Tailored and targeted communication strategies for encouraging voluntary adoption of non-preferred public policy

This article develops a course of actions for the government communication strategies targeted for the non-preferred public policy adoption. The authors first distinguish non-preferred public policies as the main focus of this article over preferred public policies. A categorization of the government communication strategies based on its key features follows. This article captures firms' attitudes toward the communication strategies by employing psychological reactance theory. Furthermore, the authors reinterpret firms' policy adoption behaviors into active and opportunistic behaviors. An empirical test is conducted which allows for the proposal of managerial implications for the communication strategies encouraging active adoption and controlling opportunistic adoption. The authors discuss the theoretical contribution and strategic insights this research provides for the government.

► We developed communication strategies for the non-preferred public policy adoption.
► We categorized the government communication strategies based on its key features.
► We reinterpreted firms’ policy adoption into active and opportunistic adoptions.
► We offer strategies managing active and opportunistic policy adoptions.