IDEAS FOR CREATING EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNS

ON YOUR COLLEGE CAMPUS

Community-Based Social Marketing

Kim QuickSEIP InternJanuary 21, 2012

Community Based Social Marketing

Developed by Doug McKenzie-Mohr

Alternative to traditional, information-based campaigns

Engages individuals directly and at the community level

How information campaigns fall short

“Campaigns that rely solely on providing information often have little or no effect on changing behavior.”

-Doug McKenzie Mohr

What are the implications for campus greening initiatives at your school?

Understanding the people factor

“Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex than our subsequent explanations of them.”

-Fyodor Dostoevsky

The paradox of the Attitude - Behavior Approach

Knowledge of ENVR issues ≠ pro-environment behavior

Good intentions are not always 100% consistent with pro-environment action

5 Steps of Community Based Social Marketing

(1) Selecting the behavior to be promoted

(2) Identifying the barriers and benefits to an activity

(3) Developing a strategy that utilizes “tools” that have been shown to be effective in changing behavior

(4) Piloting the strategy

(5) Evaluating the strategy once it has been implemented across a community.

Step 1 :Selecting behavior to target

What types of behavior do we want to encourage?

Energy and water conservation

Utilizing public transportation

Increase recycling

Waste reduction

Step 2: Identifying the barriers and benefits

Literature reviews, observations, focus groups, and survey research

Barriers can be both internal (e.g., lack of knowledge) and/or

external (e.g. safety concerns, convenience)

REDUCE THE BARRIERS & ENHANCE THE BENEFITS

Examples

Step 3: Developing strategies

Types of behavior change tools:

Commitments, prompts, norms, incentives, social diffusion

Use captivating information

Know your audience

Use a credible source

Make your message clear and easy to remember

Provide personal or community goals

Emphasize personal contact

Provide feedback

Step 4 & 5: Piloting & Implementation

Pilot as test run:

We want to identify and address problems before launching a campaign throughout a community

Revise pilot until it is effective

Once pilot is successful, broadly implement the strategy

Keep track of data

Baseline, on-going collection of results

Get the word out!

Signage and Prompts

Modeling behavior and Social Norms

• Promoting social normso Modeling sustainable behavior

o Habit-forming

• Getting the word outo Student groups

o Social media

o Info easel at bld. entrance

o Chalking

o Classroom announcements

Public Commitments

• Changes the way people perceive themselves

• Emphasize written over verbal commitments

• Actively involve the person

• Don’t use coercion

• Make commitments public

Behavior Change Campaigns at UNCA

Final thoughts

“ You can be confident that eventually community-based social marketing strategies will replace the more traditional approaches for one simple reason: They are more effective.”

-Doug McKenzie-Mohr

Questions???????

Now.. Let’s hear from you!!!

Examples of CBSM at your campus

My contact info: klquick@unca.edu