Simple Shifts In Thinking – Positive
Impact on Behavior
Denise Aube, Vice President, Health Care Practice Leader
Joel Machak, Executive Creative Director
What should I wear?
Which doctor
should I choose?
Traditional economic
theory portrays
people as rational.
Traditional
communications
provide consumers
with education.
Trends in Current Cigarette Smoking
Among High School Students
34.8%
27.5%
36.4%
34.8%
30.5%
28.5%
21.9%
1991
1993
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
23%
2005
20%
2007
19.5%
2009
Knowledge is not enough.
Brain science
tells us that the
unconscious mind
controls
95% of behavior.
People actually
behave in
predictably
irrational ways.
A few principles…. and some applications.
Loss Aversion
The possibility of loss
motivates people to
action more than the
idea of gain.
If you insulate your home fully
you will save 50 cents a day.
If you fail to insulate your home
you will lose 50 cents a day.
4% response
10% response
Source: Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 1993.
“We need to get more women to schedule a
heart exam with our docs.”
A conventional
approach
• Give them facts.
• Heart disease is the #1
killer of women.
• 1 in 2 women die of
heart disease.
• 6 times more than
breast cancer.
• Risks are all preventable.
We tapped into #1 thing
Mom does not want to
lose.
All available
appointments booked.
Social Norming
People do what they think other people
like them are doing.
Help save the environment.
Reuse your towels during your stay.
35% reuse
NO
SIGNJoin your fellow guests in helping
save the environment
(75% are participating).
Reuse your towels during your stay.
44% reuse
- 49% reuse
Source: Study published in Journal of Consumer Research (2008), authored by Noah J. Goldstein, Robert B. Cialdini, Vladas Griskevicius.
“We need more people to register to become
organ donors.”
A conventional
approach
• This is a crisis – we need
your help.
• 118,498 people are
waiting for an organ.
• 18 people will die each
day waiting for an organ.
• 1 organ donor can save
up to 8 lives.
Make organ
Make organ donation a movement of millions of people.
Made breast cancer
screening the norm –
“8 in10 women right
here in AA Cty.”
2011 Postcard – 1 mail drop
Utilizes “Social Norming”
Nearly 600 county residents respond
4.5% response rate
2010 Postcard – I mail drop
Traditional Health Education Focus
< 100 county residents respond
(DMA benchmark 2.5%)
21
Chunking
People are more likely to embark
on a difficult task if it’s presented
in bite-sized stages, rather than
one continuous act.
Survey with 96 questions.
Q1 – Q96
Survey with 96 questions
divided into 8 sections, 12
questions in each.
6% response
61% of responders
complete the entire
form
26% response
87% of responders
complete the entire
form
Source: Richard Storey, AAAA, Behavioral Economics: Small Change, Big Difference, 2010.
“We need to increase sales among current
customers.”
We made it easy for stressed
clinicians to implement urine
drug monitoring.
The 5 Step Guide.
Utilization increases.
Volume and revenue goals
surpassed.
Break down financial planning
into 7 simple steps.
Reciprocity
People are more likely to give if they
receive something first.
Physician Surveys
National sample, 2,147 physicians
Mailed survey – 25 minutes to complete
½ sample was promised a check
upon completion of survey
½ sample was sent a check with
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.
“We need to generate more leads for our
sales force.”
A conventional
approach
• Direct mail offering an
incentive.
• Fill out this form and we’ll
send you a gift.
We grabbed prospects attention and opened
doors with a gift.
20% response rate
14% conversion
The Power of Now
We engage more strongly with
current events than future ones.
What is the most effective way to stop speeding?
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.
“ER visits are down. We need to turn that
around.”
A conventional
approach
• Tell consumers how
great we are.
• Top quality care.
• Showcase awards.
• Give the credentials.
We provided ER wait
times in real time with
innovative digital tools.
ER volume up 2%.
37
Smoking causes cancer, lung
disease, heart disease….
sometime in the future.
Bar coasters engage the target when
message is most relevant.
39
QR codes drive traffic to a
mobile site to download or
order a quit kit by phone.
Requests for kits up 27%.
40
I don’t know… those
cookies on the
counter smell good.
How do we get people to make
healthier decisions?
How do we get more people
to participate in our events?
1. Carefully select the behavior
2. Identify the barriers and benefits
3. Design your strategy
Identify the behavior
Not separable into parts, incapable of being divided
Learn more.
Visit our Website.
Schedule a
heart check.
Register to be an
organ donor.
Identifying barriers and benefits
Literature Review
Observation
Focus Groups
Surveys
Design your strategy
• Find a principle that
might work for your
program.
• Pick one primary
approach.
• Positively frame the
call to action or
desired behavior.
Plan, execute, measure
• Apply your theory
across all platforms.
• Build your plan, create
your tactics and
execute.
• Build in metrics and
form of data
collection.
Resources
nudges.org
danariely.com
Influenceatwork.com (Dr. Robert B. Cialdini)
cbsm.com (Community-Based Social Marketing)
TED Talks – Alex Laskey and Sendhil Mullainathan
Thank you.
Denise Aube
daube@crosbymarketing.com
@deniseaube
Joel Machak
jmachak@crosbymarketing.com
Connect with Crosby Marketing:
www.crosbymarketing.com
www.facebook.com/CrosbyMarketing
@CrosbyMarketing
410-626-0805 or 301-261-1570