Recognising motivation in others: the effectiveness of using social proof to change driving behaviour

Purpose This paper aims to extend the literature on social proof by looking at the effectiveness of social proof on behaviour change for environmental benefit. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on real case studies currently intended to encourage behaviour change among residents of a large UK city. An initial study assesses the motivation displayed within each case study. A second study then examines whether recipients recognise their own motivation in each case study. Findings Results indicate that participants did not recognise their own motivation in the case studies that were expected to be most similar to them, suggesting that recipients do not recognise “social proof” according to motivation. However, a relationship is observed between recipients’ gender and the gender of the case studies. Research limitations/implications Demographics appear to be a better basis for social proof than motivation. This paper recommends several future avenues for further exploration, including using case studies that represent a wider range of characteristics (such as demographics). The current range of stimulus materials is limited, as these are real materials currently being used in a large UK city. Practical implications The results indicate that portraying motivation is not a good basis for using the social proof principle. Instead, social marketers ought to focus on representing similarity to the intended audience based on other characteristics such as gender. Originality/value The research contributes a new direction in this field, using Self-determination Theory to match social proof examples to recipients.