APPENDIX B
Sample Focus Group Discussion Guide for Campaign Evaluation

The following is an example of an informed consent notice and interview.

Informed Consent

Hello and thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. My name is [moderator name], and I will be joined by [notetaker name] who will be taking notes during our talk. We work for [Organization]. We would like to ask you some questions about campaigns that have been fielded in your state.

Your input will help us test the effectiveness of those campaigns. Today, we will talk about your exposure to those campaigns and your opinions on the messages and images that appear in each campaign.

Before we begin, I just want to go over a couple of quick things:

• First, it is your choice if you want to participate, and you can stop our talk at any time. If I ask any questions, you do not wish to answer, you do not have to answer.
• Anything that you say today will be kept private. Your name will not be connected with anything you say within our reports. We will not share any information you give outside of our research teams.
• We do not anticipate any risks for participating in this focus group as you are just sharing your experiences and opinions. However, to ensure that we are keeping everyoneʼs information safe, please only use your first name during todayʼs focus group.
• Our talk will last no more than 90 minutes. To thank you for your time, you will receive a $125 gift card in appreciation of your participation.

Do you have any questions before we start?

Do you agree to participate in this focus group?

If it is okay with you, can I audio-record our conversation? This is just to ensure our notes are as exact as possible. After the interview, the recording will be turned into notes and then deleted. We will store the recording on a password-protected server at [Organization].

Do you agree to be audio recorded?

[If yes to both questions, begin focus group and audio recording]

Letʼs get started.

Questions

Location/Channels (Awareness/Exposure)

1. Have you ever seen or heard advertisements for the XXX campaign?
   1. If so, where did you see or hear them?
      1. On TV
         1. On broadcast TV, cable TV, or streaming?
            1. Which channel or streaming service?
            2. What time of day was it?
      2. On the radio?
         1. What station or type of station?
         2. What time of day was it?
      3. In a magazine or newspaper?
         1. What magazine or newspaper was it?
      4. On billboards or posters?
         1. Where was the billboard or poster?
            1. At bus stops or train stations
            2. On or in buses or trains
            3. Somewhere else?
               1. If so, where?
   2. If not [Skip to Q3b–c]
2. How often did you see or hear them?
   1. Only once
   2. Several times a day
   3. Once a day
   4. Every couple of days
   5. Once a week
   6. Once a month

Knowledge/Attitudes/Behavior

Tell me about the XXX campaign:

3. What is the XXX campaign about?
   1. What traffic safety behavior is it trying to change?
      1. Why do you think it is trying to change that traffic safety behavior?
   2. What do you know about risky traffic safety behavior?
      1. Who is affected by risky traffic safety behavior?
         1. How would risky traffic safety behavior affect them?
         2. How would risky traffic safety behavior affect you?
         3. How many people are affected by risky traffic safety behavior?
      2. How likely are you to be affected by risky traffic safety behavior?
         1. To what extent do you think that it is dangerous/unhealthy to engage in risky traffic safety behavior?
         2. Why do you think that risky traffic safety behavior is or isnʼt dangerous/unhealthy?
      3. What do your friends and family think of risky traffic safety behavior?
         1. To what extent do their perceptions of risky traffic safety behavior influence your perception of it?
   3. Have you ever engaged in risky traffic safety behavior?
      1. Have you engaged in risky traffic safety behavior in the past 30 days?
      2. How likely are you to engage in risky traffic safety behavior in the next 30 days?
      3. How many others do you know who have engaged in risky traffic safety behaviorʼ?

1. 4. What behavior is XXX campaign trying to get you to adopt?
      1. Why do you think it is trying to get you to adopt protective traffic safety behavior?
      2. What do you know about protective traffic safety behavior?
   5. What do you know about protective traffic safety behavior?
      1. How would protective traffic safety behavior affect you?
         1. To what extent do you think that it is more dangerous/unhealthy or more safe/healthy to engage in protective traffic safety behavior instead of risky traffic safety behavior?
            
            [Depending on response]
         2. Why do you think that protective traffic safety behavior is more safe/healthy?
         3. Why do you think that protective traffic safety behavior is more dangerous/unhealthy?
   6. What do your friends and family think of protective traffic safety behavior?
      1. To what extent do their perceptions of protective traffic safety behavior influence your perception of it?
      2. To what extent do their perceptions of protective traffic safety behavior make you more or less likely to adopt it?
   7. Have you ever engaged in protective traffic safety behavior?
      1. Have you engaged in protective traffic safety behavior in the past 30 days?
      2. How likely are you to engage in protective traffic safety behavior in the next 30 days?
      3. To what extent do you feel that you would be able to engage in protective traffic safety behavior?
         1. What would make it difficult for you to engage in protective traffic safety behavior?
         2. What would make it easier for you to engage in protective traffic safety behavior?
         3. How many others do you know who have engaged in protective traffic safety behavior?

Perceptions of Campaign Materials/Comprehension

Tell me about the key message shared in the XXX campaign materials.

4. What was the key message that was shared in those materials?
   1. What was the phrase that they used to share that message?
   2. What words stood out to you?
   3. What words were difficult to understand?
   4. What words would you change?
   5. How would you change the message?
5. What was the intent of that key message?
   1. What was the message trying to get you to do?
   2. How was the message trying to get you to do this?
   3. What behavior was the message focused on?
   4. To what extent would the message encourage you to change your behavior?
   5. Why/Why not?
6. Who was the message aimed at communicating with?
   1. To what extent was the message aimed at communicating with someone like you?
   2. To what extent do you think the message has reached those people that it is aimed at communicating with?
      1. Why/why not?
      2. How effective is the message at reaching those whom it is/was aimed at?
      3. What words would you change in the message to better reach the people the XXX campaign is aimed at communicating with?

Letʼs talk about the XXX campaign materials.

[Refer back to responses to 1a]

Earlier, you mentioned that you had [seen/heard] advertisements for XXX campaign [on TV/radio/billboard/posters/websites/social media or in newspapers/magazines].

[Repeat as necessary for each channel]

7. What did you think of those materials?
   1. What would be a better place or channel for the message to reach the people the XXX campaign is aimed at communicating with?

[For TV, billboards, posters, websites, social media, or newspapers/magazines]

8. What do you think of the video, animation, pictures, or photos used in the XXX campaign materials?
   1. To what extent are they appealing?
   2. To what extent do they grab or hold your attention?
   3. To what extent do they fit with the message of the XXX campaign?
   4. What would you change about the video, pictures, or photos used in the XXX campaign materials?
9. What do you think of the colors used in the XXX campaign materials?
   1. To what extent do those colors appeal to you?
      1. Why/why not?
   2. To what extent do those colors grab or hold your attention?
   3. To what extent do those colors fit with the message of the XXX campaign?
   4. What would you change about the colors used in the XXX campaign materials?
10. What do you think of the style of text used in the XXX campaign materials?
    1. To what extent does that style of text appeal to you?
       1. Why/why not
    2. To what extent does that style of text grab or hold your attention?
    3. To what extent does that style of text fit with the message of the XXX campaign?
    4. What would you change about the style of text used in the XXX campaign materials?

[For TV, radio, or, if using video on websites or social media]

11. What do you think of the voices/actors used in the XXX campaign materials?
    1. To what extent are those voices or actors appealing?
    2. To what extent do those voices or actors grab or hold your attention?
    3. To what extent do they fit with the message of the XXX campaign?
    4. What would you change about those voices or actors used in the XXX campaign materials?

[If relevant]:

Earlier, we asked about the key message shared in the XXX campaign materials. Now we would like to ask you about the other information shared in the XXX campaign materials.

12. What other information does the XXX campaign share with you?
    1. What was the intent of this additional information?
       1. In addition to trying to get you to avoid risky traffic safety behavior and adopt protective traffic safety behavior, what was this additional information trying to get you to do?
          1. Sometimes, in addition to trying to get you to avoid one behavior and adopt another, campaign materials may try to get you to visit a website or follow a social media account, call a number, or talk to someone. This is called a call to action (CTA). The CTA for this campaign is to (insert CTA here). To what extent are you likely to engage in this CTA?

1. 1. Have you ever responded to calls to action because of campaigns before?
      1. Have you responded to any calls to action in the past 30 days?
      2. How likely are you to respond to this call to action in the next 30 days?
      3. To what extent do you feel that you would be able to respond to this call to action?
      4. What would make it difficult for you to respond to this call to action?
      5. What would make it easier for you to respond to this call to action?
      6. How many others do you know who have responded to calls to action because of campaigns before?
      7. What would you change about the way that this additional information is shared that would encourage you or others like you to respond to this call to action?
13. Letʼs talk a little more about this additional information. What words stood out to you?
    1. What words were difficult to understand?
    2. What words would you change?
    3. How would you change those words?

Closing: Thank you so much for the time that you have spent with us answering our questions. Please look out for an email with information about your incentive. One last question before we wrap up today:

14. Is there anything else that you would like to share with us today about the XXX campaign that we havenʼt discussed or that we havenʼt asked about?

Once again, thank you for your time. Have a great day.