PREMIER
I own and operate Action Research, a behavior change firm with 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating community-based social marketing programs in the domains of environment, health, and public safety. I am a recognized speaker on the topic of community-based social marketing and regularly offer private trainings and capacity-building workshops for public and private agencies.
Resume & Projects
49 Comments
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-08 19:46:09 UTC
Here are the questions from the Day 3 chat:
Q: I still need more information about using incentives. How to use them effectively, integrated with this approach.
A: Incentives can be tricky. The target audience needs to perceive the incentive as having significant value in order to agree to the ask. You need to carefully consider the need of incentives and their long-term impacts and costs. This is discussed further in the CBSM book.
Q: What about incentives for survey completion?
A: We typically do not need incentives for mail based surveys because providing a pre-stamped return envelope (and personalization) seem to be enough for compliance. We do, however, provide incentives for intercept surveys (i.e., short surveys people complete in public) because the incentive can offset the inconvenience of stopping and taking the survey.
Q: For Bugly and Skatepark - it looks like you ordered branded post-it notes that people could sign and stick on signs.
A: Yes - we had funds in our contract to create unique designs for each of these campaigns. The stickers matched the overall program branding (www.h2oc.org), but were tailored to the unique interests of the target audience. For example, for the skatepark study, we conducted a co-creation/interview effort with youth where we set up a booth and asked youth to comment on various images. They were drawn to "edgy" images that reflected their skater identity so we hired an illustrator to design those stickers.
Q: Do you display these commitment boards at the stores /skateparks for a
duration of time?
A: The skatepark commitments continue to be posted at the skatepark (behind glass where they are protected from the weather); The pesticide boards travel from event to event within the community - including the County fair. We are continuing to work on partnerships with local gardening centers and home improvement stores to eventually allow us to post the commitments for a longer period.
Q: Have you had to incorporate/consider added safety measures if CBSM results involves working with the public?
A: We always need to consider safety. For example, when conducting door-to-door outreach efforts, we always send people in pairs. But we also look at the physical characteristics of the homes. For example, in a recent pilot aimed at getting people to keep trash can lids closed, we had intended to use door hangers. However, during observations we learned that many homes in the neighborhood had enclosed front yards with animals and/or no soliciting signs. We altered the communication method to be handtags attached to bins on trash day. This was done principally for the safety of the outreach team.
Q: Hehe naïve here what's a burgee?
A: It’s a smaller flag that identifies a boat as a part of a yacht club or boating organization!
Q: For boat checks the boaters we need to reach are people traveling from out of state into Montana, possibly from states with invasive mussels. How do we reach them?
A: Definitely a challenge. You would, of course, want to start with understanding the perceived barriers/benefits for this audience. Likely this could be done through intercept surveys or focus groups. In those conversations, you might explore potential communication channels as well as how they go about planning for these trips. For example, are they staying with local family and friends or in hotels, campgrounds, etc.? How do they decide where to visit? Where are they buying gear, bait, etc. when they arrive to the state. Information like this could help you identify possible intervention points
Q: Can you define "vivid"? (in terms of vivid messages)
A: A vivid message is one that is intended to leave the audience with a clear visual impression typically by using images or language that are picturesque, concrete, or graphic. -
Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-08 19:31:18 UTC
Here are some links that were shared during the Day 3 chat:
You can find photos of the sign and a description of the fishing line study here: https://texanbynature.org/2020/04/recycling-fishing-line-to-protect-wildlife/
MyHeat program that used thermal images of homes : https://myheat.ca
Virtual Coastwatch that used geofencing to send messages:
https://ecommercenews.co.nz/story/maritime-nzs-innovative-digital-marketing-campaign-wins-award
Posted by a workshop participant for those working on Aquatic Invasive Species: https://westernregionalpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WesternStateAIS_CampaignEffectiveness_Kyle2022.pdf
Water- Efficient Durham
https://cbsm.com/cases/34098-water-efficient-durham
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-08 19:20:29 UTC
Here are some questions that were raised during Day 2 of the workshop:
Q: Wouldn't you run into there being a lot of "reminders" already at the pumps for various things and adding more just makes people ignore all of them?
A: Yes - that is definitely a possibility. You'll need to design the prompts so that they stand out above the "noise." Later in the workshop, Doug will cover some of the things you can do to capture attention, such as by making it vivid. There is also a chapter on communication in the book where this is covered in detail. Eventually people may habituate to the prompts, but the hope is that the behavior will become habitual and the reminder will no longer be needed. The context pr preceding behavior itself (e.g., getting gas) will become the reminder. In some cases, it may be best to consider other places for the prompt. You could also see how you can make your prompt stand out from others already in place to make the prompt more salient.
Q: Can you provide the definition of implementation intentions?
A: Implementation intentions involve asking your audience to develop a simple plan for when and where they will engage in a behavior. See for example: Gollwitzer, P. M. (1993). Goal achievement: The role of intentions. European Review of Social Psychology, 4, 141-185.
Q: When presenting the general public (or your targeted audience) how many questions should be included in a survey? 5-10? ,<10?
A: There is no set number of questions that should be in a survey. Each question should serve a purpose. Intercept surveys should take ~5 minutes or less. For online or mail surveys, you can go a bit longer - 10-15 minutes.
Q: I'm also assuming that y/n questions are better than rating as far as quantitative data...?
A: Yes/No questions are easier to answer but they may not always be better than rating/Likert-type scale questions - it depends on the data/insights you need.
E.g., Do you use fertilizers in your yard? (Y/N) provides different insight than How often do you use fertilizers? (open or closed ended) or On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to use fertilizers?
Q: Any research about success for using the term "pledge" vs "commitment"?
A: I'm not familiar with any research specific to testing the terms "pledge" vs "commitment." You could do a small scale study (pilot to the pilot) to see if there's a difference; however, I would expect negligible differences between the two.
Q: Can you provide an example about pairing behavior with incentive?
A: Providing coffee shop patrons with a gift card or discount in exchange for them making a commitment to bring a reusable mug. Entering those who make a commitment to engage in a behavior into a raffle. In both of these cases, it is possible that the participant will make the commitment to get the reward (extrinsic) which undermines their intrinsic motivation. The motivation then becomes, "I did this because of the reward" not "I did this because I am the type of person who believes this is important."
Q: Some behaviors wouldn't happen without some financial incentive. Especially when they are an expensive ask. Does it matter if the incentive just helps with a portion of the behavior? ie partial cost?
A: In cases where cost is a significant barrier, then a financial incentive might be an appropriate choice for the tool. Often, financial incentives are used for one-time behaviors that are costly - e.g., turf replacement, energy efficient appliances. Since they behaviors are not repetitive, we do not have to be concerned with sustaining the behavior with intrinsic motivation. In terms of incentivizing a portion of the behavior...you may choose to use an incentive to offset the cost of a one-time behavior (e.g., removing turf and replacing it with native plants). Then, use commitments and other tools to maintain repetitive actions such as landscape maintenance, fertilizer reduction, etc.
Q: What about fines?
A: Penalties/Fines can fall into the tool of "incentives" (they are a disincentive) and they should be used carefully because there are many ways they can undermine the program. For example, after they are removed, behaviors can rebound to pre incentive level (and in some instances even WORSE than before). Fines can be tricky; unless people actually get fined regularly it can undermine the message. Here in the US there are $1,000 fine for littering signs all over the highway, but no one is really ever fined, so it doesn't resonate. -
Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-08 19:11:15 UTC
Here are some links that were shared during the Day 2 chat:
New Zealand Bystander intervention for sexual harm: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/life/support-and-wellbeing/wellbeing-topics/sexual-harm/bystander-intervention
For more information about commitments and energy conservation:
Home Energy Audit (PG&E): Using Social Cognition and Persuasion to Promote Energy Conservation: A Quasi-Experiment – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1988.tb01192.x
For more information about Florida's Clean Marina program:
https://floridadep.gov/rcp/clean-marina/content/clean-marina-program
Environmental Problems and Human Behavior (Gardner and Stern) – https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Problems-Behavior-Gerald-Gardner/dp/0536686335
Social Diffusion with Farmers in the Redwood River Watershed
Su Beran - https://cbsm.com/cases/22696-restoring-the-redwood-river
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-07 19:10:37 UTC
Here are some additional resources posted by Day 1 participants:
Q: Is there a resource that lists or shows properties where septic permits have been approved/issued within an area or specific community?
A: For Billings we have Riverstone Health, and they approve all septic tank installments
A: I don't know if this might be helpful for anyone... We have a septic maintenance cost share program. Participants must have the pumper submit a "report", which includes lots of good information about the system's operation/use and some impacting behavior. We then use that information to shape future iterations of our messaging and program. https://lakecountyconservationdistrict.org/septic-maint-reimbursement/ -
Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-07 19:09:25 UTC
Here are some questions that came up on Day 1:
Q: How do you recommend one find out what the key motivations and barriers are in your community when few people answer surveys?
A: Achieving this is a bit of a science and an art, but involves a consideration of what mode you are using (e.g., online surveys have lower response rates than mail), structure of the survey (e.g., a clearly written and succinct survey will result in a higher response), and other activities related to administration (e.g., adding personalization, ensuring credibility, and making it easy are just a few strategies). When we appropriately match the mode to the audience and take measures to enhance response rates, we typically get response rates greater than 20% (for mail).
You can also try to find publicly available information to help you identify barriers and benefits. The amount of data available varies by behavior. Start with a literature review and identify other programs that have worked on similar target behaviors. Focus groups may also be an option if you have a few people who are willing to talk in-depth.
Q: Could you please repeat the math to figure the weight again?
A: Weight = Impact x Probability x (1-Penetration) x Applicability
Q: Is it possible to conduct observations for behaviors that are "invisible" or happen privately in someone's home?
A: Some behaviors are invisible, and direct observation is not possible (e.g., installing a low-flow toilet). In those scenarios, a survey and literature review may be the only options.
When the behavior you are trying to change is not directly observable, you may need to use an indirect measurement instead. Indirect measures allow you to infer that a behavior has occurred based on other indicators that serve as proxies for a behavior. For example: Examining utility records presenting aggregate water use
Q: For the invisible behavior of say, maintaining or upgrading your septic system, could you work with a septic pumper/installer to "observe" people engaging in the behavior?
A: In this case, you might work with pumpers to provide information about the status of the septic tanks. For example, are people aware of where the lid is? Are they calling in an emergency or as regular maintenance? Are there other issues, such as wipes, feminine products, or other indicators that people are not properly using their systems? What you would not get here is information about those individuals who are not reaching out to a pumper. In addition, you may be able to get data from pumpers regarding how many houses are served within a certain timeframe and target area.
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-11-07 19:05:15 UTC
Here are some links that were shared during the Day 1 chat:
Six Americas study
https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-warmings-six-americas/
Resource to guide survey work: Internet, Phone, Mail and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (Don Dillman) – https://sesrc.wsu.edu/about/total-design-method/
09:13:51
Daryl Bem (Self Perception Theory) – https://psychology.cornell.edu/daryl-j-bem
Research on choice overload, information overload, or decision fatigue. See for example:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265170803_Choice_Overload_A_Conceptual_Review_and_Meta-Analysis
Tools of Change: https://toolsofchange.com
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2023-06-07 01:22:19 UTC
Why exactly you would want to couple repetitive behaviours with one time behaviours instead of targeting them in isolation? When people engage in one-time behaviours the impacts are often not as large as expected because people often engage in repetitive behaviors that offset the expected impact (for example someone installs a low-flow shower head and then takes longer showers). Pairing repetitive actions helps to avoid these rebound effects.
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2022-06-10 03:13:17 UTC
Q: Can you use a survey for this, measuring the pilot effectiveness?
A: While we prefer direct observation whenever possible, there are cases when a survey is our only option. In this case, we would use a post-test survey of both the control and treatment group.
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2022-06-10 03:13:01 UTC
Q: In some of the other examples you've offered, there has also been a control group. How important is that? testing strategies against each other and the control?
A: VERY important. If you don't have a control group, it is impossible to know if the effects you observe are due to your program or to other outside factors - weather, other policies, news stories, etc. When you have a control group, all of those outside factors are experienced by all groups. Therefore any difference you see above and beyond the control group is likely due to your program. Ssometimes we use an "information only" control. That is the testing a strategy group against a group that gets only informational materials.
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