Today's episode explains COM_B the behaviour change framework for busy communication and marketing professionals.

Designed for busy pro's to get started in behavioural science and use this tool to define and understand the behaviour they are tackling. 

Don't let the idea of using theory or behavioural science in your campaign planning stop you.

Using COM_B will illuminate the stages of your campaign planning and help ensure you don't go down the wrong road. Instead, go down your audience's road.

Don't simply step into their shoes - but look at the behaviour through their eyes. Only then will your content truly influence and activate change. 

Further Resources:
Email bootcamp@socialinsightmarketing.co.uk for your free interactive worksheet. 

ONE:  Systems Thinking is a fundamental term coined by Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman who through is research established there are dual processes within the brain that function together. He published a ground-breaking book called Thinking Fast & Slow in 2011 which quickly entered the New York Times bestsellers list. He called  them System 1 and System 2 

TWO: System 1 also known as the homer brain (yes as in Homer Simpson) or the hare (yes the one from the tortoise & hare analogy) it is fast, automatic, dominant, developed over evolutionary to keep you safe. Making thousands of decisions a day on your behalf.

THREE: System 2. Aka Spock (yes the one from Star Trek) is slow, methodical, concentrates and is pretty lazy. 

FOUR: It’s important to understand that these processes work together and we should value both systems – although system 1. Challenge can be when using the right one. 

 FIVE: This Heuristics or biases or rules of thumb all mean the same thing. They are shortcuts that sit in our System 1 brain.  They have evolved with the human race, designed to keep us alive they make tens of thousands of decisions on our behalf – subconsciously  - every day. They pick up on the cues, the triggers, the fears within our environments and assign actions. They have been very popular in marketing and advertising for some time, for example anchoring the price or product, using scarcity or a sale to drive sales tapping into our emotions with powerful sensory tactics and using social norms to influence change. 

Why do I care as a communicator?

 Well because Spock is lazy and he doesn’t want to be used very often so if your work is confusing or unclear at any level Spock will kick in….and did I mention we’re lazy…. It is by no accident that advertising giants such as Ogilvy have been tapping into our emotions to prime us to associate that brand with emotions. 

In Behaviour Change Marketing Bootcamp Live & OnDemand we go deep into the world of behavioural biases to skill up on how we can use them inhouse to brief agencies, set strategy, develop copy and frame insight development. To ultimately understand our audience so we can communicate change, influence behaviour and increase impact.

Further reading: 

Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman 

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

In today’s episode, we welcome Professor Steve Maddern, Director of Public Health, Swindon Borough Council. 

The idea for this episode was for Steve to share how he rose to be Director of Public Health to inspire communications and marketing professionals to believe no senior management level is too high. 

Our main question was “Imagine you are doing your TED Talk on Leadership – what one message would you share with someone who is a couple of steps behind you.”

His advice is well worth a listen and includes:

•  saying yes to opportunities
• informal and formal learning 
• considering the impact of work decisions on your whole life not just your work life.  

But ultimately whatever your dream turning up as your best self and keeping abreast of the knowledge you need to do to be the best at your job.

But our conversations gave us so much more; as Steve discusses how public health and marketing and comms have become much closer bedfellows.

Public Health, like marketing,  is often referred to as an art and a science. 

We discuss how there is so much growing synergy between the disciplines and that ultimately they need to work in sync to make a difference and be effective. 

Steve talks about his experience delivering a community-based activity campaign called the Big Pledge across Wiltshire. A legacy of the Olympics it used micro commitment to reset social norms. Steve highlights that the first year wasn’t very successful but use of data and perseverance resulted in it running for many years to become a phenomenal campaign that created community spirit whilst helping people to begin and keep active

Steve highlights the importance of attitudes when delivering communications and marketing – the willingness to test, review, refresh and adapt where needed. The safe space to explore what is working and what isn’t. The confidence and leadership to have honest conversations around measuring and evaluation. 

After all how realistic is it to think you can get it perfect every time? (Editor’s note: Expectations run perfect campaigns can cause real stress for colleagues!)

Steve’s current COVID campaign is called  It’s Up to all of Us. It is a community-based campaign - a call to action to protect each other and consider the impact of their actions directly or indirectly. This work highlighted the importance of the application of insight and a deep understanding the audience. Swindon has 40 different languages, reaching everyone to help keep them safe was fundamental. 

Steve says

“Behavioural science is more important than ever and I think this has shown the evolving and advancement of public health, it isn’t just a leaflet or a poster telling you what to do it’s about actually taking the insights from the communities and the people you want to influence and using that along with the data and the science to develop the campaign. 

Q: What makes you – your best self?

“Knowing I can make a difference.” "I am in awe of the team I have around me” 

Q: What book would you recommend

Nudge. The goal is to make better lifestyle choices the easy choice. It highlights the role of policy but also translates how behavioural science can be used as a local level. A core text for public health and communications.

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness: Amazon.co.uk: Thaler, Richard H., Sunstein, Cass R: 8601404213366: Books

You can connect with Steve via LinkedIn

Today's episode welcomes Claire Holm, Head of Communications and Customer Service at North Devon District Council.

We chat about how loss aversion can be applied to support customer channel shift in local government. In other words, how we can use the science behind loss aversion to nudge people online and free up resources for the most vulnerable. 

We talk about the expectations and feelings of ownership residents have and how reactions can magnify during periods of change. 

We talk about the sheer difficulty of reducing budgets and how once you give someone something and they feel they own it you cannot take it away. 

Claire shares ideas and tangible ideas to use loss aversion, the importance of staying positive and not increasing anxiety

Ultimately to use loss aversion for positive gain. Don’t build messaging around fear.

In today’s episode, we welcome Louise Ward, 

Louise is co-founder of the Behavioural Science Club and she shares the birth of the club following Nudgestock 2020.

We explore how the club brings together practitioners, academics, professionals from a wide range of backgrounds to explore their shared passion and understand why we do what we do.

Books Louise recommends:

·       Alchemy: The surprising power if ideas that don’t make sense – Rory Sutherland

o   The best ideas don’t make rational sense: they make you feel more than they make you think.

·       Ripple: The big effects of small behaviour changes in business – Jez Groom & April Vellacott

o   How to make small behaviour changes that have wide-reaching effects in the real world. 

·       Hype Machine – Sinan Aral   

o   A look at how social media affects our decision-making and shapes our world in ways both useful and dangerous. 

·       The Choice Factory – Richard Shotton

o   Essential read to understand what drives peoples everyday decisions

·       Behavioural Economics – Bri Williams  

o   How to apply Behavioural Economics to improve your business

Behavioural Science Club: Join over 3500 members on LinkedIn. Meet with like-minded souls every Saturday to hear from experts and authors in behavioural science and related fields. 

In today's episode, we chat with the #NHSCommunicate winners.

Edna Boampong, is representing the team from Cheshire & Merseyside Health & Care Partnership Trust whose behaviour change programme increasing vaccine uptake in ethnic and minorities made a significant increase of 5711%.

Edna is now Director of Communications & Engagement, Shropshire, Telford, Wrekin ICS formerly Director of Communications & Engagement,  Cheshire & Merseyside Health & Care Partnership Trust. 

Insights from this episode
Understand your audience. Edna developed a proposal and brought partners and their budget on board to be able to commission this work out.  NHSEI team, Directors of Public Health and Public Health England.

Stage 1: Census data was out of date. A refreshed view was needed. Commissioned a data mining company to get a better, deep understanding of who the audiences are; down to street level.

Stage 2: Quantitative survey in the areas identified. Reached over 632 people in the target audience! Success down to using the new data tool and targeted ads. Data arrived just as the vaccine arrived. Ahead of the curve as aware of which communities were more likely to take the vaccine. BAME audiences are not a homogenous group.  Able to drill down to 8 groups that were most hesitant and focus efforts.  Insights included:  The older you were the more likely you were to take the vaccine.  Worry about catching covid at the vaccine centre itself. No trust in the Government.

Stage 3: The quantitative data tells you the what. The qualitative tells you the why. Ran focus groups and conversations with leaders.  Then able to segment further based on attitude and likelihood to take the vaccine.  key insight: trust in message and channel is key. First, think about the messaging. Second, think about the channels to target the audience with the message.

Microtargeting can mean you duck under the very busy crowded airwaves to cut through the noise.

Created Place Plans to equip the Local Authorities so they can then also amplify the messaging.

Top tip for winter: Follow the data.

Top don't bother: Don't assume.

Book recommendation: Then She Was Gone, Lisa Jewell