Skip to content
Say Communications
  • Healthcare
    • Our Sectors
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Medical Technologies
      • Charity & Not-for-Profit
      • Healthcare Professional Organisations
      • Food & Nutrition
      • Consumer Health & Wellness
      • Public Health & Social Care Services
    • Our Services
      • Integrated brand, Corporate and Internal Communications
      • Stakeholder Engagement: KOLS, Patients, Influencers, Bloggers
      • Media Relations and Social Media Engagement; Digital Influencer Programmes
      • Marketing and Comms Strategy
      • Content Development
      • Awareness Campaigns
      • Product Lifecycle Communications
      • Health start-up PR, comms & marketing support
    • Work
      • View All
  • B2B Technology
    • Our Sectors
      • Cybersecurity
      • Enterprise Tech
      • Green Tech
      • Industrial Tech
      • Physical Security
      • Space Economy PR
    • Our Services
      • Public Relations
      • Content Creation
      • Lead Generation
      • Fractional CMO Service
      • Channel Partner Marketing
      • Digital Marketing
      • Brand, Positioning & Messaging
      • Influencer Marketing
      • Public Affairs & Policy
    • Work
      • View All
  • About Us
  • Our Culture
  • Careers
  • News / Blog
  • Contact

Why is behaviour change so difficult? By Patrick Ladbury

  • Published: 02 December 2015,
  • The Say Team

Why is behaviour change so difficult? By Patrick Ladbury, Communications Manager at the National Social Marketing Centre.

 

Say Communications asked me to write a blog around this topic. My response was “I would love to”, and ideas immediately started running through my head about what I could write …until I got another email.
A week later I got a little reminder ‘nudge’ which prompted me to commit to send the blog by the end of the week. So why had writing the blog become so difficult? I hadn’t needed much persuasion to do it, my intentions were good, and I had the knowledge of what I wanted to write and yet it still took me 12 days to do it and I was someone who was open to change. Writing a blog is a much easier behaviour change than some of the major behavioural issues we are facing such as, obesity, global warming, and antibiotic resistance.

Behaviour change

The first major difficulty is persuading people there is a need to change. A recent Radio 4 ‘You and Yours’ programme on health behaviour change  asked listeners to phone in about what prompted them to change; every caller cited a health scare as their motivation for change. Unfortunately, The NHS cannot afford to wait for everyone to have a health scare and the subsequent possible treatment costs to ignite a change. What other reasons and motivations can we use to engender behaviour change?

Marketers are fantastic in creating needs that people didn’t know they had and products to fulfill those needs (I didn’t know I needed a blender until my wife told me so after seeing the benefits on an advert) – how can we create that need for social behaviour change rather than product purchasing?

The second difficulty is creating immediacy for change – do it now (not 12 days after you are asked to write a blog Patrick!). Many of the behaviours we are seeking to change are for a future intangible benefit (saving for a pension, not drinking too much due to possible cancer risks in the future) and they sometimes benefit other people (recycling will stop climate change affecting people in the Far East). People value the here and now and immediate feedback on their behaviour. This ‘present bias’ * focus has increased with the advent of social media and the immediacy of accessing information and feedback from global sources. How can we provide people with an immediate sense of the benefit and direct feedback when they change their behaviour?

The third major difficulty is the environment – is the environment conducive to behaviour change or is it a competitor? My blog writing was delayed due to other work, after work activities and having to stand up while travelling on the tube so I couldn’t type. I was finally able to write the blog on a return train journey, without access to emails or any other interruptions – the perfect environment.Behaviour change Sugar consumption

Asking people to eat fewer sugary foods is very difficult when most products available and often those with price offers contain high levels of sugar (Catching the train from Newcastle before writing this blog, I wanted a snack for the journey but all that was available was chocolate bars and crisps from the station newsagents and catering trolley on the train). How can we design the environment so it is more helpful and conducive to positive behaviour change?

These are just three of the difficulties we face trying to persuade people to change their behaviour – how do we overcome them? That will be the topic of the next blog (I am trying to create a need so I am asked again!)

I hope you appreciate the blog and the difficulties I had to overcome to write it.

 

*Reference: Definition of Hyperbolic Discounting –www.behaviorlab.org/Papers/Hyperbolic.pdf

MPs show support of a Health Committee report that has found evidence that a sugar tax will reduce consumption. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34948410

Author:

Behaviour change expert Patrick Ladbury

Patrick Ladbury has been at The National Social Marketing Centre for six years combining his health service delivery experience with his marketing knowledge to develop behaviour change programmes, as well as resources and events for social marketing practitioners. Prior to The NSMC, Patrick worked in the voluntary sector for ten years, initially in fundraising with Barnardos and VSO, and then at Asthma UK leading their Children and Young People’s programmes. Patrick  completed his Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma in Marketing in 2001, A Diploma in Child Psychology in 2011 and is Vice Chair of Governors at Parkside Primary School and Children’s Centre.
Posted in GUEST BLOGSTagged awareness campaign, Behaviour change, behavioural change, behavioural issues, behavioural science, cancer risks, communication, guest blog, health behaviour, Health Committee report, health communications, health scare, healthcare awareness campaign, healthcare communication agency, healthcare PR agency, healthy behaviour, human behaviours, ignite a change, immediacy for change, motivate change, National Social Marketing Centre, need to change, NHS, Patrick Ladbury, persuading people, positive behaviour, Radio 4 programme, Saycomms, social behaviour, Social Media, sugar tax, sugary foods

What's Next?

Post navigation

Previous: Say Guest Blogs
Next: Communicating the prevention message by Tam Fry

Related Posts

Colin and Cuthbert in legal row
May 15, 2025

Copycat Conundrum for Food Brands: Balancing Brand Protection and Public Perception

Feb 14, 2025

Could Fractional Marketing be Your Answer in 2025? 

Recent Posts

  • Copycat Conundrum for Food Brands: Balancing Brand Protection and Public PerceptionMay 15, 2025
  • The rise and fall of influencers in food marketingMay 2, 2025
  • Examining the health of the pharma: patient group relationship  April 4, 2025
  • Five key things to know when engaging Gen Z patients April 4, 2025
Say Communications

Get in touch

Phone: +44 (0) 20 8971 6400
E-mail: hello@saycomms.co.uk
Address:
Tuition House
27-37 St George’s Road
London
SW19 4EU
United Kingdom

Contact us

Follow us:

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

What we say

Copycat Conundrum for Food Brands: Balancing Brand Protection and Public Perception

Isabelle Tate, associate at the specialist intellectual property law firm Reddie & Grose, unwraps... Read More

The rise and fall of influencers in food marketing

The relationship between food brands and influencers has become a defining feature of modern... Read More

Examining the health of the pharma: patient group relationship  

Explore the positive aspects and areas for improvement in the relationship between patient advocacy... Read More

International

Local expertise & worldwide presence to deliver integrated comms on a global scale.

 Say International Map

Say Communications Limited © 2025 | Company number: 01266357 | UK Private Limited Company

View our Privacy Policy