The Use of Strategic Public Relations Communication Techniques in Campaigns to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer: A Case Study of Breast Cancer Campaigns in Saudi Arabian Charities

Abstract

This study investigates the efforts of cancer charities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to raise awareness of breast cancer through communication campaign techniques in order to reduce its incidence, which has been rising in the Saudi population for several years. Applying the Diffusion of Innovations Theory of Rogers (2003) as a theoretical framework, qualitative primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 individuals working in public relations (PR) and communications practice at six cancer charities to understand their experience of designing and planning health communication strategies to bring about health-related behavioural change among Saudi women. The study also involved qualitative content analysis of the Twitter pages of the six charities during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) in 2018 to determine communicative functions in accordance with the classification scheme of Lovejoy and Saxton (2012). The interview data revealed that not all of the charities employed dedicated PR practitioners in their communication departments, but all carried out some PR functions, with a significant emphasis on the technical rather than managerial roles of PR. The participants were found to use various communication strategies and methods to reach different target audiences. However, considerable difficulty was experienced in the design of specific campaign planning strategies, with the participants demonstrating little use of breast cancer campaign strategy to overcome the lack of knowledge and awareness among Saudi women. The study confirmed that the charities did not use Twitter strategically, employing the platform largely as a one-way channel of information communication. Additionally, the charities rarely used promotional and mobilising messages as an action function and did not follow the commonly accepted relationship-building strategies such as dialogic and two-way communication.