Dan Wellings, Head of Behaviour Change Unit, Ipsos Mori www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Social Marketing Conference:
Changing Behaviour Through
Communications
30 November 2011
www.charitycomms.org.uk
www.twitter.com/CharityComms
www.facebook.com/CharityComms

2. The role of research in Social Marketing
Dan Wellings, Research Director
Ipsos MORI

3. Nudge, Mindspace, Social Marketing
and all things Behaviour Change

4. Behaviour change very much the
flavour of the month
You don’t need to know everything but
good to have some understanding

5. The Mnemonic of Mindspace

6. Nuffield Ladder of Interventions is as good a
place as any to start…
Public health: the ethical issues, Nuffield Council of Bioethics (2007)

7. Models for where research fits in

8. Where does the research fit it in?
http://thensmc.com/

9. Get your evaluation in early
Project/programme cycle
Implementatio
Planning Evaluation
n
Intervention cycle
Intervention
Insight Implementatio Best
developmen Evaluation
research n practise
t
Evaluation
FORMATIVE EVALUATION: PROCESS OUTCOME or IMPACT
- Insight research EVALUATION EVALUATION
- Baseline +
- Pre testing DOCUMENTATION OF
LEARNING/BEST
- Design of process and PRACTICE
impact evaluation cycle

10. What do we want research to do?

11. School of thought that questions how
useful market research is…
“Whether it is company executives
seeking to define their corporate
strategy or politicians wanting to
understand the electorate, the
idea that questions answered on a
questionnaire or discussed in a
focus group can provide useful
insights on which to base business
decisions is the cause of product
failures, political blunders and
wasted billions”
Philip Graves, Consumer.ology

12. Some results suggest he may have
a point…

13. Results from our global study on government
intervention in 24 countries
What, if anything, do you think government should do?
Average over all four policy areas
% Strongly support/tend to
support
intervention
Provide information 92%
Force of
Provide incentives 87%
Make behaviour more
69%
expensive/ difficult
Ban behaviour 62%
Make companies act
88%
against behaviour
Source: Ipsos Global @dvisor
Base: c.500 - 1,000 residents aged 16-64 (18-64 in the US and Canada)
in each country, November 2010

14. People want financial incentives to save for their
pension, and 7 in 10 support being forced to save
Next, thinking about how people plan for retirement.
What, if anything, do you think government should do?
% Strongly support/tend to
support
Provide information 92%
Provide incentives 90%
Make pension scheme
enrolment automatic 79%
Make pension scheme
enrolment mandatory
69%
Make employers contribute to
87%
pension schemes
Base: c.500 - 1,000 residents aged 16-64 (18-64 in the US and Canada) Source: Ipsos Global @dvisor
in each country, November 2010

15. But we also gave people the
opportunity to say whether the
government should not get involved
in their behaviour

16. Half still have a negative gut reaction to the
“nanny state”
What, if anything, do you think government should do?
Average over all four policy areas
% Strongly support/tend to
support
Not get involved in what people
choose to eat
Not get involved in what people
choose to save for retirement
Not get involved in whether or not
people choose to live sustainably
Not get involved in how people
make decisions about smoking
Not get involved (average)
Base: c.500 - 1,000 residents aged 16-64 (18-64 in the US and Canada) Source: Ipsos Global @dvisor
in each country, November 2010

17. Inconsistent views?
53% agreed that “government should not
get involved in what people choose to
save for retirement”
69% agreed that “government should
change the law so that everyone has to
enrol in a pension scheme”
AND 36% agreed with both statements!

18. What people say and how they act is
different but…
“A measure which does not
have public support is, in
general, less likely to
succeed”
House of Lords report on
Behaviour Change

19. Putting the customer at the centre is
not the same as asking them every
time
Source: National Social Marketing
Centre

20. The danger of not asking first…
“Doesn’t bother me, it’s
shit here.”
Blackburn resident

21. Knowing about something does not
mean you’ll do it

22. What is relevant to measure?
Q Have you eaten any fruit and vegetables in the last 24 hours?
200
500
2
9 5%
1 portion 7%
2 portions 10%
10% Awareness of 5-a-day
11% recommendation
3 portions 2005 2009
12%
% %
4 portions 13% 5 portions a day 68 78
14% 1-4 portions a day 14 8
55% 6+ portions a day 3 1
5+ portions
49% Don’t know 14 10
Not stated 6%
8% Not stated 2 3
Think about what you are trying to
Base:
achieve
All respondents living in core wards (1,732). (2 February 27-March 2009)

23. Moving beyond standard
methodologies

24. Just because it is new and creative
does not mean it is good
A methodology needs to be fit for
purpose rather than just innovative

25. A couple of case studies
#1 Cervical Screening in Tower
Hamlets

26. Our research approach
Secondary research
11 pilot interviews with
9 key stakeholder
women in Tower
interviews
Hamlets
Peer research: 15 peer
researchers speaking to 82
women in their social networks
Ethnographic interviews: 6
detailed video interviews
Primary
research

27. What is peer research?
a participatory qualitative approach based on training
members of a community (peer researchers) drawn from hard-to-
reach groups, to carry out in-depth conversational
interviews with individuals from within their own social networks
by tapping into established relationships of trust peer
research generates rich narratives about people’s lives quickly,
providing a depth of insight into how people view their world,
conceptualise their behaviour and experiences, and make decision on
key issues.
it also builds channels through which the voices of frequently
excluded groups can be heard, and enables these groups
to enter into dialogue with programmes, implementers and
decision makers

28. Our approach to peer research
We recruited 15 peer researchers (through nurseries,
schools, housing associations & community
organisations) - 7 Bangladeshi women, 6 white British
women and 2 Somali women
All women were invited to two half days of training
The peer researchers were given 2-3 weeks to undertake
at least 5 interviews with their friends and family. The
women were given quotas they were asked to fill
They were given a data collection sheet to record the
findings of each interview as well as NHS leaflets on the
facts of cervical screening to hand out after the
interviews
After each interview they completed, they were asked to
phone us to feedback the findings
Findings feedback workshops were held after each group
of peer researchers had completed their interviews

29. Competition analysis – cervical
screening
Aim is to understand what factors compete for the time and attention
of the audience, and includes internal (e.g. psychological factors)
and external (e.g. people and contextual influences) competition
Internal factors: External factors:
– Women’s perceptions of – Administrative and process
screening as painful, failures (incomplete addresses,
embarrassing or inconvenient reminders not sent)
– The fear of detection of cancer – System failure (formal and
informal opt-outs, no mechanism
– Lack of awareness of the tests’
for chasing non-attenders)
indications and benefits
– Inconvenient clinic times
– Lack of awareness of the
screening procedure (e.g. due to – Unavailability of a female
absence of screening in home screener
country)
– Lack of information in
– Considering oneself not to be at appropriate language
risk of developing cervical cancer
– Social and cultural norms (which
– Linguistic difficulties contradict health advice)

30. #2 Increasing brief interventions for
alcohol in A&E

31. Aims of the project
To increase the number of patients seen in A&E who
receive a brief intervention for alcohol;
To effectively engage with health
professionals working at A&E departments in Tower
Hamlets
To increase the number of health professionals who
believe that delivering the brief intervention
for alcohol is effective;
To increase the number of referrals from A&E to
relevant local services.
To establish how best to integrate and utilise two new
specialist alcohol nurses in A&E

32. Our research approach
Scoping phase
Review of secondary
Secondary literature, including
research previous work in this area
and with this audience.
Primary 11 Interviews with a range
research of A&E staff to understand
Stakeholder the initial issues around the
interviews delivery of brief
interventions.
Shadowing of healthcare
professionals during their
shifts in A&E to observe
Ethnography: barriers and observations in
observation practice, cross-checking
early findings.

33. Access all staff – 11 shifts
Ambulance workers
We followed
Police in the department
one staff
Shadowed Nurses at all levels member
member each but
of staff Doctors at all levels accessed
10-20
GP streamers people each
Receptionist shift
We accessed A&E at different times of the day and night and
weekdays and weekends

34. Pattern drinking is perceived as binary not
on a continuum
The attitude in A&E seems to place drunks in two
categories: ‘Problem drinker’ and ‘A few too many’

35. The danger of ‘Us vs. Them’ – two
models
Referr
Vs.
A& Referr A& al
al teams
E teams
E
It was very clear that for referrals to work the
relationship must be a partnership

36. Referral system needs to be easy to use and
become second nature
Fast
Clear
Easy to use
Need limited
involvement
Not need further
paperwork
The key to the success of the nurses is that they
are seen to decrease rather than increase workload

37. Senior staff really set the tone
Senior staff must be aware how their perception
of alcohol affects that of everyone else

38. Interesting to revisit this in light of the
findings…

39. An example of ethnographic research

40. Oldham Film to be inserted

41. Segmentation

42. Existing Examples (1): Defra’s Environmental Segmentation
Model
Plotting the Segments
Ability to act High High potential and
Segment willingness and
willing
ability
1: Positive greens
2: Waste watchers I think it’s important that I do as
‘Waste not, want not’ that’s much as I can to limit my impact
important, you should live life 3: Concerned on the environment.
thinking about what you are consumers 18%
doing and using. I think I do more than a lot of
12% people. Still, going away is
important, I’d find that hard to give
7: Honestly up..well I wouldn’t, so carbon off-
disengaged setting would make me feel
Maybe there’ll be an better. Willing
environmental disaster, maybe
not. Makes no difference to me,
14% to Act
5: Cautious participants
I’m just living life the way I want
I do a couple of things to help High
to.
Low the environment. I’d really like
18%
to do more, well as long as I
saw others were.
14%
6: Stalled starters 4: Sideline supporters
I don’t know much about I think climate change is a big
climate change. I can’t afford problem for us. I know I don’t
a car so I use public think much about how much water
transport.. I’d like a car or electricity I use, and I forget to
though. turn things off..I’d like to do a bit
10% more.
14%
Low potential and
unwilling Low

43. Key principles for segmentation
Segmentation is…
1. A practical tool
Key question: What do you want the model to do?
(eg. tightly predict specific behaviours, or show differences/similarities
between different audience groups?)
(eg. will you be conducting further research with the segments, or ‘just’
targeting them?)
If a behaviour change tool: segment on the behaviour(s) in question, OR
the most proximal determinants of those behaviours
2. An iterative process
Make this as transparent as possible but keep it flexible
3. As much an art as a science
Focus on practical purposes of the model for diverse stakeholders:
more heads are better than one (steering group, advisory group etc)

44. Attributes of an effective segmentation
model
1. Usability
- Is the model easily understandable, and memorable –
can people assimilate and use it?
- Can the segments be reached in the ‘real world’?
2. Replicability
- Can the segments be easily found in subsequent
qualitative and quantitative samples?
3. Stability
- Will the segments be relatively stable over time?

45. A 5 stage process for segmentation
1. Scoping Stage / Survey Design
2. Survey Fieldwork, Topline Findings
3. Factor/Cluster Analysis
4. Profiling the Segments
5. Embedding and Replication

46. Again do look to see what has already
been done

47. Planning with a small budget

48. Spending money on the research
versus the intervention
Researc
h
Interventio
n
Difficult to justify research sometimes
when conducting it will take money away
from interventions

49. What can you do to save money?
Find out what has been done already
– Move away from every population is different
– Contact research companies, government departments,
academics
– This means you are filling in the gaps rather than starting afresh
Is there routinely available data out there?
– Possibly very useful for evaluation
Who can you team up with to pool resources?
– Shared aims and resources
Be sure what you need
– The sharper the brief the more you will get back

50. A brief word on evaluation

51. Developing a theory of change
The model sets out the links between the chosen focus of this initiative and
the activities, short and longer-term outcomes whose effectiveness is being
evaluated.
Impacts (longer
Outputs: Outcomes (short term):
Inputs:
• What will/has
and medium • What is the long term
• What resources
have been made happened/been done as a term): reason for the programme –
available for the result of the inputs? what is it designed to bring
•What are the interim ways
programme? about
to measure whether the
impacts are likely to occur

52. Some examples of when it didn’t work
out as expected
The teenage pregnancy intervention that had a rather
different outcome from the one intended
Introducing sterilising tablets into prisons to clean needles
which had an unfortunate side effect
The initiative to reduce the level of mugging in Deptford
which proved unpopular with their neighbours
Unintended consequences show the
importance of research

53. So what do you need to do?

54. So…
Start early
Be clear where you want to get to
All this is not as new as it seems
Design a methodology fit for purpose but flexible!
Think about what data you already have
Look at what has already been done
Look to innovation when appropriate
Always think about unintended consequences
Good luck!

55. Thank you
For further information contact:
dan.wellings@ipsos-mori.com
on 020 7347 3000