February 14, 2012

Give me some feedback.

Trying to get people to change behaviour is a damn hard task.

Social marketing strategies employ a number of techniques to change negative behaviour for the greater  social good. Whether it be messages for people to stop speeding, stop smoking or to stop eating, the tactics used are often similar.  A hell of a lot of money has been spent within the advertising industry trying to get people to change. People will tell you that there’s no silver bullet in trying to change a certain behaviour  but most will agree that advances in technology are creating efficiencies.  We can now create “tools” to  help people change behaviour, rather than constantly bombarding them with messages.

A new movement that has become extremely effective with the onset of technology (the advancements in sensors which capture information) is centered around feedback. Companies are now producing devices that present feedback to us in a meaningful way in real time, creating a feedback loop.

Simply put, a feedback loop is when we provide people with information about their actions in real time, then give them a chance to change those actions, pushing them to better behaviours and outcomes.

An article in Wired outlines one of the most effective uses of the feedback loop is helping to reduce people speeding.  The example cited shows that the use of dynamic speed displays;  a sign that displays your speed to you in real time and then displays that information contextually (are you or aren’t you obeying the speed limit) eliciting a change in behaviour. Most of us would have seen these big yellow electronic signs here in Tasmania with their smiley face or frowny face feedback.  Research constantly backs up the use of these displays as evidence shows that they are indeed effective in reducing speeding.

The use of energy will become a greater social issue moving forward.  There is now a device that people can plug into their sockets at home and ascertain which appliances are currently costing the most to run (information is displayed in a useful format: $$).  This opens a number of possibilities for energy retailers to get behind this, rewarding people through the use of gamification (competing with people to see how much energy you can save).

Outside of social marketing there are a number of commercial marketing opportunities for the use of feedback loops. The fitness industry has long been involved in using feedback loops, from pedometers to the more upbeat Nike Fuel, giving people the tools to see how much energy they are burning in real time prompting them to change their behaviour.

Rypple is a web-based social performance management platform that helps companies improve performance through social goals, continuous feedback and meaningful recognition.  Facebook currently uses this for their staff giving them real-time performance reviews rather than reviews on an annual basis.

As advancements in technology continue to move forward we’ll continue to see more and more devices employing feedback loops.

From social to commercial marketing, we have to create useful “tools” for our audiences.  And here at Clems, we’ll always look to create tools (whether it be to reduce alcohol fueled violence, or to help people get from A to B) rather than pushing generic messages.