| Course | HSC 310 Health Communication |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Audience segmentation analysis |
| Length | About 441 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Sciences |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HSC 310 Module 5
Not Every Teen: How The Real Cost Segments Its Audience
Student Name
BS in Health Sciences, Arizona State University
HSC 310: Health Communication
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Not Every Teen: How The Real Cost Segments Its Audience
The Campaign
The Real Cost is the FDA's first national tobacco public education campaign, launched in 2014 to prevent youth smoking (Farrelly et al., 2017); since 2018 it has also addressed e-cigarettes.
Who It Targets
Segmentation means dividing a population into groups that share characteristics and needs, then choosing which groups to reach, a core step in social marketing (Grier & Bryant, 2005). The Real Cost does not target all teenagers. It focuses on youths aged 12 to 17 who are open to tobacco use or have already experimented, rather than committed nonusers, who need less persuasion, or established users, who need cessation support.
| Segment | Characteristics | Campaign's choice |
|---|---|---|
| Committed nonusers | Firmly intend not to use tobacco | Not the primary target |
| At-risk youth | Open to trying, curious, or have experimented | Primary target |
| Established users | Use regularly, may be dependent | Referred to cessation resources, not the focus |
How the Message Fits the Segment
At-risk teens often see themselves as unlikely to be harmed in the long run, so the campaign shifted the cost into the present: damage to appearance, loss of control through addiction and the "cost" of each cigarette shown as a price paid by the body. The tone is edgy and visual rather than parental, because messages that sound like adults lecturing can make independence-seeking teens resist.
Channels
The segment spends much of its time on digital media, so the campaign used online video, social media and streaming platforms alongside television. Matching channels to the segment's media habits is as much a part of segmentation as choosing the message.
Evidence
In a national cohort of 5,185 youths followed from 2013 to 2016, those with frequent exposure to the advertisements had lower odds of starting to smoke than those with little or no exposure (adjusted odds ratio 0.70), and the campaign was associated with about 348,000 youths who did not start smoking (Farrelly et al., 2017). A later analysis using media market advertising levels found a similar dose-response pattern and estimated that 380,000 to 587,000 youths were prevented from starting (Duke et al., 2019).
Limits of the Segmentation
Targeting at-risk youth leaves established young users with less attention, and a single national segment may miss differences by region, culture or language. Messages built on appearance could also feel less relevant to some groups. Pairing the national campaign with local, culturally tailored outreach could reach youths the main segment does not.
What I Learned
Good segmentation is a series of choices: who to reach, who to leave to other programs and how to speak to the chosen group where it already spends time.
References
Duke, J. C., MacMonegle, A. J., Nonnemaker, J. M., Farrelly, M. C., Delahanty, J. C., Zhao, X., Smith, A. A., Rao, P., & Allen, J. A. (2019). Impact of The Real Cost media campaign on youth smoking initiation. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 57(5), 645-651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.06.011
Farrelly, M. C., Duke, J. C., Nonnemaker, J., MacMonegle, A. J., Alexander, T. N., Zhao, X., Delahanty, J. C., Rao, P., & Allen, J. A. (2017). Association between The Real Cost media campaign and smoking initiation among youths: United States, 2014-2016. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66(2), 47-50. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6602a2
Grier, S., & Bryant, C. A. (2005). Social marketing in public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 319-339. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144610
HSC 310 Module 5 instructions, in plain terms
The second HSC 310 "in the wild" assignment, worth 20 points, sits in Module 5, which introduces health marketing. Choose a real health marketing campaign and analyze its audience segmentation: which groups it chose to reach, how it described them, why, and how its messages and channels were tailored to them. Use the module's health marketing concepts and support claims about the campaign with credible sources, such as published evaluations or agency materials. Describe the campaign clearly before analyzing it, and follow the instructor's required questions and format in Canvas. Campaigns run by government agencies often publish audience descriptions and evaluations, which make strong choices for this analysis.
How this HSC 310 Module 5 example is built
The sample introduces the campaign in two sentences, defines segmentation and uses a three-row table to show which youth segments were targeted and which were not. Separate sections explain how the message and channels were tailored to the chosen segment. An evidence section reports two national evaluations with their key numbers, and the paper ends with limits of the segmentation and a one-sentence lesson. The segment table shows the choice the campaign made and the groups it left to other programs. Message and channel sections each tie a design decision to a trait of the chosen segment, and the evidence section reports two independent evaluations rather than relying on the campaign's own claims.
Where the marks sit in the HSC 310 Module 5 rubric
The assignment is worth 20 points. Readers look for a correct explanation of segmentation, a clear identification of the target segment and its characteristics, analysis of how messages and channels fit that segment and evidence about the campaign. Marks drop when the analysis treats the whole population as the audience, when segmentation is confused with demographics alone, when no evidence is given and when the paper describes the advertisements without explaining why they were designed that way. Strong papers also consider whether the segmentation could leave some groups behind and suggest how a local program might fill that gap. Using the campaign's own description of its audience, where available, shows careful research rather than guesswork.
HSC 310 Module 5 help from the desk
Look for the campaign's own description of its audience in agency materials or evaluations. Ask what the segment believes, wants and fears, not only its age. Compare one message with what would appeal to a different segment. Check whether the channels match the segment's habits. Find at least one evaluation. Name one group the campaign misses. If you are unsure how a campaign segmented its audience, the desk can help you find the evidence. Look up the agency's media or campaign pages to learn the stated audience. Compare two advertisements aimed at different segments if the campaign has them. Keep your own reaction separate from the target audience's likely reaction, since you may not belong to the segment.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HSC 310 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HSC 310 Module 5 sample paper?
The full audience segmentation analysis of The Real Cost campaign is on this page.
What is audience segmentation?
Dividing a population into groups with shared characteristics and choosing which to target with tailored messages.
Who does The Real Cost target?
Youths aged 12 to 17 who are open to tobacco use or have experimented.
Did The Real Cost reduce youth smoking?
A national cohort study associated it with about 348,000 youths not starting to smoke from 2014 to 2016.
Why not target all teenagers?
Committed nonusers need little persuasion and established users need cessation help, so the at-risk group benefits most.