Article Abstract

"Norms in Dorms: A Failed Social Norms Marketing Campaign"
|by John D. Clapp, James E. Lange, Cristel A. Russell Audrey Shillington, and Robert B. Voas (2003) – Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64 (3), 409-415.

Abstract: Student misperceptions of their peers‚ drinking behavior have been widely documented. Prevention campaigns employing social marketing strategies to correct such misperceptions have become the intervention du jour on college campuses. Despite the popularity of these campaigns, there is little controlled research evaluating social norms marketing campaigns. In this article we report the findings of a quasi-experimental study that compared an intensive social norms marketing campaign to a comparison condition. The study was conducted in two comparable residence halls located in a large urban public university. Results indicate that the campaign successfully corrected students‚ misperceptions of drinking norms but had no effects or counterintuitive effects on drinking behaviors. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

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