: protecting themselves and others from the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?</p> <p>Research conducted for this thesis found celebrities to be effective tools when their actions coincide or mirror the message. Celebrities that are perceived to be irresponsible or whose lyrics and/or actions do not coincide with safe-sex aren't taken seriously, thereby rendering their message ineffective.</p> <p>Messages delivered by non-celebrities can be just as powerful as those delivered by celebrities if done appropriately, according to study findings.</p> <p>Research for this thesis came from the following: The Centers for Disease Control, face-to-face interviews, Internet searches, and focus panels. The focus panels were conducted to compare listeners' reactions to non-celebrity personal service announcements and celebrity personal service announcements.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Robinson, Wendy A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in Public Relations","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Public Relations & Advertising","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bagin, Don"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2003,"date_issued":"2003-06-17T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2003-06-17T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:25Z","subjects":["African Americans--Health and hygiene; AIDS (Disease) in mass media; AIDS (Disease)--Prevention","Public Relations and Advertising"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1367","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bagin, Don"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Robinson, Wendy A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Public Relations & Advertising"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in Public Relations"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African Americans--Health and hygiene; AIDS (Disease) in mass media; AIDS (Disease)--Prevention","Public Relations and Advertising"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1367"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of the study was to determine whether using celebrities to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention awareness messages to the African-American community is an effective public relations strategy.
Celebrities are used to persuade people to buy shoes, cars, toothpaste, etc., but can they persuade people to change risky behavior: protecting themselves and others from the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?
Research conducted for this thesis found celebrities to be effective tools when their actions coincide or mirror the message. Celebrities that are perceived to be irresponsible or whose lyrics and/or actions do not coincide with safe-sex aren't taken seriously, thereby rendering their message ineffective.
Messages delivered by non-celebrities can be just as powerful as those delivered by celebrities if done appropriately, according to study findings.
Research for this thesis came from the following: The Centers for Disease Control, face-to-face interviews, Internet searches, and focus panels. The focus panels were conducted to compare listeners' reactions to non-celebrity personal service announcements and celebrity personal service announcements.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["AIDS in the African-American community: celebrities as an ineffective communication strategy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bagin, Don"],"dc:creator":["Robinson, Wendy A."],"dc:date.available":["2016-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of the study was to determine whether using celebrities to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention awareness messages to the African-American community is an effective public relations strategy.
Celebrities are used to persuade people to buy shoes, cars, toothpaste, etc., but can they persuade people to change risky behavior: protecting themselves and others from the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?
Research conducted for this thesis found celebrities to be effective tools when their actions coincide or mirror the message. Celebrities that are perceived to be irresponsible or whose lyrics and/or actions do not coincide with safe-sex aren't taken seriously, thereby rendering their message ineffective.
Messages delivered by non-celebrities can be just as powerful as those delivered by celebrities if done appropriately, according to study findings.
Research for this thesis came from the following: The Centers for Disease Control, face-to-face interviews, Internet searches, and focus panels. The focus panels were conducted to compare listeners' reactions to non-celebrity personal service announcements and celebrity personal service announcements.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1367"],"dc:subject":["African Americans--Health and hygiene; AIDS (Disease) in mass media; AIDS (Disease)--Prevention","Public Relations and Advertising"],"dc:title":["AIDS in the African-American community: celebrities as an ineffective communication strategy"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Public Relations & Advertising"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in Public Relations"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:25Z"}