M Whitney's List: Community-based social marketing

• Much of human communication involves persuasion.
• ivid information   increases the likelihood that a message will be attended to initially,   a process called encoding, as well as recalled later
• • Make sure that your message is vivid, personal   and concrete.
     
   
  • Using techniques described in Chapter 2,   explore the attitudes and behavior of your intended audience prior   to developing your message.
     
   
  • Have your message delivered by an individual   or organization who is credible with the audience you are trying   to reach.
     
   
  • Frame your message to indicate what the   individual is losing by not acting, rather than what he/she is   saving by acting.
     
   
  • If you use a threatening message, make sure   that you couple it with specific suggestions regarding what actions   an individual can take.
     
   
  • Use a one-sided or two-sided message depending   upon the knowledge of your audience regarding the particular issue.
     
   
  • Make your communication, especially instructions   for a desired behavior, clear and specific.
     
   
  • Make it easy for people to remember what   to do, and how and when to do it.
     
   
  • Integrate personal or community goals into   the delivery of your program.
     
   
  • Model the activities you would like people   to engage in.
     
   
  • Make sure that your program ehances social   diffusion by increasing the likelihood that people will discuss   their new activity with others.
     
   
  • Where possible, use personal contact to   deliver your message.
     
   
  • Provide feedback at both the individual   and community levels about the impact of sustainable behaviors.

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• If we are to make   the transition to a sustainable future, it is critical that we are   able to develop a new set of societal norms that support sustainable   lifestyles. This chapter will introduce you to research which demonstrates   the powerful influence that norms have upon behavior,
• To be effective, the norm must also be visible
• For norms to be effective they need to be internalized   by people. That is, people need to view the behavior which the norm   prescribes as the way they "should" behave.
• Finally, normative strategies are likely to   be particularly effective when people are being asked to change   their behavior or adopt a different lifestyle. In these cases, behavioral   research suggests that direct contact in which social norms, modelling   (see Chapter 6), and social   diffusion (see Chapter 6)   occur may be particularly important.(7)
• • The norm should be noticeable;
     
   
  • As with prompts, the norm should be made   explicit at the time the targeted behavior is to occur (e.g.,   Upon entering a supermarket, customers could be greeted by a prominent   display that indicates the percentage of shoppers who purposely   select products that favour the environment); and
     
   
  • As with prompts, when possible use norms   to encourage people to engage in positive behaviors ather than   to avoid environmentally harmful actions.

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• Prompts that target specific behaviors can,   however, have a substantial impact

• A Checklist   for Using Prompts
    In considering using prompts, follow these guidelines.

   
   
  • Make the prompt noticeable.
     
   
  • The prompt should be self-explanatory. Through   graphics and/or text the prompt should explain simply what the   person is to do (e.g., turn off the lights).
     
   
  • The prompt should be presented as close   in time and space as possible to the targeted behavior (e.g.,   place a prompt to turn off lights directly on a light switch;   place a prompt to purchase a product with recycled content directly   below the product).
     
   
  • Use prompts to encourage people to engage   in positive behaviors rather than to avoid environmentally harmful   actions (e.g., use prompts to encourage people to buy environmentally   friendly products rather than to dissuade them from purchasing   environmentally

• A Checklist   for Using Prompts
    In considering using prompts, follow these guidelines.

   
   
  • Make the prompt noticeable.
     
   
  • The prompt should be self-explanatory. Through   graphics and/or text the prompt should explain simply what the   person is to do (e.g., turn off the lights).
     
   
  • The prompt should be presented as close   in time and space as possible to the targeted behavior (e.g.,   place a prompt to turn off lights directly on a light switch;   place a prompt to purchase a product with recycled content directly   below the product).
     
   
  • Use prompts to encourage people to engage   in positive behaviors rather than to avoid environmentally harmful   actions (e.g., use prompts to encourage people to buy environmentally   friendly products rather than to dissuade them from purchasing   environmentally

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• ommitment techniques
• Written   commitments appear to be more effective than verbal commitments.
• Commitment can be increased not only by seeking   a verbal or written pledge, but also through actively involving   the person.

• A Checklist for Using Commitment

   

  In considering using commitment, check that   the following guidelines have been followed:

   
   
  • Emphasize Written over Verbal Commitments
     
   
  • Ask for Public Commitments
     
   
  • Seek Group Commitments
     
   
  • Actively Involve the Person
     
   
  • Consider Cost-Effective Ways to Obtain Commitments
     
   
  • Use Existing Points of Contact to Obtain   Commitments
     
   
  • Help People to View Themselves as Environmentally   Concerned
     
   
  • Don't Use Coercion (Commitments must be   freely volunteered)
     
   
  • Combine Commitment with other Behavior Change   Techniques

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• elieving that the barriers to an activity   are already known is very difficult to guard agains

• ost programs to foster sustainable behavior   rely upon large-scale information campaigns.
• he first perspective assumes that changes in behavior are brought   about by increasing public knowledge about an issue,
• education alone often has little   or no effect upon sustainable behavior.
• econd perspective assumes that individuals   systematically evaluate choices
• then   act in accordance with their economic self-interest
• Although advertising is an important tool   for creating awareness, it is wasteful to invest most of our efforts   in an influence strategy that has such a low probability of success.
• Community-Based   Social Marketing
• designing   a strategy that utilizes behavior change tools
• dentifying barriers to a sustainable behavior
• piloting the strategy
• evaluating the   impact o
• Personal contact is emphasized   because social science research indicates that we are most likely   to change our behavior in response to direct appeals from others.

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