Become What U Eat!

The stimulated campaign

By René Mikkelsen and Rasmus Hansen

In cooperation with

The disease

“Obesity is the excessive accumulation of body fat resulting in a body mass index (BMI) that is significantly above the norm and is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death”

Body mass index

Underweight: BMI below 18.5

Normal weight: BMI 18.5-24.9

Overweight: BMI 25.0-29.9

Obese: BMI 30 and above

Carson-DeWitt et al. 2011)

Health Belief ModelProblemBarriers

Susceptibility

Severity

SolutionCues to action

Benefits

“The stronger the perceptions of severity,

susceptibility, and benefits, and the weaker

the perception of barriers, the greater the

likelihood that health-protective actions will

be taken”.

(Sparks, 2008)

The disease - SusceptibilityGrowing problem in United States: ◦ 71 million people are obese (33 %)◦ 300.000 deaths attributed to obesity

Economic issue: ◦ Direct costs: preventive, diagnostic, and treatment◦ Indirect: Lost resource

◦ morbidity (present) and mortality (future)

◦ Costs related to obesity - $147 billion (2008)

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes/index.html

Barriers to overcoming obesityPost-industrialization ◦ Sedentary lifestyles: less physical work◦ Technology

Social inheritage◦ Children of obese parents are 13 times more likely to become obese

◦ Fat cells are inherited (endomorphic)

Society◦ Advertisement of unhealthy foods ◦ Healthier foods are expensive and less available than unhealthy foods◦ High level of inactive entertainment (TV, computer, etc.)◦ Increased portion sizes

Carson-DeWitt et al., 2011, Frith and Mueller, 2010

SeverityHeart diseases

Type 2 diabetes

High blood pressure

Infertility

Cancer ◦ Colon, breast, prostate and endometrial cancer

Premature aging

Alzheimer’s disease

Formative researchWho is affected?◦ Adults ◦ Children ◦ Those with low resources (both financially and mentally)

Preventing obesity ◦ Healthy eating◦ Exercise ◦ Limiting stress◦ Priorities (healthy food vs. snacks)

What leads to obesity?Conceptualizing obesityCulture and economy (Globalization)◦ Post-industrialization◦ Sedental lifestyles ◦ ”Faster, Bigger, Stronger” ◦ Convenience

◦ Fast-food, too little time for...

Media generated ideal self

vs. real self

Social norms

(pressure)

Self-esteem issues

Low self-efficacy

Societal effect on the individual

Solomon, 2010

Overall communicative goal

Main goal: ◦ ”To help people become healthier”

Sub-goals:◦ Inform young people about the benefits of healthy eating◦ Give them cues to how they can eat healthier

Target groupDemographics:◦ 16-23 years of age◦ San Diego State University students

◦ Closeness and budget

◦ San Diego (test area)◦ ”Rookies in a kitchen”

◦ First time living by themselves

Why them? ◦ Influential (developing identity)

◦ Identity search before achievement (Lustig and Koester 2010) ◦ Ideal self is attractive and healthy

◦ Pass on the value of a healthy lifestyle◦ To avoid limit overweight/obesity

”Children of obese parents are about 13 timesmore likely than other children to be obese” ( Carson-DeWitt et al., 2011)

Research design – pretest focus areasTriangulation – to understand the audience

Quantitative research to identify a trend◦ Questionaire

◦ ”To which exent do you agree with the following statement?” ◦ No room for individual opion – easier to identify trend◦ Provides statistics: ”How many value healthy meals over fast-food?”

Qualitative research to explain the background of the trend◦ Focus group – representatives of target audience

◦ Explain attitudes and habits regarding healthy food

Pitfalls of researchSocial Desirability Bias◦ Telling people what you think they want to hear

Acquiscience bias◦ It is easier to agree than disagree

Mindfullness◦ Not knowing your attitude

Groupthink ◦ Conform to the values of the group (e.g focus group)

Gass and Seiter, 2011

Behavior and attitudeThe research might show:

◦ Scenario 1: A healthy attitude and healthy behavior towards food◦ Optimal

◦ Scenario 2: A healthy attitude but unhealthy behavior towards food◦ Elements of cognitive dissonance

◦ Scenario 3: A unhealthy attitude and unhealthy behavior towards food◦ Need for an attitude change in order to change behavior

Scenario 1 - Healthy attitude and healthy behavior

Confirm their attitude and that their behavior is the disired one

Can be used as opinion leaders/ early adaptors to reach:◦ Early and late majority

Provide them with cues to (further) action

Scenario 2 - Healthy attitude but unhealthy behavior◦ There may be dissonance between attitude and behavior◦ May view the dissonance as less important (”healthy eating is no big deal”)

Campaign should emphazise: ◦ Low barriers◦ Relative advantage ◦ Cues to action◦ Simplicity◦ Compatibility

Scenario 3 - Unhealthy attitude and unhealthy behavior

Create cognitive dissonance by

informing about healthy eatingAttitude chan

ge

• Benefits, cues to action, and low barriers of healthy eating

Dissonanc

e

• Change cognition• ”Healthy eating prolongs your life”

Behavior chan

ge

• Align cognition with behavior• Think healthier eat healthier

Importance of attitude

Dissonance

Campaign message”Become What U Eat!”

Main verb (Become) induces action

Personal transfer: ◦ From real self ideal self

◦ Assumption: ”Who wants to be a big burger?”

Imperative sentence structure◦ Requiring the receiver to act

Addressing the receiver directly◦ Personal pronoun ”U” (you)

Nutritive substance◦ ”You are what you eat” -metaphor

Stillar, 1998

Campaign materials

Offline activities are used to engage the target audience online

Offline activities: ◦ Create an event to generate buzz◦ Make posters to get awareness◦ Hand out brochures to inform and activate people◦ Inform about online activities

Off-line activity - Example 1Event – based on how ideas flow

Tent with endorsers who provide information◦ E.g an Aztec athlete and a nutrition expert

◦ To prove the relative advantage of healthy eating

◦ Chef cooking/serving healthy and tasty food◦ Simplicity, observability and trialability

Set up race track ◦ Healthy food vs fast food (competants)

◦ Relative advantage

Set up small competitions ◦ trialability

Become What U Eat!

Perform better

Eat better

Learn howBecome What U Eat!

Switch from sugar coated cereals to e.g. oatmealEat a piece of fruit as a snack in between meals

Endure challenges of life

Gain mental strength

Offline activity – example 2

Online activitiesThe Facebook page

Resemblance to Weight Watchers Facebook page

Provide information and cues to action – recipes to engage in healthy behavior

Reassure healthy behavior ◦ (e.g. after Thanksgiving it is hard to get back

on track)

Let the users support themselves (own success stories – engagement)

KEY DIFFERENCE:Young segment

(students)

Become What U Eat!

Online activity -• Facebook ad function allows you to define a very

specific target audience

Potential reach!

Facebook tool - Advertising on a budget

Facebook-objectives Potential target audience: 33,760 students

Short term 0bjective (6 months)

- Aware of the campaign (Facebook page)

Medium term 0bjective (9 months)

- To have an engaged user base

Long term 0bjective (1 year)

- Loyal user base functioning as advocates attracting new users

=

=

=

40% =13504 students

10% =1350 students

5% = 67 students

Li and Bernoff, 2010

Control with Facebook insights

Do we reach our objectives or do we need to make changes?

Delivery – communication strategyGain Frame – ”Do No Harm”◦ Limit reactance ◦ Emphazise; benefits, cues to action and low barriers

No use of fear appeals◦ Avoid linking to unhealthy beahviors

◦ Boomerang effect

◦ Better reception when in a good mood

Lindstrøm, 2010

Delivery – place and timeWhere:◦ San Diego State University

◦ Test area◦ Closeness

When: ◦ January through March

◦ New event each month ◦ New Year’s Resolution

Delivery – Who helps us?Offline: ◦ Educate students to increase word of mouth about healthy eating◦ Benefits:

◦ Similarity attraction - Avoid reactance◦ Credibility - Goodwill and Trustworthiness◦ Counter-attitudinal advocacy – advocates persuade themselves◦ Referent power

Online: ◦ Facebook page

◦ Young segment◦ Ability to share with friends

SponsorCenter for disease control and prevention

Sponsored by Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Expert power and credible

Supports the message◦ It makes sense for the campaign◦ Reciprocity: ”I help you, you help me”

◦ Share the overall communicative goal

”Help people become healthier”

Future aspectsIf/when successful

Expand campaign to other states◦ Check compatibility

Use success of the campaign to incorporate healthier changes to the SDSU - environment

Incorporate exercising as a part of the campaign◦ Supports overall communicative goal

ReferencesLi, C. and Bernoff, J. (2011). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies.

Sparks., L. (2008): Health Communication and cCaregiving Research, Policy and Practice

Stillar., G., F. (1998): Analyzing everyday texts. Discourse, rhetoric and social perspectives, pp. 58-89. Sage Publications

Solomon., M. R., Barmossy, G., Askegaard., S. & Hogg, M. K. (2010). Consumer Behaviour – A European Perspective. (4 th ed.) Pearson Education.

Lindstrøm., M. (2010): Buy-ology :Truth and lies about why we buy

Carson-DeWitt, R. et al. (2011), 6: retrieved from Health and Resource Center - http://galenet.galegroup.com.libproxy.sdsu.edu/servlet/HWRC/hits?r=d&bucket=all&n=10&m=Obesity&l=d&k=TE&seg=0&c=1&locID=gale&secondary=false&s=2&TE=%22Obesity%22#Demographics

Frith, K., T., & Mueller, B (2010): Advertising and Societies

Gass, R.H. & Seiter, J.S. (2011). Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining, 4th Ed. Pearson