Getting People Involved

So by now most people are getting the message, forget about making people receive information passively, and get them involved in the communications. Getting people to act with the message is a much more effective tool for behavioural change rather than just yelling at people.

I'm sometimes surprised how much difficulty marketers are having with this message, especially when you consider that even local councils are now in on the act.

Have a look at the sign near where I live (see photo), it's not just telling people of a street beautification program, it's actually getting people involved in the program. It's asking people to contribute to the program by asking them to vote on what trees to plant. The winning tree is the one with the most votes. The logic is, ff you vote, you become invested in the project, will tell your friends, and become more involved. If local councils can find ways to involve people in the message, then surely we can too.

The marketing communications landscape is changing rapidly, and new principles are yet to be established. However, it's clear that now we have the ability, it's always better to get people to ACT with the message, and not just passively RECEIVE it. For more background see here, here and here.