1. Policy-shaped hammer

If we perform better when a picture of a stranger is watching us, what about if it’s a real person watching us? What if it’s one of our family? What if it’s one of our children?

The seat belt wearing statistics in the US didn’t start to climb dramatically until the Federal Government mandated children wear seat restrains in the back of a car. How ever much a driver wants to fight-the-man and strike a blow for freedom by not wearing a belt, when his/her child asks why they’re not wearing one opposition crumbles. Seat belt use amongst adults rocketed up. Compliance was all but secured by an army of inquisitive children. All parent’s are observed. And no parent wants to be a hypocrite. (Gladwell, Tipping Point)

2. Marketing-shaped hammer

This film made by Sussex Road Safety Partnership uses the driver’s wife and child to watch over him – and indeed express their desire to save him – by being the support that holds him back during a crash. We can easily put ourselves in the driver’s seat, and imagine our close family embracing our life. We are being observed, by proxy.

This film recently won the Gold World Medal at the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards (an award scheme our founder has been a judge on), beating the likes of VW, Nike, and Chanel. (And it only cost £47k).

We’re sensitive to whether our actions are being observed. Knowing this is one (big) thing. Knowing how to act on it, is another (even bigger) thing.

Alex Benady (twitter, journalisted, Coley Porter Bell) interviewed The Hunting Dynasty’s Director of Planning & Strategy and Business Partner, Colwyn Elder about our communication approach for Off-Grid magazine.

Alex asks if advertising can save the planet. Not in its current form we say – it’s only able to sell products, not change lifestyle where no product purchase is necessary. By using the principles of behavioural economics as outlined in Nudge, The Hunting Dynasty can change both purchase and lifestyle behaviour.

“Firstly it can help change purchase behaviour. So it can help steer us to less damaging consumption… But more profoundly it can help change our life-style behaviour. So instead of driving it might help persuade us to walk or cycle.”
Colwyn Elder

As Alex identifies we are ‘cognitive misers’ who prefer to use shortcuts and rules-of-thumb to make decisions. Colwyn goes on to explain our unique approach:

Oliver Payne… has identified 19 different strategies, or psychological levers that can be pulled to persuade people to change the way they consume.