Britain’s Most Persuasive Text Message

Summary

The NHS's 2021 text message campaign is analyzed for its use of six persuasive techniques: social proof, scarcity, commitment and consistency, reciprocity, liking, and authority. Behavioral scientist Patrick Fagan explains how these principles were masterfully woven into a single message, potentially making it the most persuasive text in British history. The message's success in encouraging vaccination highlights the power of strategic communication in public health initiatives.

Takeaways

• 📢 The NHS sent a text message in 2021 using six world-famous persuasion techniques to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations.
• 👫 Social proof is the tendency to follow the actions of others, as demonstrated by the busy restaurant example and the Brazilian bar CCTV footage.
• 🏺 Scarcity makes people value something more if it's perceived as limited, influencing behavior from evolutionary, status, and urgency perspectives.
• 🔄 Commitment and consistency principles suggest that people are more likely to act if they've made a previous commitment, reflecting sunk cost fallacy and social identity.
• 💖 Reciprocity is the principle that people tend to return favors, as shown by the Coke and survey example and the behavior of monkeys and fruit flies.
• 😌 Liking is a persuasion principle where people are more influenced by those they like, which can be due to attractiveness, familiarity, or similarity.
• ⚖️ Authority is the final principle, where people are more likely to comply with directives from perceived authority figures, as seen in the Stanley Milgram experiment.
• 📝 The NHS text message was a masterclass in persuasion, incorporating all six principles in just 19 words, making it potentially the most persuasive text in British history.
• 🔗 The text's effectiveness lies in its ability to tap into social proof, scarcity, commitment, reciprocity, liking, and authority, all while being easy to understand and act upon.
• 🎯 The podcast episode featuring Patrick Fagan, a behavioral scientist, dives deeper into these principles and their application in persuasive communication.

Q & A

What are the six principles of influence mentioned in the script?

The six principles of influence mentioned are social proof, scarcity, commitment and consistency, reciprocity, liking, and authority.

How does social proof influence our decisions?

Social proof influences our decisions by making us more likely to follow the actions of others, as demonstrated by the example of choosing a busy restaurant over an empty one.

What is an example of scarcity used in the script?

An example of scarcity is the anti-smoking campaign that increased its conversion rate by communicating that only 300 places were left.

How does commitment and consistency affect our behavior?

Commitment and consistency affect our behavior by making us more likely to follow through on actions we've already committed to, as shown by the car wash loyalty card study.

What is reciprocity and how does it work?

Reciprocity is the principle where we feel obligated to do something for someone if they've done something for us in the past, as illustrated by the example of giving a can of Coke to increase the likelihood of filling out a survey.

How does liking influence persuasion?

Liking influences persuasion by making us more likely to be influenced by people we find attractive or familiar, as demonstrated by the research showing people give more tips to smiling waitresses.

What role does authority play in persuasion?

Authority plays a role in persuasion by making us more likely to follow the guidance of those we perceive as authoritative figures, as shown by the Stanley Milgram experiment and the example of letters signed by a dentist versus a secretary.

How does the NHS text message use these principles of influence?

The NHS text message uses social proof by implying popularity, commitment by suggesting the recipient has reached the top of the queue, scarcity by implying urgency, liking and authority by coming from a trusted source (NHS), and reciprocity by offering a free vaccine.

What was the purpose of the NHS text message mentioned in the script?

The purpose of the NHS text message was to persuade British citizens to get vaccinated by applying principles of influence that make the message persuasive.

How effective was the NHS text message in achieving its goal?

The NHS text message was highly effective, as it encouraged millions of Brits to get vaccinated and is considered one of the most persuasive texts in British history.

What is the significance of the NHS text message being called 'the most persuasive text in British history'?

The significance lies in its ability to masterfully apply all six principles of influence in just 19 words, making it a powerful example of persuasive communication.

Outlines

00:00

📢 The Power of Persuasion in NHS's Vaccine Text

The NHS sent a text message in 2021 to every British mobile, packed with six world-famous persuasion techniques to encourage vaccination. Patrick Fagan, a behavioral scientist and ex-Cambridge Analytica employee, explains these techniques. The message was likely crafted by behavioral scientists and tested for effectiveness. The first principle discussed is social proof, which suggests that people tend to follow the actions of others, as demonstrated by a CCTV footage of diners in Brazil who abandoned their meals to follow a jogging group. The effectiveness of social proof is further illustrated by a Reddit ad campaign where ads with five-star reviews were more successful. However, not all nudges work the same for everyone, highlighting the importance of targeted nudges based on audience personality and profile.

05:01

🔑 Unlocking the Six Principles of Influence

The second principle is scarcity, which makes people value something more if it's rare. This is rooted in evolutionary biology and the desire to secure resources when they are scarce. Scarcity can also signal status and uniqueness. An anti-smoking campaign used scarcity by announcing limited spots, which increased conversion rates. A study by social psychologist Warell showed that people enjoyed cookies more when they were scarce. The third principle is commitment and consistency, where people are more likely to act if they've made a previous commitment. This is due to the sunk cost fallacy, social expectations, and maintaining a coherent sense of self. A 2006 study on the 'endowed progress effect' demonstrated this by giving car wash customers a loyalty card, where those who started with two stamps were more likely to complete the card. The fourth principle is reciprocity, where people feel obligated to return a favor. This is seen in human and animal behavior, such as monkeys reciprocating grooming. The fifth principle is liking, where people are more influenced by those they like, often due to attractiveness, familiarity, or similarity. The sixth and final principle is authority, where people are more likely to follow directives from authoritative figures. This is efficient for decision-making but can be manipulated, as seen in the Milgram experiment. The NHS's text message masterfully applies all six principles in just 19 words, making it one of the most persuasive texts in British history.

Keywords

💡Persuasion Techniques

Persuasion techniques refer to the methods used to influence people's behavior or attitudes. In the video, these techniques are discussed in the context of a text message sent by the NHS to encourage vaccination. The video highlights how these techniques were strategically used to persuade the British public, showcasing the power of combining multiple nudges in a single message.

💡Social Proof

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of correct behavior. In the video, it is used to illustrate how people tend to follow the crowd, as exemplified by the story of a busy restaurant versus an empty one, and how this principle was applied in the NHS text to imply that getting vaccinated is a popular choice.

💡Scarcity

Scarcity refers to the perceived value of something that is rare or in limited supply. The video explains how scarcity can create a sense of urgency, as people are more likely to value and act upon opportunities that seem scarce. This concept is tied to evolutionary instincts and the desire to secure resources when they are limited, as demonstrated by the anti-smoking campaign example in the script.

💡Commitment and Consistency

Commitment and consistency is the principle that people are more likely to engage in a behavior if they have previously made a commitment, no matter how small, to that behavior. The video uses the car wash loyalty card study to show how pre-commitment can increase the likelihood of future action, and how this principle was used in the NHS text to create a sense of investment in the vaccination process.

💡Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the social norm of responding to a positive action with another positive action. The video discusses how people feel obligated to return favors, which can be leveraged to encourage certain behaviors. An example from the script is the research showing that people are more likely to fill out a survey if they are given a can of Coke first, illustrating the power of reciprocity in persuasion.

💡Liking

Liking is the principle that people are more easily persuaded by those they like. This can be due to attractiveness, familiarity, or similarity. The video explains how liking influences persuasion, using the example of people giving more tips to waitresses who smile, and how this principle can be used to increase the effectiveness of a message, such as the NHS text, by leveraging the public's trust and affection for the NHS.

💡Authority

Authority is the principle that people tend to comply with directives from recognized authority figures. The video discusses how authority can be a powerful persuader, as seen in the example of letters signed by a dentist versus a secretary. The NHS text message leverages the authority of the NHS as a trusted institution to persuade people to get vaccinated.

💡Nudges

Nudges are subtle suggestions or cues designed to influence behavior in a predictable way. The video describes how the NHS text message is a 'master class' in using multiple nudges, such as social proof and scarcity, to encourage vaccination. Nudges are a central theme in the video, illustrating how small changes in messaging can have a significant impact on behavior.

💡Cognitive Misers

Cognitive misers are individuals who seek to minimize the mental effort required to make decisions. The video uses this concept to explain why people often rely on authority figures or heuristics to make decisions, as it requires less cognitive effort. This is relevant to the video's discussion on why authority is an effective persuasion technique.

💡Ego Nudges

Ego nudges are a type of persuasion technique that appeals to a person's self-image or ego. The video suggests that the NHS text message might have used an ego nudge by making recipients feel special or prioritized, which could encourage them to take action. This is an example of how psychological principles can be used to craft persuasive messages.

💡Messenger Effects

Messenger effects refer to the influence of the messenger or source of a message on its persuasiveness. The video discusses how people are more likely to be persuaded by messages from sources they like and trust. The NHS, being a trusted institution in the UK, serves as a credible messenger, enhancing the effectiveness of the vaccination text message.

Highlights

The NHS sent a text message in 2021 employing six world-famous persuasion techniques.

Patrick Fagan, a behavioral scientist, explains the use of these techniques in the NHS text.

Social proof is the first principle, suggesting that people follow the actions of others.

A Brazilian CCTV footage example illustrates the power of social proof.

Not all nudges work the same for everyone, highlighting the need for targeted nudges.

Scarcity is the second principle, where value increases when something is perceived as rare.

An anti-smoking campaign used scarcity to increase conversion rates.

Commitment and consistency is the third principle, influencing behavior based on past commitments.

A 2006 study showed the 'endowed progress effect' increased commitment to a task.

Reciprocity is the fourth principle, where people feel obligated to return favors.

Research shows that monkeys also follow the principle of reciprocity.

Liking is the fifth principle, where people are more influenced by those they like.

Attractive people are judged less harshly and earn more, according to research.

Authority is the sixth principle, where people follow the guidance of authority figures.

The Stanley Milgram experiment demonstrates the power of authority in influencing behavior.

The NHS text message is a masterclass in persuasion, using all six principles in just 19 words.

The text implies social proof, commitment, scarcity, liking, authority, and reciprocity.

The effectiveness of the NHS text message in persuading Brits to get vaccinated.

The video is a trimmed version of the 'Nudge' podcast, focusing on persuasion techniques.

Transcripts

in 2021 the NHS sent this text to every

single British mobile this wasn't any

ordinary text it was jam-packed with six

world famous persuasion techniques

designed to persuade a nation at least

that's according to Patrick Fagan the

behavioral scientist and ex Cambridge

analytical employee that I spoke to and

yes that is that Cambridge analytica so

the NHS sent a text message for the co

vaccine and it is really a master class

in how to bring together multiple nudges

into one message and we know that there

are lots of Behavioral scientists in the

NHS and working at the government for

the pandemic response so this message

was almost certainly crafted and tested

by behavioral scientists to understand

the potency of this persuasion

propaganda we first have to understand

those six principles of influence

starting with social proof so one is is

social proof If you imagine you're in a

foreign city for a business trip for one

night and you can only find two

restaurants one is completely deserted

and the other one is packed which one

will you choose probably the packed one

because if it's busy it must be good

some people choose the empty one I

probably would but I'm a disagreeable

introvert there there is an important

point there that not all nudges work the

same for everyone something thing I do

in my job is targeted nudges I work out

the personality and the profile of the

audience and design nudges that work for

them but generally speaking when I talk

about this in a presentation I would say

at least 90% of hands go up for the busy

restaurant so that's social proof social

proof means we follow the actions of

others and this CCTV footage from a bar

in Brazil proves this point eloquently

it's around 9:00 p.m. and the diners are

packed on tables along the pavement when

a CrossFit jogging group runs past

without even looking at what they are

running from the diners start to Dart up

and follow the Run in less than 10

seconds the whole restaurant was

abandoned with hundreds running down the

road and no one left to pay the bill

I've tested this nudge to promote my

show I created two Reddit ads both were

identical except for a bit of social

proof showing my five star reviews in

this case I spent $100 promoting both of

the ads and the social proof version it

won it made redditors 9% more likely to

listen to my show lovely news for me but

but hardly enough to persuade a whole

nation so let's move on to principle

number two and that's scarcity there

scarcity where we're more likely to

Value something if it's scarce for a few

reasons first of all it's evolutionary

if it's winter and there's no food and

you find some obviously you you'll feel

an urgency to collect it also it can

communicate status and a unique identity

if you own something that other people

can't and so if you make something

appear scar people feel an urgency to to

obtain it so one anti- smoking or stop

smoking campaign added a message saying

there's only 300 places left and they

significantly increased the conversion

rate for example in 1975 the social

psychologist warell invited participants

to a lab in the lab the participants

either saw a full jar of cookies or an

almost empty jar turns out people enjoy

the taste of a cookie more when it is

the last cookie in the jar even though

the cookies are identical in both

scenarios this explains why spent my

childhood hunting for rare Pokémon and

why this Pub up the road from me is

irrationally popular so that's scarcity

let's now move on to principle number

three then there is uh commitment and

consistency where we're more likely to

do something if we've made a small

commitment already or any kind of

commitment in fact and there's a few

reasons for this one is the sunt cost

fallacy where we don't want to lose our

investment if we've put time and effort

and money into something already also we

don't like to let people down socially

we could be ostracized so if we've said

we would do something we generally ought

to do it and also there's an identity

aspect where a coherent sense of self is

quite important for well-being and so if

you're for example the environmental one

in your friend group then you're going

to recycle and so forth to maintain that

coherent sense of self a famous 2006

study titled the end downed progress

effect involved giving Car Wash

customers a loyalty card with eight

space spaces to fill in in order to

redeem a free car wash half of the

customers got the card with eight empty

spaces while the other half got a card

with 10 empty spaces except two of them

were stamped in already in the first

group 19% of the customers bought enough

car washes to fill the card compared

with

34% when the commitment nudge was used

we like to show consistency but we also

like to show reciprocity then there's

reciprocity which which is where we will

do something for somebody if we feel

obligated to if they've done something

for us in the past again we're very

social animals and if we don't repay our

behavioral debts then we could be

ostracized and so there's research

showing for example if you give people a

can of Coke they're more likely to then

fill in your survey humans are hardly

the only species to follow this

principle observe monkeys and you'll

discover that 30% of nitpicking is

simply done to return the gesture

there's even a speed species of fruit

fly whose male secures sex with the

female by giving her a gift of food the

researchers while they intercepted the

female bound male fly and used tweezers

to replace the food with useless fluff

and yet the mating still went ahead

which proves that it really is the

thought that counts then there's liking

where we're more likely to be influenced

by people we like and there's a few

reasons that we might like someone it

could be because they are attractive it

could be physically attractive but also

if they're famous us tall successful

whatever it might be we like people who

are familiar to us so who we know

already and we also like people who are

similar to us and similar could be

demographics but it could also be

attitudes the way they're dressed even

when you're younger and you're an Emo or

a punk and then you meet someone else

who's also an emo you're instantly

friends even though you don't know that

person but because you're familiar and

similar and so there's research showing

for example people give more tips to

waitresses who smile that kind of thing

research cited in Patrick's book show

shows that attractive people are judged

less harshly by jurors and that most

handsome people at work earn 5% more on

average while the ugliest earns 7 to 9%

less which leads us on finally to

Authority the final nud is Authority and

this is to do with the fact that we

again are cognitive misers so we can't

process every piece of information in

the world and so a kind of cooky example

I give is that I would assume the vast

majority of your LIF believe the Earth

is flat but the question would be how do

you know it's not flat have you been

into space you see it there are certain

experiments you can do with pendulums

and so forth but probably you haven't

done them you know it's not flat because

your teachers told you and scientists

and white love coats told you and so you

take it for granted because you don't

have the time or the energy or the

motivation to do all this research

yourself it would be impossible for

every subject I'm not saying the Earth

is flat by the way I'm just using it as

an example to show that we need to

believe Authority figure than we do and

it's generally quite efficient although

it can go wrong sometimes and of course

there famously the Stanley milgrim

experiment where he found that people

were more likely to give an electric

shock that they believed was fatal to

someone else if they were asked to by

someone wearing a white lab if there are

these trappings or signals of authority

we're more likely to do what we're told

have you ever noticed how every

important letter you received is signed

by the CEO the mayor or the president

well that's not by accident one 1974

study found that a letter from a

dentist's office got a 54% return rate

when it was signed by the dentist but

only an 18% return rate when it was

signed by the dentist's secretary the

dentist's title was the authoritative

cue that made people reply which leads

us back to this text the most persuasive

text in British history why because it

uses all six of these principles and so

in just 19 words they managed to pack at

least six nudges uh and the 19 words

were you have reached the top of the

queue and are a priority for getting a

free NHS

covid-19 uh so saying there's a QE

they're using social proof and implying

it's popular so it must be good by

saying you've reached the top of the

queue they're using commitment so you

feel invested like you've been waiting

in line you don't seduce your place by

saying you're at the top of the queue

that might be an ego nudge so you feel

special like you're above the people who

are waiting below You by saying your

priority that's essentially a scarcity

nudge they're implying that demand is

bigger than Supply and so you feel that

urgency to get it by having it come from

the NHS they using Messenger effects of

liking and Authority as people in the UK

like and Trust the NHS they certainly P

at the time and then by giving the by

saying it's free it's possibly a

reciprocity nudge but also we're more

likely to do things the easier they are

so it's all about removing barriers so

giving it for free obviously is removing

a barrier and they also make very easy

to just click on the link and book your

appointment the NHS text masterfully

applies all six principles in just 19

words it encouraged millions of Brits to

get vaccinated and might well be the

most persuasive text of all time this

video is a trimmed version of the nudge

podcast the UK's most popular marketing

podcast if you like Today's Show you'll

probably like the full podcast episode I

did with Patrick it is called six proven

principles to persuade anyone to listen

just search for nudge wherever you get

your podcasts