Drinking, smoking, sex - the more you say don’t do it, the more they’ll do it?

Anti- or “responsible” drinking campaigns have long been a mainstay of health departments, nonprofit organizations and even beverage companies, yet alcohol abuse remains a persistent and growing problem linked to the deaths of approximately 79,000 people in the U.S. each year. Could the advertising be to blame?
Unfortunately, research suggests it’s possible, according to a study conducted by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Bloomington, Ind., and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.

Public service advertising campaigns that use guilt or shame to warn against alcohol abuse can actually have the reverse effect, spurring increased drinking among target audiences. Instead of the intended outcome, research showed that the ads triggered an innate coping mechanism that enables viewers to distance themselves from the serious consequences of reckless drinking.

The research specifically explored anti-drinking ads that link to the possible adverse results of alcohol abuse, such as blackouts and car accidents, while eliciting feelings of shame and guilt. Findings show such messages are too difficult to process among viewers already experiencing these emotions, such as those who already have alcohol-related transgressions. To cope, they adopt a defensive mind-set that allows them to underestimate their susceptibility to the consequences highlighted in the ads; that is, that the consequences happen only to “other people.” The result is they engage in greater amounts of irresponsible drinking.

The unintended negative impact of employing shame and guilt in these ads could have implications for a wider range of health-related messaging, from smoking cessation to preventing sexually-transmitted diseases. An alternative to this type of advertising is conveying dire consequences along with messages of empowerment.

“If you’re going to communicate a frightening scenario, temper it with the idea that it’s avoidable,” said Adam Duhachek, an Indiana University marketing professor and co-author of the study. “It’s best to use the carrot along with the stick.”

Focus groups get Floridians involved in cracking cold cases

Over the course of history, research has been used in many strange-but-true situations, but perhaps none as creative as using it to solve crimes. Florida law enforcement officials took research far beyond taste-testing and live debate-watching when a grant from the Florida State Attorney’s office brought homicide focus groups into the mix. No, not survivors of homicide victims or those convicted of homicide - these Floridian civilians were brought in for focus groups to team up with law enforcement officers across southwest Florida and spanning several different departments to crack cold cases, according to Meaghan Smith’s April 19, 2010, piece “Homicide focus group working to crack cold cases,” on NBC2.

The state grant allowed police and deputies from agencies like the Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cape Coral and others to work overtime and meet monthly to go through some of their coldest cold cases. In theory, the focus groups combine the various investigation techniques and strategies of officers from different departments together with civilian input to generate new ideas and new leads.

“A fresh set of eyes is very beneficial because they’re seeing this on the outside looking in, where we’re seeing it on the inside,” said Sergeant Pete Tarman with the Fort Myers Police Department.

Two cases discussed in the meeting were those of Shannon Brown and Marshell Moreland, both found shot to death in Fort Myers in July of 2002, only a day apart. The focus group is committed to looking at cases over and over again until each mystery is solved.

Review-writing minority is heard widely in the hotel industry

While many consumers admit to relying heavily on peer reviews when buying a television or deciding on what movie to see, most probably aren’t aware that said reviews are generated by a mere sliver of the population - with sentiments often skewing dramatically to the far ends of the satisfaction spectrum.

When booking hotels, for example, a study from Boston research company Chadwick Martin Bailey found that one in five people say online hotel guest reviews are the biggest influencer in deciding where to stay, yet the research also shows only 6 percent of guests have posted an online review of their hotel stay. That’s a relatively small percentage of guests that are impacting the choices of 20 percent of the consumers researching a hotel.

In addition, the study demonstrates that the impact of a bad review on booking decisions is severe. Whether traveling for business or leisure, around two-thirds are less likely to book a hotel if it is given a one-star rating. Leisure guests are more influenced by top ratings; 92 percent of them (versus 83 percent of business travelers) are more likely to book a hotel if it receives a five-star rating.

“There’s no doubt social media, online communities and customer review sites are giving travelers a platform to share their opinions and experiences, and these reviews, both positive and negative have a direct impact on the choices of consumers and the bottom line of hotels,” said Judy Melanson, vice president of Chadwick Martin Bailey’s travel and entertainment practice. “Individual hotels and corporate hotel brands need to keep a pulse on customer reviews. While recognizing they are powerful, online reviews are just one part of a larger overall online and offline customer engagement strategy.”

While online guest reviews and opinions are making an impact and the rise of social media is only increasing the voice of the customer, the study found that for the most part customer recommendations are still happening the old-fashioned way, in person. Since their last hotel stay, close to half of consumers have recommended that hotel to a friend or colleague, and 88 percent have made those recommendations through in-person conversation.

Still, with such a small sample of online reviewers influencing 20 percent of potential guests and a majority passing along information face-to-face, hotels and review readers alike would be wise to keep in mind that one bellhop with a bad attitude or a few extra bottles of shampoo and a morning newspaper could make or break a review.