If all your friends did it, would you?

Written by

Kevin Smith

You aren’t as in charge as you might think. We’re all moved and shaped by the behaviors of those around us. We’ve always known this. At least your parents did when they worried about you “running with a bad crowd.”

This is “social proof” —  the behavioral science term for our tendency to assume the actions of those around us reflect what is correct or normal. But “like attracts like” well beyond the high school cafeteria, so let’s dig into how social proof might benefit your cause.

Let’s start with a little scientific inspiration. Early one morning, a Dutch researcher staged an alleyway with graffiti and litter, making sure there were no trashcans nearby. He later placed fliers from a fictitious shop on the handlebars of every bicycle left there during the day. Sixty-nine percent of cyclists threw the flier on the ground. Then, the experiment was repeated. Only this time, the alleyway was pristine. The number of litterers dropped to 33 percent.

Whatever you’re trying to change, there’s a great deal to learn from this experiment. Many cause leaders I encounter hope to one day join the litany of current social norms that were once countercultural: seat belts, designated drivers, car seats, bike helmets, etc. They understandably crave the obsolescence of their issue. Only too many are going about it the wrong way. Here are three social proof maxims that can help you get it right.

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1

Ask don’t tell.

Years ago, my firm was tasked with increasing the number of women getting mammograms. Our client was already advertising the convenience of its mobile mammography unit along with its schedule of appearances around the region. Ads touting early detection had also been used. My colleagues and I admired an empathetic approach asking busy women to put themselves first, but we didn’t believe it would deliver the results we were seeking either. In different ways, these messages were all telling women what to do. No one likes being told what to do. The simple truth is that some women are good about getting mammograms, while others aren’t. We naturally started thinking about the women we knew who did and didn’t get screened. What if we asked the diligent to persuade the reluctant? The resulting campaign introduced a new social norm, going with a friend to get a mammogram. Billboards and ads asked: “Who’s your plus one?” Taking care of a routine yet unpleasant task with a friend made it more agreeable and provided both parties with an accountability tool. An “everybody’s doing it” implication increased screenings and early detections of breast cancer.

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2

Make the undesirable behavior more difficult.

Increasing the rate of organ donation is a noble goal. In the US, we’ve made deciding to be an organ donor easy by asking people to opt-in when they get their driver’s license. Our rate of organ donation is fairly high among developed nations, but it could be much higher. In Spain, everyone is presumed to be a donor. Those who do not want to participate have to opt-out via the National Registry of Refusals. Because the opt-out approach suggests being a nondonor is atypical, Spain’s rate of organ donation is 26 percent higher than the US’. The same premise can apply to retirement savings. Many large companies now use an opt-out system to increase employees’ participation in their 401K programs. Instead of asking people to set their own contribution rate, they have implemented a default contribution rate. The default rate implies a social norm, preventing many employees from opting out or setting their contributions below the default rate. 401K participation in companies with automatic enrollment is 91%. That number falls to 28% when employees are required to voluntarily enroll.

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3

Turn a mindless habit into a choice.

The Earth Day Network named the theme of this year’s holiday “Planet vs. Plastics.” It is demanding a 60% reduction in all plastics by 2040 and the elimination of the single-use variety by 2030. Meeting these goals will require all of us to change our behavior. Panera Bread has been an early adopter by taking a step that demonstrates social proof. When ordering online, customers select if they want cutlery or not. Instead of just throwing plastic packets into the takeout bag, Panera makes it a deliberate choice by implying that many diners don’t need the plastic knife, fork and spoon. The same communication isn’t lost on Panera staff either. Perhaps, like making nutritional information more visible, this practice will spread. In turn, Chicago has implemented a similar effort. The city introduced a seven-cent tax on every plastic checkout bag. This communicates that using plastic grocery bags is an avoidable exception. The percentage of shoppers using disposable bags has dropped from 82 to 54 percent, and the use of reusable bags has jumped from 13 to 29 percent.

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What all of these tactics have in common is that they make people think. There’s no persuasion, certainly no threatening or negative messaging. Just the presentation of social proof, in some cases subtly implied, in others more transactional in nature. In all instances, the result is positive behavioral change. I hope you might find a way to employ one or more of these concepts because little changes prompt bigger ones.

Fondly,

Kevin

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Kevin Smith, Principal   Kevin helps clients apply the principles of behavioral science to communications strategies that compel people to adopt life-changing behaviors. He has recently directed communications for the largest statewide contraceptive access initiative in the US, resulting in a 58% reduction in the number of unwanted pregnancies.

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