This document discusses evidence-based behavior change principles that can be applied to communications and marketing. It summarizes research showing that traditional economic theories that view people as rational are inaccurate, and that unconscious behaviors drive most decisions. It then outlines several principles supported by research, including: leveraging loss aversion over potential gains, using social norms to show popular behaviors, "chunking" large tasks, employing reciprocity, focusing on current rather than future events, and using these principles in marketing contexts like healthcare and government initiatives. The document argues for an approach grounded in behavioral science instead of only providing information.
Operations Research: Methods, Challenges, Emerging Lessons, and Opportunities...
Increasing Communications Success by Thinking Differently
1. Increasing Communications Success
By Thinking Differently
Denise Aube, Vice President, Health Care Practice Leader
Joel Machak, Executive Creative Director
5. Trends in Current Cigarette Smoking
Among High School Students
34.8% 36.4% 34.8%
30.5%
27.5% 28.5%
21.9% 23%
20% 19.5%
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
10. Loss Aversion
The possibility of loss
motivates people to
action more than the
idea of gain.
11. If you insulate your home fully If you fail to insulate your home
you will save 50 cents a day. you will lose 50 cents a day.
4% response 10% response
Source: Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 1993.
12. Regional Hospital
Women’s Heart Center
Outpatient Services
• “Fact-based” campaign, 1 appointment
scheduled over the course of several
weeks.
• Current campaign, 12 appointments in
week 1.
13. Social Norming
People do what they think other people
like them are doing.
14. NO
SIGN your fellow guests in helping
Join
Help save the environment. save the environment
Reuse your towels during your stay. (75% are participating).
Reuse your towels during your stay.
44% reuse
35% reuse
- 49% reuse
Source: Study published in Journal of Consumer Research (2008), authored by Noah J. Goldstein, Robert B. Cialdini, Vladas Griskevicius.
15. County Government Department of Health
Cancer Prevention Program Made breast cancer
screening the norm –
“8 in10 women right
here in AA Cty.”
2010 Postcard – I mail drop 2011 Postcard – 1 mail drop
Traditional Health Education Focus Utilizes “Social Norming”
< 100 county residents respond Nearly 600 county residents respond
4.5% response rate
(DMA benchmark 2.5%)
15
16. Chunking
People are more likely to embark
on a difficult task if it’s presented
in bite-sized stages, rather than
one continuous act.
17. Survey with 96 questions
Survey with 96 questions.
divided into 8 sections, 12
Q1 – Q96
questions in each.
6% response 26% response
61% of responders 87% of responders
complete the entire complete the entire
form form
Source: Richard Storey, AAAA, Behavioral Economics: Small Change, Big Difference, 2010.
18.
19. Reciprocity
People are more likely to give if they
receive something first.
20. Physician Surveys
National sample, 2,147 physicians
Mailed survey – 25 minutes to complete
½ sample was promised a check ½ sample was sent a check with
upon completion of survey the survey (pre-payment)
66% completion 78% completion
Only 26% of respondents who did not complete
survey cashed checks.
Source: Study published in Public Opinion Quarterly (2001), authored by Sandra Berry and David Kanouse, funded by NIH.
21. The Power of Now
We engage more strongly with
current events than future ones.
22. What is the most effective way to stop speeding?
23. Photo taken and fine incurred.
No photo taken, no fine incurred.
Prevents 2.2
accidents
Prevents 3.1
accidents
Source: United Kingdom, Department of Transport Study, 2008, Angela Watkinson’s Report to House of Commons.
24. Regional Hospital
Emergency Services
• Digital platforms provide ER wait
times in “real time”
• ER services up 2%
Mobile Application
shorterERwait.com: updated every 30 minutes
24
25. • Drive awareness and traffic through
online, outdoor, social media
25
36. Thank you.
Denise Aube
Vice President, Health Care Practice Leader
daube@crosbymarketing.com
@deniseaube
301-261-1570
Connect with Crosby Marketing:
www.crosbymarketing.com
www.facebook.com/CrosbyMarketing
@CrosbyMarketing
Notas del editor
We make thousands of decisions every day.
traditional theory has long said that we make those decisions rationally.
We as healthcare communicators for years have followed that theory. Every day we provide our stakeholders with facts they need to know to make good decisions.
For decades the industry has been sending health education messages to the general public, to parents, educators and directly to teenagers anti-smoking facts and figures. _Still nearly 20% of high school students smoke.
Over the past several years, communicators have explored the world of behavioral economics. Brain science… that tells us that emotion, memory, habit, mammal brain drives behavior and decision-making