I certainly didn’t want to use that statistic. In the midst of a messaging work session on a hot, sticky summer day, the digits shouted out from the page. If the vast majority of people are not doing the desired behavior, then I could not use the social norms theory of change. If you’re a [...]
Have you been there? You start to notice many of your conversations get derailed because your basic language and labels are triggering a radically different frame for others. At first you resist the implications, thinking all that’s needed is more education or better communication. Then, if you are listening well, you come to realize you’re [...]
Good causes suffered from a rash of poorly conceived ads in 2011. The usual culprit was a concept with strong words and images designed to be ‘edgy’, but which instead ended up with shock for shock’s value (or perhaps an agency’s desire for awards) and unintended consequences. Two campaigns stand out as particularly regrettable because [...]
There is a Difference Social marketing and social media marketing: Two very similar phrases with completely different meanings, applications and histories. Unfortunately, as the public, the media and even marketing and advertising professionals started to use these terms interchangeably, considerable confusion has resulted. Working at a firm that specializes in social marketing, I’ve become increasingly [...]
FDA proposed anti-tobacco warning Last year the U.S. government passed a law mandating graphic warnings on cigarette packaging by June 22, 2011 in an effort to combat smoking. This past week, on November 10, the FDA released their proposed warnings. For anyone who hasn’t come in contact with the nauseating images already implemented [...]
It's what people do that counts. Not what they're aware of. Or what they think. Or what you tell them. But you know that. If you have been involved in social marketing or change work for any length of time though, you've probably wrestled with the challenge of moving beyond creating awareness to motivating action. [...]
While this is the second in a series of posts about changing minds and framing, you may be more interested because it could also be considered a confessional about numbers, whole-brain thinking, and how to use social math to illustrate the need for change. Data Can Tell Stories Too You see, I've never quite understood [...]
