A core skill set of customer focused organization is the ability to connect powerfully with customers using messages that cut through and speak to people at an emotional level.
One of the most challenging issues authorities have been trying to address in countries around the world is creating the “seatbeat” wearing habit.
In 2009, 33,ooo people died in car accidents in the US and more than 50% of those killed were not wearing seatbeats.
It’s an insidious problem with a massive pay-off, can you imaging creating a message so powerful it saves people’s lives?
Creating communications that can change people’s behavior for their own good requires a deep understanding of the “customer” – in this case “car drivers”.
Governments usually take the legal enforcement route to influence drivers, that is, don’t wear a seatbelt and you will receive a fine. While this does provide a negative consequence it has proven not to be enough. What is needed is to connect wearing a seltbelt with a powerful emotional trigger or association. The ad below was recently shared with me by a friend, a great example of its viral effect. It connects with the viewer in one of the most powerful ways possible:
With more than 15 million views and without a single word this communication piece packs a powerful punch. It connects with the most powerful reason driver’s have to look after their own safety – not for their own well being but for the security of their closest loved ones.
Are your communications connecting powerfully with your customers?
Actually, government doesn’t only exert its influence by punishment. Or at least that way of saying it might be an over-simplification. A lot of the time, the laws actually change the culture of the society over a long time, because they have a certain symbolism. So, in the case of things like drunk driving, sexual-harrassment, etc, behavior is formed, in part by the worry of punishment, but just as much or more by the slow change over time coming from “we don’t do those kinds of things around here”.
The mere existence of the laws influence culture over time.
Hi Robert, thanks for your insightful comment. I agree these fines are a catalyst for culture change, they are a visible, constant reminder that certain behavior is unacceptable.