Contagious Truth - behaviour change & social marketing

Behavioral science can help reshape day-to-day decisions made in business.

New research suggests that health promotion experts have their hands full as they attempt to combat obesity. University of Waterloo investigators discovered an expansive scope — much more than just a focus on eating habits — is necessary to keep the pounds off. Investigators discovered that among youth, a combination of unhealthy behaviors serves as the best predictors of whether or not young people will experience obesity issues in adulthood. The study concluded that public health efforts focusing on obesity prevention must identify and correct poor behaviors that often develop in early ch...

While fear about health concerns grabs people's attention, adding a little hope to a message can make people more willing to take preventative actions, according to new research. In two studies from Penn State, hope and self-efficacy — the belief that someone can help him- or herself — significantly predicted intentions to take actions against skin cancer, such as wearing sunscreen or protective clothing. "With health messages, it's not enough just to tell people, or merely educate them, you need to motivate them, and emotions are really good motivators," said Dr. Jessica Myrick, an associa...

Taking a consumer-centred approach through using social marketing to communicate sustainability helps you understand people and their behaviour

By Betsy Costenbader & Rachel Lenzi: This blog post details the methodology of our literature review and offers recommendations for social norm measures.

In the UK, 9.5 million households can save over £300 a year by switching energy supplier. For many people that is a substantial boost to their household budget, and yet in a survey of UK consumers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that 34% of respondents had never considered switching supplier. This can be…

More knowledge doesn't lead to more action. Here's how to overcome the "awareness gap" in your work.

Listen to Rory Sutherland in conversation with Ri…

Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared in our January/February 2017 print issue as a sidebar to “This Is Your Brain on Poverty.”(Illustration: Matt

We’d like to raise a glass to alcohol interventions that drive us to drink.

Over the last 2 years we have been working with Social Housing providers across the UK to explore how the application of behavioural insights could increase revenue and reduce costs. In line with our commitment to evidence-based practice, we encourage the use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) wherever possible. This case study showcases an RCT that triggered a 24% increase in customer engagement, just by simplifying the layout of a letter and reducing cognitive friction. For the organisation behind this trial, customer contact is a central pillar of the income collection strategy. The ...

Over the last 2 years we have been working with Social Housing providers across the UK to explore how the application of behavioural insights could increase revenue and reduce costs. In line with our commitment to evidence-based practice, we encourage the use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) wherever possible. This case study showcases an RCT that resulted in a 9% increase in rent payments, simply by adding on extra sentence to a letter. One sentence increased rent payments by 9% This trial focused on adaptations of arrears letters over the first two stages of the escalation pathway. ...

Use this fresh approach to increase enrollment in health programs.

You can't launch a successful brand awareness campaign without first getting a full assessment of your brand's value - and ensuring you have sufficient standing to leverage for creating awareness.

Recycling, ditching meat and switching to a bicycle — changes we should be making to protect the environment. And yet, it all seems so difficult. What's holding us back? And how can we make significant changes?

One possibility? People don't pay much attention to what's happening.

Celebrities are frequently used in conservation marketing as a tool to raise awareness, generate funding and effect behaviour change. The importance of evaluating effectiveness is widely recognised in both marketing and conservation but, to date, little research into the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement as a tool for conservation marketing has been published. Using a combination of interviews and an online choice survey instrument, we investigated the extent to which a sample of UK-based conservation organisations, and other charities, evaluate their own usage of celebrity endorsement...

There's a big mistake that many, if not most, non-profits make, and this error can reduce the number of donors and volunteers. Some businesses make the same mistake, too.

Patients want to talk about their treatment in different ways.

By Srean Chhim: This blog post describes the design and evaluation outcomes of an HIV Risk Tracing Snowball Approach intervention in Cambodia.

Healthcare brands are competing on the margins for success so for marketing professionals, campaigns and interventions need to be targeted to create behaviour.

Getting patients to follow a medication regimen can be harder than people imagine, studies show.

Empathic marketing can help you turn prospects into profitable pals. I dug into the psychology of empathy to find out exactly how that works.

With all the doom and gloom environmentalists aren't that fun to hang out with.

Academic studies are nice, and so are Nobel Prizes. But to truly prove the value of a new idea, you have to unleash it to the masses. That’s what a dream team of social scientists is doing — and we sat in as they drew up their game plan.

Wanna actually get up and go to the gym before work? You'd probably be more successful if you moved.

What's the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Learn how to distinguish between the two and how to stay motivated, no matter how you feel.