Nudging Can Encourage Sustainable Food Choices
Foreword
At TDL, our role is to translate science. This article is part of a series on cutting edge research that has the potential to create positive social impact. While the research is inherently specific, we believe that the insights gleaned from each piece in this series are relevant to behavioral science practitioners in many different fields. At TDL, we are always looking for ways to translate science into impact. If you would like to chat with us about a potential collaboration, feel free to contact us.
Introduction
As a socially-conscious applied research firm, TDL is interested in connecting cutting-edge research with real-world applications. In particular, we’re interested in behavioral science interventions that create healthier societies. One way of achieving this goal is to modify choice architecture to nudge consumers in healthier, more sustainable directions.
To hear directly from someone working on these exact kinds of issues, we reached out to Dr. Jolien Vandenbroele, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation at the University of Ghent. In this study, Dr. Vandenbroele and a team of researchers sought to uncover how modifications to choice architecture could impact consumers’ willingness to swap meat for non-meat substitutes.
A link to the full study is available here: Mock meat in the butchery: nudging consumers toward meat substitutes
A full version of some of Jolien’s other studies are available here:
Nudging to get our food choices on a sustainable track
Food-tastic choice!: nudging to get our food choices on a healthy and sustainable track
If you work it, flaunt it: conspicuous displays of exercise efforts increase mate value
About the Authors
Jolien Vandenbroele
Jolien is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation, which is in the faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Gent. She has her Ph.D., as well as a Master’s and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Gent. Her research focuses on experimental applications of behavioral science in marketing research, especially in food sales and sustainability.
Julian Hazell
Julian is passionate about understanding human behavior by analyzing the data behind the decisions that individuals make. He is also interested in communicating social science insights to the public, particularly at the intersection of behavioral science, microeconomics, and data science. Before joining The Decision Lab, he was an economics editor at Graphite Publications, a Montreal-based publication for creative and analytical thought. He has written about various economic topics ranging from carbon pricing to the impact of political institutions on economic performance. Julian graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Management.
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I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
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OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
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Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
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Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
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Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
