Marketing Communications

88 CHAPTER 3 HOW MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS WORK

Figure 3.4 The Theory of Reasoned Action (TORA)

Handicap International was founded in 1982 in France. Afterwards, a network was created with sections in Belgium,

Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. Currently, Handicap International is active in about

60 countries with aid programmes for people with disabilities. To collect money for clearing up cluster bombs,

a mine awareness programme and a physical rehabilitation centre in Afghanistan, Handicap International used

direct mail (DM) as a communication tool. It sent citizens a paper bomb, not bloody pictures or crying people.

A strong accompanying letter and a reference to the expertise of Handicap International were also included.

Since Handicap International is well aware that many people believe their individual efforts do not matter, it

clearly indicated what could be done with small sums of money and gave people the option to choose one of them.

For example, €30 meant crutches for one of the victims; with €40 about 10 square metres could be cleared of

mines; and for €55 a prosthesis could actually be given to a cluster bomb victim. This increased donors’ perceived

behavioural control. The DM action clearly paid off: the response rate amounted to more than 10%, and 37% more

money than expected was collected. Handicap International received a Cuckoo Award for the effectiveness of the

campaign.^49

business insight

Handicap International

The TPB has received considerable attention in the literature. Ajzen constructed a website

with more than 400 articles in which TPB was used.^50 These studies deal with a variety of

activities, from predicting eating behaviour to condom use, from job-seeking behaviour to

speeding, from helping to health behaviour, etc.^51 From a database of 185 of these independ-

ent studies, it has been shown that the TPB accounted for 27% and 39% of the variance in

behaviour and intention, respectively. Moreover, the PBC construct and attitudes in particular

seem to have predictive value, while the subjective norm in general accounts for only a small

part of the variance in behaviour and intention.^52

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