FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

This breakout session included an overview on how behavioral science is employed to target campaigns aimed at changing behaviors, and a few simple tools were explained and demonstrated in case studies.

Marketing is a methodology. As a marketer you have to ask questions. What do people want? Why is the message important (to your consumer/publics)? Social marketing treats a social program as a choice and provides a methodology for making your program more appealing than the alternative. Knowledge isn’t enough! If it were, everyone would eat healthy, exercise, avoid smoking, wear condoms, etc. So knowledge is only part of the picture:

• Give people a better reason to act—consequence, efficacy, norm, etc.
• Breakthrough with a compelling message—source, exposure, content, etc.
• What people do—knowing exactly what we expect people to do is important

The Process:
• Insight—Find what people want.
• Offer—Decide on your offer. Which of those desires can you fulfill in exchange for a change in behavior?
• Change—Make your offer. Change what you say or what you do?

Remember that what is important varies by individual. Make sure you understand your audience(s) and then cater your message to their needs, wants, etc. Focus locally (not nationally). Think about what effects your publics’ social network (friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc.).

Advertisings 4 Ps—Product, Placement, Price, Promotion
4 Ps Revised—Ask, Place/Setting, Service, Promotion

Example: The Fifth Guy Campaign was created to bring attention to unhealthy habits (not washing hands after using the restroom and trying to shake coworkers’ hand, sneezing on coworkers’ food, etc.). With media buys in central Florida and national media attention and interviews, surveys proved that the campaign was successful—in that people saw and remembered the advertisements and in bringing about behavior changes (washing hands, sneezing into your sleeve, etc.). The commercials showed a guy—the Fifth Guy—in an office setting doing all those unhealthy habits (not washing hands after using the restroom and trying to shake coworkers’ hands, sneezing on coworkers’ food, etc.) while his coworkers tried (unsuccessfully) to send him hints.

Example—Planned Parenthood wanted more people to talk more openly about sex education. The advertisement showed an argument between a father and son when all of a sudden the child stops and tells the parent (in long, scientific terminology) that his hormones are stopping him from talking (to his father) about sex education topics. Then the commercial states, “there are some things your child will never tell you,” and urges viewers to go to the Web site for more information.

Breakout Session Activity: Marketing for Change: Worksheet Segment Example
Below is an activity that the session went through. You should try this on your own.

- Efficacy Barriers—Why isn’t this behavior easier?
- Improving Efficacy—Making the behavior easier.
- Norms—expectations, self-standards, cultural issues, traditions
- Ways to Build Supportive Norms—changing expectations, aspiration strategies, cultural changes, addressing traditions

This session was probably one of the best sessions I attended so far at conference. The speaker was engaging and entertaining and the session was very educational.