Optimism prevails: Uptrend messaging promotes healthier consumer behavior, study finds

10 May 2023 --- US-based researchers suggest that “uptrend messaging” is more effective in encouraging healthy behaviors than focusing on the number of consumers that do not follow those recommendations. In this method, marketers emphasize that the percentage of consumers engaging in those behaviors increases.

“We find that uptrend messaging can be used to encourage healthy behaviors that improve consumer quality of life,” lead author John Costello, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Notre Dame, US, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Highlighting the positive trend allows the message recipient to infer the descriptive norm, such as popularity of that behavior on their own, leading consumers to believe the behavior is more popular than they otherwise would.” 

He notes there is strong evidence that many consumers do not engage in many of the healthy behaviors experts recommend, such as healthy foods and regular exercise. 

The unpopularity of healthy behaviors is a crucial challenge to developing effective messages to encourage proper diet and exercise, suggest the researchers. 

Promoting healthy behavior
Businesses or manufacturers of healthier food products can consider using uptrend messaging in their marketing communications, product packaging and branding. 

“Research exploring consumers’ eating behavior has considered a variety of factors including the role of product packaging and size, placement of products, point-of-sale displays and physical involvement in acquisition,” says Costello.

Uptrend messages should focus on increased engagement in a particular behavior over time. “Rather than changing product characteristics or aspects of the consumer’s environment, we introduce a new messaging strategy that shifts normative perceptions.” 

Costello continues that the approach suggested in the study is one of many messaging strategies that might be effective. Still, it does offer policymakers and social marketers an “actionable and easy-to-implement messaging strategy that highlights truthful, but unexpected trend information around healthy behaviors.” 

“An important feature of uptrend messaging is that it does not explicitly mention the current (un)popularity of the behavior, instead allowing the message recipient to infer that behavior’s popularity on their own.” 

Uptrend messages 
The researchers conducted seven experimental and field studies on uptrend messaging. In one of them, they implemented a Facebook field study, which indicated an uptrend message led to a significantly higher click-through rate (5.62%) than dynamic (4.42%) or descriptive (2.45%) norm messaging. 

The latter two norms both disclose the current norm of specific behavior, while dynamic norm messaging also highlights people are changing. 

“The first major component of an uptrend message is a statement about increased engagement in a particular behavior over time”, says Costello. He further exemplifies that  “the percentage of Americans exercising the recommended amount has been increasing over time.” 

“The second major component of an uptrend message is that it does not explicitly mention the current descriptive norm. An uptrend message should not include a statement like ‘Only 24% of Americans are exercising the recommended amount.’”

Further research 
The researchers note that the positive effects of uptrend messaging are limited if an increasing trend is driven by a population group that is different from the self. 

Effects are also limited when the message makes it clear that the behavior is non-normative – where most people do not engage in it regularly. 

Costello concludes that the current work tested the impact of consumers observing the focal marketing message once and measured the effect on subsequent behavior within a short time frame. 

“As it is possible that repeated exposures to a marketing campaign over an extended period could alter our observed effect either positively or negatively, future research could consider collaborating with policymakers and social marketers to conduct longitudinal studies using uptrend messaging.” 

By Jolanda van Hal