The more I know, the more you know - Using culturally responsive marketing strategies to develop tools that increase awareness about clinical trials among Black communities

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel

Ineffective dissemination of cancer research and clinical-trial information contributes to cancer inequities, because messaging often targets researchers rather than public audiences and end users. Black Americans face disproportionately high cancer death rates yet represent only a small fraction of enrolled patients in cancer clinical trials. To address this gap, a culturally responsive marketing approach was used to develop a public service announcement (PSA) video aimed at increasing awareness of clinical trials among Black communities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

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Contributions to the literature

Background

Henderson et al. BMC Public Health (2025) 25:3003 BMC Public Health [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24194-x](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24194-x) RESEARCH Open Access “The more Iknow, the more you know” Using culturally responsive marketing strategies to develop tools that increase awareness about clinical trials among Black communities Vida Henderson 1*, Leslie Carnahan2, Eliza Brumer Cohn 1, Ana Williams Waite2, Tigist Mersha2, Robbin Block3, Michelle Kol pack3, Jonathan Sommers4, Kauthar Salum 1, Kent F. Hoskins5 and Ryan Nguyen5 Abstract Background Ineffective dissemination of cancer research and information among the public contributes to cancer inequities. Dissemination rarely involves efforts to engage non-research audiences and end-users in developing effective messaging. Efforts to promote equity in clinical trial participation may benefit from marketing strategies traditionally applied in the business sector. Black Americans suffer the highest death rates from most cancers than any other race/ethnicity, yet only 5% of patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials are Black. Our team used a marketing strategy framework to create a culturally responsive public service announcement (PSA) video to increase awareness of clinical trials among Black audiences. Methods We partnered with a marketing recruitment firm and a marketing agency to conduct six focus groups (n = 54) with social support networks of Black cancer survivors and Black community members. Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit a national sample of eligible participants that varied in age, education, geographic region, and gender. Focus groups were conducted over three phases that informed script development, script and storyline testing, and sought feedback on the PSA video post-production. We used the Marketing and Clinical Trials Reference Model to guide marketing strategies, data collection, video content development and production. We used rapid qualitative data analysis techniques to identify themes for each phase to guide PSA development. Results Partnered with a film production company, we produced a 2-min PSA video that uses professional actors and storytelling and marketing techniques to describe clinical trials, provide relevant statistics, address barriers to participation expressed by participants, and provide credible resources to seek further information. We also produced 30 s and 60 s versions of the PSA to accommodate different marketing media outlets. Participants felt the videos were engaging and relatable and that the messaging was clear. The videos ignited meaningful discussions about clinical trial participation and motivated participants to share the information learned. *Correspondence: Vida Henderson [vahender@fredhutch.org](vahender@fredhutch.org) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/l](vecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Henderson

FAQs

Why is increasing awareness of cancer clinical trials important?

Ineffective dissemination of cancer research and clinical-trial information contributes to cancer inequities. Engagement of non-research audiences in developing messaging is often limited, affecting awareness and participation.

How were the culturally responsive marketing strategies developed?

The team partnered with a marketing recruitment firm and marketing agency to run six focus groups with Black cancer survivors and Black community members. Findings across three phases guided script development and testing, and helped shape the PSA video content.

What did the PSA video include and how was it delivered?

A 2-minute PSA video was produced using professional actors and storytelling to describe clinical trials, present relevant statistics, address participation barriers, and offer credible resources. Short 30-second and 60-second versions were also created for different media outlets.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel