All four of our studies this year point to a gap between intention and action – so much so that we’ve actually created a discount rule-of-thumb (as in “discount the percentage who say they’re likely to do X by Y%). So, for our annual Inner Circle Symposium – held last week in Atlanta – we invited Rusty Overby with Robert Cialdini’s Influence at Work group to speak about the Principals of Persuasion (otherwise known as nudging – applying specific methods of pressure/persuasion based on behavioral science to move people to action). I’m probably contractually obligated not to spill everything that was shared, but there are a couple of broad concepts with specific implications for energy efficiency messaging that I think I can get away with passing along (since we see these concepts in our research as well):
- Consensus: This is the principle being applied by Positive Energy (now OPOWER) and others like them. It’s the idea that we’ll be motivated to do something based on knowledge/fear/guilt that we’re not as cool/giving/smart as our neighbors. Several studies – and actual pilot programs – show that the more specific you can be with a peer pressure approach, the better it works. Here’s what this kind of messaging looks like:
- “57% of the homeowners in your neighborhood have already stopped wasting money on their monthly utility bills”
- “Homeowners in your neighborhood who have followed our advice have cut their utility bills by 17%”
- Scarcity: This is the threat of loss, and it’s a method of persuasion our research says plays very well in the economy. This messaging looks like this:
- “If you don’t make the energy efficient home improvements we’re recommending, you’ll continue to waste $30/month with the utility company.”
Fear of wasting money and of not being as smart as our neighbors are powerful motivators – even if we don’t want to fess up to it sometimes.
TAGS: Energy & Environmental Marketing
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