Public service advertising can be a powerful and effective tool for awareness and education in helping both the public and specific target audiences learn more about urgent health issues. Given the recognition intimate partner violence has gained in the last two decades as an urgent health problem around the world, this issue was selected to explore advertising's effect and potential to help a specific target audience. This research examined female survivors' impressions of domestic violence campaigns. A sample of 16 focus groups of approximately six women in two-hour sessions were conducted, at two different points in time over the past two decades. These focus groups included a fairly equal number of African-American, White, Asian, and Latino women in two different geographic areas of the country. Participants were asked to describe their opinions about a sampling of current domestic violence campaign material. The women who participated expressed heightened negative emotional responses to specific elements of some of the advertising, suggesting the potential of some campaigns to exacerbate the problem for this target group. The purpose of this research was to formulate a base of information to create improved public service advertising for this segment of the public, as they are the group most severely affected by this issue. Thus, based on the Editor's research and the participants' responses, the key goal for an improved campaign should be enhancing early identification, empowerment, and help-seeking behaviour.

This book explores public perceptions, often reinforced by public service advertising campaigns, of stereotypes tied to violencewhich frequently portray men only as the aggressor, the abuser, or the perpetrator, and women only as vulnerable, helpless victims. What is even more disturbing is that research suggests that the abuse of men is often viewed by the public as a joke. It is hard for the public and law enforcement to perceive of males as victims, as that is not part of the public perception of the man brand. This research investigates exactly what that public perception of the man brand isand why public beliefs tied to gender stereotypes might be inaccurateas well as what hinders a full understanding and public acknowledgement of the true nature of that brand. This work takes a progressive first step in expanding a complete understanding of what reinforces stereotypes tied to gender and intimate partner violence.