Strategies and Tactics of Medical Social Advertising for Prevention and Treatment of Oncological Diseases

The relevance of this study on medical social advertising is underscored by its significant societal importance and its crucial role in public health promotion. This article presents the findings of a comparative analysis of discursive strategies and tactics employed in advertising campaigns for the prevention and treatment of oncological diseases, based on polycode texts from campaigns in Russia, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, Indonesia, and Singapore. It has been demonstrated that the primary strategies in this area of advertising include information dissemination, influencing recipients’ behavioral patterns, creating a specific emotional backdrop, and securing financial contributions. The tactical persuasion techniques encompass both directive demands and indirect means of persuasiveness (visualization, metaphorization, paradoxical statements, and playful tactics). The study concludes that oncological themes in domestic social advertising are perceived as taboo, making the primary objective the formation of an optimistic attitude towards illness. It is noted that foreign advertising campaigns more frequently employ threat tactics, with several projects aimed at combating the stigmatization of cancer patients. The authors also focus on the characteristics of social advertising in China, highlighting its politicization, emphasis on the state’s role in healthcare, promotion of scientific treatment methods for oncological diseases, and the use of concepts such as FAMILY and COLLECTIVE, alongside the taboo surrounding death.

social advertising, speech strategies, speech tactics, medical discourse, cancer prevention, oncology