The Role of Implied Motion in Engaging Audiences for Health Promotion: Encouraging Naps on a College Campus

Abstract

Objective: Lack of sleep among college students negatively impacts health and academic outcomes. Building on research that implied motion imagery increases brain activity, this project tested visual design strategies to increase viewers’ engagement with a health communication campaign promoting napping to improve sleep habits. Participants: Participants (N = 194) were recruited from a large southwestern university in October 2012. Methods: Utilizing an experimental design, participants were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: an implied motion superhero spokes-character, a static superhero spokes-character, and a control group. Results: The use of implied motion did not achieve the hypothesized effect on message elaboration, but superheroes are a promising persuasive tool for health promotion campaigns for college audiences. Conclusions: Implications for sleep health promotion campaigns and the role of implied motion in message design strategies are discussed, as well as future directions for research on the depiction of implied motion as it relates to theoretical development.