Equal parts Educator, Facilitator, and Instigator, I help organizations solve their biggest challenges using Human-Centered Design.
In 1985, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was spending north of $20 million annually, cleaning up roadside litter. Much of the trash consisted of drink cans and food wrappers, the sort of stuff folks mindlessly discarded from their vehicles. Attempts to change people's behavior, such as installing “Please Don’t Litter” signs, had no discernible impact. This should not have been surprising, considering the profile of the primary culprit in Texas: an 18-to-35-year-old male who liked country music and sports but didn’t care much for authority. TxDOT engaged an advertising agency to create a campaign. Although TxDOT leaders weren’t initially receptive to the ad agency’s messaging idea, they were delighted with the results: visible roadside litter declined by 29 percent within one year and 72 percent after five years. So, what was the magic formula to change the behavior of all these litterbugs? They used the power of identity – in this case, state pride. TxDOT began stashing “Don’t Mess with Texas” bumper stickers in truck stops and fast food restaurants, but with no reference to littering. In the 1986 Cotton Bowl, viewers saw a new commercial featuring one of the state’s favorite sons, blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, playing “The Eyes of Texas” in front of a giant state flag. At the end, Stevie Ray says, in his distinctive voice, “Don’t mess with Texas.” Later that year, the agency released four more commercials featuring Texas icons* such as Willie Nelson and members of the Dallas Cowboys. And just like that, four simple words became a powerful force of change. *And yes, they eventually created one with Matthew McConaughey. Unless it was actually Jim Carrey . . . . ********** When we try to influence people to change their behavior, we often employ the “Consequences” model, in which we expect incentives (carrots and sticks) to do the job. However, the story above highlights another tool at our disposal —the Identity model. We’ll explore this concept and more on April 19th as we continue our Project TBD mini-series about the power of a human-centered approach to organizational change. In this session, we'll examine the second part of the Heath Brothers' Switch framework, "Motivate the Elephant," to understand why it's critical to address the emotional drivers of behavior. We'll also share three techniques we can use to make change easier for others and/or ourselves. Don't miss the opportunity to connect with and learn from other curious-minded people eager to advance Human-Centered Design as a vehicle for change. We hope you'll plan to join us in person Kingsmen Software or via Zoom. Click on the link below to register. https://lnkd.in/e7NpxuK9 Kristy Teskey, EdD, Bill Clerici, Kevin Carney, Greg Hart, Rashmili V., 🎶Rijon Erickson🎶, Jay Gerhart, Sophia Ege, Scott Chagnon, Seth Ervin, Teresa B.
Teresa B.
6mo
Very excited about this event!
Equal parts Educator, Facilitator, and Instigator, I help organizations solve their biggest challenges using Human-Centered Design.
6moThe first "Don't Mess with Texas" ad featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan. https://youtu.be/7UeJ5wmXW6k?si=riSPmgfAYC4VVaf9