Co-opting the techniques of ad firms,social marketers manipulate consumers for the good of the planet By Todd Schenk Photo: HADLEY KINCADE RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: A sign reading ‘Bio goods’ in a Budapest supermarket encourages customers to shop in an environmentally friendly way. Marketers call this a visual prompt. Grocery stores in Budapest are full of psychological prods engineered to make people behave in a more earth-friendly manner. Taking a cue from commercial merchandisers, organic farmers have begun drawing attention to their goods with shelf signs reading "Bio." They are an example of what professional marketers call a "visual prompt," in this case one that points shoppers to organic products and reminds them to purchase them. Such prompts are effective because they get noticed at the right spot and the right time, when the shopper is loading his or her cart. Effective prompts stand out with pleasing designs, large sizes and clear, simple messages. Government bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)engage in the art of persuasion and run public campaigns encouraging citizens to change their ways towards more sustainable practices. Often these campaigns differ little from those carried out by corporate merchandisers; the main difference is that they promote environmentally friendly behaviour, such as energy conservation and recycling, rather than Levi’s and Audis. Effectiveness But NGOs and governments rarely acknowledge themselves as marketers or assess their effectiveness in this regard. Short project time frames, overstretched staff, comfort with the tools of the past, and a suspicion of mass media mean those in public service seldom cast a critical eye on their marketing efforts. But with limited budgets and messages that are vital to positive social change, it is important that they do so. The marketing of social change is often referred to as "social marketing." This term was coined in 1971 by two marketing professors, Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman. They defined it as "the design, implementation, and control of programmes calculated to influence the acceptability of social ideas involving considerations of product planning, pricing, communications and marketing research." Social marketing has followed many of the trends in conventional marketing, but differs in that it aims to change our decision-making outside of the market. Changing attitudes This assessment led Canadian environmental psychologist Doug McKenzie-Mohr to found a new approach called "community-based social marketing." To quote McKenzie-Mohr: "While education and advertising can be effective in creating public awareness and in changing attitudes, numerous studies show that behavioural change rarely occurs as a result of simply providing information." Following McKenzie-Mohr's approach, the first step to fostering behaviour change is understanding the barriers that keep people from engaging in the desired activity. This step is key, as actions taken should target these barriers. McKenzie-Mohr suggests doing this with a literature review in the relevant field, a study involving focus groups and/or observations, and a survey, in that order. Some of the barriers to behaviour change are likely to be internal, such as a lack of understanding, while others will be external, such as the inconvenience of engaging in the activity. There is typically more than one barrier keeping people from behaving in the desired way. Different approaches will be necessary to target these barriers. Campaigns are more successful when multiple techniques are used to address each barrier. Commitment can be made in a variety of ways, such as by wearing a button, displaying a sticker or signing a petition stating that you will engage in the behaviour. These techniques have been shown to be powerful motivators, even though they call for no recourse if the promise isn't kept. McKenzie-Mohr posits that this is because making a commitment alters a person's selfimage, and hence their behaviour changes to reflect this new identity. They also want to be seen by others as consistent. One case study cited in McKenzie-Mohr's book involved a group of people who were asked to wear buttons stating that they support cancer research. When they were approached some weeks later for donations for cancer research, they gave much more often than those in a control group. They had committed to a cause, and were simply living up to that new perception of themselves. Incentives can change behaviour, as well, with one example being bottle deposits. They increase recycling and reduce littering. Another example is a per- bag fee for trash collection. Social incentives While these programmes require the kind of infrastructure and legislation that only local and national governments can orchestrate, NGOs can provide other incentives, particularly social ones. Corporate monitoring and green labelling are two examples. Companies are motivated to adopt environmentally friendly approaches and avoid destructive ones if it means winning the endorsement - or avoiding the wrath - of green organisations. How a message is communicated is central to its success. Through simple techniques, a government or NGO can affect whether the message "sticks." Among other techniques, McKenzie-Mohr suggests the use of "captivating information" and personal contact. A campaign to promote water conservation, for example, might involve consultants going from flat to flat, carrying out audits to find out how efficiently the tenants use this resource. Governments and NGOs need to be more critical of the campaigns they run. Success cannot be measured in the number of glossy pamphlets produced or even media coverage received; a campaign should be considered successful only if the desired change occurs. - Todd Schenk is a project officer in the REC's NGO Support Programme.

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