Understanding the "Social Gifts" of Drinking Rituals: An Alternative Framework for PSA Developers

Authors

Debbie Treise, University of Florida
Joyce M. Wolburg, Marquette UniversityFollow
Cele C. Otnes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

15 p.

Publication Date

Summer 1999

Publisher

Routledge

Source Publication

Journal of Advertising

Source ISSN

0091-3367

Abstract

Binge drinking behavior has been described as the most significant health hazard on college campuses today. Using definitions of ritual behavior drawn from the literature, the authors conducted focus groups, depth interviews, and participant observations to explore the ritualized nature of alcohol beverage consumption among college students at two large universities. The themes that emerged provide an understanding of the rituals associated with college student drinking. With the drinking-as-ritual interpretation as a theoretical framework, the authors discuss how developers of public service announcements (PSAs) could capture and contextualize drinking rituals and thus make PSAs more relevant to the target audience. They provide examples of PSAs that could be tested.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Advertising, Vol. 28, No. 2 (Summer 1999): 17-31. DOI. © 1999 Routledge (M.E. Sharpe). Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Treise, Debbie; Wolburg, Joyce M.; and Otnes, Cele C., "Understanding the "Social Gifts" of Drinking Rituals: An Alternative Framework for PSA Developers" (1999). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 366.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/366