Sustainable Biz Magazine - Magazine - Page 22
How social media is helping
make the switch to sustainability
Unilever has partnered with one of the
world’s leading behavioural science
institutions to research the role social media
content plays in encouraging people to make
sustainable choices.
Working with the Behavioural Insights
Team (BIT) and a group of nine influential
creators from TikTok and Instagram, Dove
and Hellmann’s commissioned 30 pieces of
inspiring social content about sustainability.
These were then tested by BIT to measure
their impact on consumers.
The study’s findings show that social media
ranks as one of the most influential sources
for information on sustainability, and that
influencer content can make people change
their behaviour for the better.
•
75% of people polled are more
likely to take up behaviours to help save the
planet after watching social media content
about sustainability.
•
83% think TikTok and Instagram
are good places to get advice about how to
live sustainably.
•
78% say social media is the
information source most likely to encourage
them to act more sustainably, much more so
than TV documentaries (48%), news articles
(37%) and government campaigns (20%).
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The science behind the study:
This study is the first large-scale, rigorous
online trial of its kind. To make it happen,
Unilever worked with a team of behavioural
scientists at BIT and nine eco-conscious
influencers drawn from three key markets
(UK, US and Canada).
BIT began by conducting an in-depth
review of existing social content being
created by activists. Based upon their
learnings, they built a set of guidelines for
our group of content producers to follow
when creating their posts. Working with
Dove and Hellmann’s, the TikTok and
Instagram creators then crafted content
aimed at encouraging people to waste
less food and less plastic – two consumer
behaviours with real potential to reduce an
individual’s carbon footprint. The posts were
shared using a platform custom-built by BIT,
which simulated a real-world social media
experience.
6,000 participants from across the three
markets were shown different versions of
the content. This was broken down into
branded and non-branded material and
framed as either ‘climate pragmatist’ or
‘climate optimist’ in tone. Pragmatic content
made heavy use of data and statistics, placed
an emphasis on the scale of problematic
S USTAI N AB L E B I Z MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2023
behaviour and highlighted wide-ranging
and far-away consequences. Optimistic
content gave practical demonstrations of
how to live sustainably, emphasised benefits
to the individual and often took a humorous
or unexpected tone. Alongside this, a stream
of neutral content, with no mention of
sustainability, was also included within the
test materials.
After viewing the content, the participants
were asked a series of questions to ascertain
whether it had affected their intentions to
change their behaviour. Two weeks later,
2,500 reported back on whether they had
acted upon these intentions or not.
75% of people polled said that our content
made them more likely to adopt sustainable
behaviours, from saving and reusing plastic
or buying refillable products to freezing
and reusing leftovers. When measuring
actual behaviour change, the study showed
that people valued both facts and practical
advice. Almost 70% of people shown
‘pragmatic’ content tried something new
to reduce their plastic or food waste after
watching, as did 61% who watched the
‘optimistic’ content.
This research reflects the shifting
information landscape and the need for
sustainability-oriented businesses like us to
use social media platforms to meet receptive
audiences where they already are. It also