Pharmaceutical Market Europe • July/August 2023 • 14
MIKE DIXON
MIKE DIXON
DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF BEHAVIOURAL INSIGHT
If we are being asked to demonstrate ROI, we first need to agree on the value of the outcome
As part of the Healthcare Communications Associations’ Annual Conference, we were joined by the enthusiastic and instructive behavioural change champion, Ruth Dale.
There are various behavioural change models already used in developing, measuring and evaluating healthcare communications programmes, Com-B being one of the more well-known. But when the majority of our work is focused on achieving behavioural change in one form or another, it is always worthwhile to reflect on some of the core behavioural principles that can easily be applied and make such a difference to our everyday communications activity. Here are just a couple of insights that were discussed and that I have been reflecting on since the event.
So many decisions...
It is estimated that on average, we make around 35,000 decisions a day. That’s one decision every two seconds while we are awake – assuming we are not making decisions while we are asleep. Just stop and think about that. We are trying to encourage somebody to change one decision out of the other 34,999 they are making that day. Estimates vary slightly, but there is a consistent belief that 90% to 95% of those are unconscious decisions.
Many behavioural psychologists cite the work of Daniel Kahneman who was a Nobel Prize winner in 2002 for his work on behavioural economics. He suggests our brain has two systems: system one is the automatic one, and system two the effortful one. Because I like simplicity, I love the way many people make the analogy that 90% of the time we are like Homer Simpson, making unconscious decisions, and 10% we are the logical Mr Spock. When system one makes an unconscious decision, it then passes it on to system two, where it becomes the intuitive choice, and we consider that we have made a conscious decision, even though in reality we haven’t. Now this may all be very interesting, and clearly worthy of a Nobel Prize and perhaps useful for the pub quiz, but how does it actually help me in marketing and communications I hear you cry? If so many decisions are unconscious, how can we influence them? One answer is through emotional connections.
The basic emotions are liking, disliking, happiness, sadness, anger, fear and love (some people also talk about trust, distrust, surprise and anticipation as well). We want to associate our brand or messaging with positive emotions: like, love, happiness and trust. We therefore need to consider these in the way we write about, talk about and depict our ‘brand’. As an example, just consider the Andrex toilet tissue puppy. This can also be considered relevant in relation to who delivers a message. If we like, love, or trust them, we are more likely to follow what they say. This forms the premise of Influencer marketing and also explains why trust mapping, such as that provided by the annual Edelman Barometer, is so valuable in helping us communicate more effectively. Ultimately, the degree of emotional connection with our communications can make a significant difference in their success.
Don’t miss out
Another basic principle to remember and consider in our communications activity is the concept that the fear of loss is more powerful than the benefit of gain. Or, in social media speak, use the power of FOMO! As a concept, it may, however, raise some conflicting approaches. We want to communicate positively about all the good things a change will deliver, not get negative about loss. But the two are not mutually exclusive. Careful positioning can help communicate a loss avoided as a positive benefit. So perhaps, as an example, rather than being tempted to use the perception of the bigger number, we should instead talk about ‘a 25% reduction in loss of mobility’ rather than ‘a 50% increase in mobility’?
Endowment effect
Associated with the fear of loss is something called the Endowment Effect. Simply explained, this is the idea that we value something more if we own it. A simple manifestation of this is that we want to sell something we own to somebody else for more than we would consider buying it ourselves from them. Because we already own it, we value it more because the loss has greater value. This is potentially interesting if we could channel this principle into helping maintain a change in behaviour. After an individual has made the change, it is valued more, and to drop back to an old habit can be considered a potential loss. Our communications could therefore emphasise the loss of stopping rather than the benefit of continuing. Similarly, the idea of a free trial of or exclusive access to something uses the same principle; once tried, there is that connection that helps encourage continuation or purchase.
We all want our communications to be effective and to make a difference. These have been just a few examples of some behaviours we can all consider and utilise in our communications work. There are many more psychological insights that have the potential to help us change behaviours, and information about them is readily available on the internet or via courses.
Some interesting further reading and listening ideas:
Thinking, fast and slow – Daniel Kahneman
Heaven and Hell: The Psychology of the Emotions – Neel Burton
Brain and Behavioral Science Fundamentals – Susan Weinschenk
Behaviour Change Marketing Bootcamp – Ruth Dale
Mike Dixon is CEO of the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA) and a communications consultant
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