Influence - NCSU Sustainability

Decision Making and Influence:
Presentation for Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST)
August 5, 2010
Social Marketing Approach
“Social marketing is the systematic application
of marketing, along with other concepts and
techniques, to achieve specific behavioral
goals for a social good.”
*Most environmental behaviors fall under this
Internal Factors
Personality
Motivations
Learning
The Decision-Making Process
Situational Factors
Participation
1. Need Recognition
Physical Surroundings
Attitudes
2. Information Search
Social Surroundings
3. Evaluation of Alternatives
Task Definition
4. Purchase Decision
Time
External Factors
5. Participation / Experience
Antecedent States
Culture
6. Evaluation
Social Class
7. Dissatisfaction / Dropout
Reference Groups
Family
VERY COMPLICATED!
Professionals (mostly advertisers) use the following
psychological principles to get us to do what they
want.
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Reciprocation
Commitment and Consistency
Social Proof
Liking
Authority
Scarcity
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ALL of these principles are decision-making short-cuts
and are used in many marketing tactics!
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Reciprocation principle is a rule that is taught
in childhood.
 When somebody gives a gift or offers to perform a
favor for another, there is a social obligation of
repayment in the future.
 There is a obligation to take a gift for fear of being
viewed in a negative way
 Can you think of examples?
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People have a desire to be consistent with
previous actions and beliefs.
 We do this to justify decisions that we have made
earlier.
 For us to remain consistent, we must have made a
commitment.
 Can you think of examples?
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What other people think is correct.
 The more people using the behavior the more
correct it looks.
 Most of the time we use the social proof short-cut
when we are unsure of our course of action. If we
are uncertain of what to do, we will accept what
others think is correct.
 Can you think of examples?
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Humans are more likely to say yes to a person
that we know and like compared to a
complete stranger.
 There are five factors hat influence overall liking:
physical attractiveness, similarity, complements,
contact and cooperation, and conditioning and
association.
 The classic case of the compliance of liking is the
typical Tupperware party
 Can you think of examples?
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We have been taught to obey and not
question authority
We obey authority as a decision-making short
cut because we feel that authority figures
posses high levels of knowledge and power.
 Ex. The Milgram studies
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcXb1aQruwI&
feature=related
 Can you think of examples?