What do we mean by making behavior change easier and more rewarding? Why should you make beneficial behavior easier and more rewarding? When should you address benefits and costs? What are some ways to understand the benefits of behavior change? What are some ways to understand the costs and barriers to behavior change? How do you make beneficial behavior easier and more rewarding? Imagine a parent who wants to enroll in a health care training program as a step toward a new career. The program seems promising: it could lead to employment, increased income, new skills, and opportunities for further education. But the classes are across town and require a long trip on public transportation. Reliable childcare is unavailable. The class schedule conflicts with caregiving responsibilities. During intake, a staff member emphasizes how difficult the program will be rather than explaining available supports or expressing confidence in the participant's ability to succeed. The person may decide not to enroll even though the long-term benefits are meaningful. It would be easy to interpret that decision as a lack of motivation. A closer look shows something different: transportation, childcare, scheduling, service design, previous experiences, confidence, and staff interactions all affect whether participation is realistically possible. Social marketing can help identify these benefits and barriers. But the goal should not simply be to make the program sound more attractive. Whenever possible, the organization should change the conditions that make beneficial behavior unnecessarily difficult. What do we mean by making behavior change easier and more rewarding? People make decisions within real social, economic, organizational, cultural, and physical environments. A behavior may appear beneficial and still be difficult or impossible because people lack the necessary resources, opportunity, skills, support, or access. Making a beneficial behavior easier and more rewarding therefore means: Understanding what benefits people actually value Identifying financial, practical, social, psychological, environmental, and structural barriers Reducing unnecessary burdens Strengthening people's opportunity and capability to act Providing appropriate information and support Creating services, environments, and policies that make beneficial behavior realistic Respecting autonomy rather than manipulating people into choices A classic social marketing framework: SESDED Alan Andreasen described a classic social marketing approach summarized as SESDED: Superior Exchange, Socially Desirable, Easily Done. The framework remains useful as a historical way of thinking about benefits, social context, and ease of action. In contemporary practice, however, these ideas should be applied ethically and alongside broader behavioral and systems thinking. Value-based exchange Social marketing refers to exchange as the balance people perceive between what they gain and what they must give up, risk, or overcome. Benefits may include better health, convenience, safety, financial savings, social connection, greater independence, learning, belonging, or another personally meaningful outcome. Costs may include money, time, effort, transportation, stigma, physical discomfort, loss of privacy, social consequences, uncertainty, or competing responsibilities. A strong strategy seeks to increase meaningful benefits and reduce unnecessary costs. It should not merely make legitimate burdens appear less important. Social support and social norms Other people's attitudes and behaviors can influence decisions. Family, friends, peers, colleagues, professionals, community members, online networks, and social institutions can make a behavior easier or harder to adopt. Social marketing may therefore strengthen supportive norms or involve trusted relationships when appropriate. Avoid using social pressure, shame, or fear of exclusion to force conformity. Social influence should support informed and voluntary action. Feasibility and accessibility Beneficial behaviors are more likely when people have the capability and opportunity to carry them out. This may involve: Reducing fees Providing transportation Providing childcare or dependent-care support Offering accessible locations Providing remote or mobile options Changing schedules Making enrollment easier Providing interpretation and translation Improving disability access Building skills Improving service quality and respectful treatment Changing organizational policies Contemporary behavioral science provides several ways to analyze these conditions. One widely used framework, COM-B, asks whether a behavior is supported by sufficient capability, opportunity, and motivation. The point is not that one model replaces every other model, but that behavior should not be reduced to motivation alone. Why should you make beneficial behavior easier and more rewarding? There are two basic reasons: barriers can often be changed, and those barriers may determine whether people can act on their intentions. Formative research can identify what matters Interviews, surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, observation, community-engaged research, service data, and other methods can help you understand: What people value What they see as the main benefits of the behavior What costs or risks concern them Which barriers are practical or structural Which supports would make action easier What competing behaviors or priorities exist How social norms and relationships influence decisions Use this information to improve the intervention rather than simply to discover a more persuasive message. Organizations can often change the conditions surrounding behavior Not every barrier is under the organization's control, but many can be influenced. You may be able to: Reduce or eliminate fees Provide transportation or childcare Change hours or locations Simplify enrollment Make services culturally and linguistically responsive Improve disability access Train staff Improve privacy protections Create safer environments Change policies Work with partners that control resources or systems your organization does not Conditions in which people live, work, learn, and age can substantially affect their opportunity to practice beneficial behaviors. These broader social and structural conditions should therefore be considered when designing a social marketing intervention. When should you address benefits and costs? Consider benefits, costs, capability, opportunity, and motivation throughout the entire planning and implementation process. The original stages-of-change tradition has often described people as moving through a sequence from awareness to concern, desire, confidence, action, and maintenance. Stage-based models may be useful for some purposes, but people do not necessarily move through one universal sequence. Someone may strongly want to act but lack transportation. Another person may have opportunity and skills but see little benefit. Someone who previously adopted a behavior may stop because conditions changed. Rather than deciding that benefits matter at one stage and costs at another, assess the combination of factors relevant to the audience and behavior. Ask: Do people understand the behavior and its likely consequences? Do they value the potential benefits? Do they have the skills or knowledge needed? Do they have practical opportunity to act? What costs or risks concern them? What social influences matter? What supports would help initiate or sustain the behavior? Continue asking these questions after implementation begins because benefits, barriers, and circumstances can change. What are some ways to understand the benefits of behavior change? Benefits that seem obvious to program planners may not be the benefits people themselves value most. Formative research can help distinguish among immediate and long-term benefits, benefits to the individual, and benefits to families, communities, organizations, or society. Immediate individual benefits Depending on the behavior, benefits may include: Feeling better physically Increased comfort Saving money Saving time Convenience Learning a useful skill Enjoyment Greater independence Social connection Increased confidence Relief from a current problem or burden Immediate benefits to other people Some behaviors benefit family members, peers, coworkers, or community members as well as the person acting. Examples may include: Reducing other people's exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke Increasing safety Strengthening family or caregiving relationships Improving the accessibility or quality of a community service Increasing participation or representation in a community process Long-term individual benefits These may include: Improved health and quality of life Greater skills and knowledge Improved employment or economic stability Stronger relationships Increased confidence or self-efficacy Greater independence Satisfaction from acting consistently with personal values Long-term community or societal benefits Examples may include: Improved opportunities and well-being for children and future generations Healthier physical and social environments Reduced inequities Greater access to services or opportunities Stronger community relationships Environmental protection Greater fairness and inclusion Be careful when emphasizing benefits primarily to other people or society. Individuals may be asked to carry substantial immediate burdens for benefits that are distant or widely distributed. Where possible, reduce those burdens rather than simply asking people to sacrifice more. What are some ways to understand the costs and barriers to behavior change? Costs are not limited to money. A behavior may require time, effort, transportation, childcare, privacy, emotional energy, physical discomfort, social risk, or access to services that are not currently available. What looks minor to an organization may be a major barrier to the person being asked to act. Financial costs These may include: Fees for services Transportation Childcare or dependent care Equipment or supplies Time away from paid work Changes in household expenses Some decisions can also affect people's financial security. Whistleblowing, workplace organizing, leaving unsafe employment, seeking safety from an abusive partner, or participating in advocacy may involve real economic risks. Do not minimize those risks in communication. Physical costs These may include: Physical effort Discomfort Side effects Withdrawal symptoms Pain associated with a medical procedure Fatigue Accurate information and appropriate medical or other professional support may reduce some of these burdens, but do not describe real discomfort as merely a matter of perception. Time and logistical costs These may include: Transportation time Waiting time Childcare or dependent-care arrangements Scheduling changes Competing work or school responsibilities Family responsibilities Administrative requirements Technology or internet requirements Psychological and emotional costs These may include: Fear about a medical result or procedure Uncertainty about one's ability to succeed Stress associated with major life changes Stigma Concerns about disclosure or privacy Previous negative experiences with institutions Coping with cravings or withdrawal associated with substance dependence Programs can sometimes reduce these costs through respectful service, clear information, privacy protections, counseling, peer support, trauma-informed approaches, and appropriate professional care. Social costs Behaviors can affect people's relationships and social identities. Costs may include: Losing contact with people connected to an existing behavior Disapproval from family or peers Conflict within relationships Loss of belonging Changes in established roles or routines Stigma or discrimination In situations involving abuse or violence, safety should take priority over social-marketing concepts such as exchange or social approval. Connect people with appropriate survivor-centered services and safety resources. Structural and environmental barriers Some of the most important costs are created by systems rather than by the behavior itself. These may include: Lack of affordable services Inadequate transportation Unsafe environments Discrimination Inaccessible buildings or technology Lack of insurance Restrictive workplace policies Housing instability Limited access to healthy food Lack of paid leave Administrative or eligibility barriers Social determinants and wider systems can expand or limit people's opportunities to practice beneficial behaviors. When these conditions are central to the problem, changing them should be part of the intervention rather than placing all responsibility on individuals. How do you make beneficial behavior easier and more rewarding? Start with formative research Ask intended audiences what they value and what makes the behavior easier or harder. Explore: What benefits matter most? Which benefits are immediate and which are long-term? What costs are acceptable? What costs are prohibitive? Which barriers could the organization change? What supports are missing? What other behaviors or priorities compete with the desired behavior? What social relationships influence decisions? What skills or information are needed? Understand the benefits behind preferences When people say they prefer a particular service feature, ask why. For example, participants may prefer small training groups because they value: More individualized attention Greater privacy More opportunity to ask questions Stronger relationships with instructors Reduced anxiety Understanding the underlying benefit helps you design the service more effectively than simply copying the requested feature. Ask how people prefer services to be delivered If behavior depends on access to a program or service, consider: Location Hours Cost Enrollment requirements Transportation Childcare or dependent care Language access Disability access Privacy Remote or in-person options Staffing and interpersonal treatment For example, a recycling program might compare curbside pickup, neighborhood drop-off locations, shared collection sites, and different sorting requirements. The most useful approach will depend on local infrastructure, cost, accessibility, environmental goals, and resident experience. Understand social influences Ask whether family members, friends, peers, clinicians, faith or spiritual leaders, educators, employers, community organizations, or others influence decisions. Do not infer susceptibility to social influence from education, income, race, culture, or another demographic characteristic. Different kinds of social influence affect people across communities. Formative research can help determine which relationships are actually relevant. Identify the point at which costs become barriers Questions can help identify which conditions materially affect participation: Would you participate if transportation were provided? Would evening or weekend hours make participation easier? Would childcare support change your ability to attend? What costs would make the program unaffordable? What concerns would make you decide not to participate? Be careful not to use research merely to determine the greatest burden people will tolerate. The objective should be to understand what would make participation equitable and feasible. Ask what support people need Supports may include: Transportation Childcare or dependent-care assistance Financial assistance Accessible technology Interpretation or translation Flexible scheduling Training Counseling Peer support Mentoring Health care Safer environments Develop a strategy using benefits, opportunity, capability, and social context SESDED can still provide a simple historical reminder to consider exchange, social support, and feasibility. Contemporary intervention planning can broaden this analysis by asking: Benefits and exchange: Does the behavior provide benefits people actually value? Capability: Do people have the knowledge and skills needed? Opportunity: Do services, environments, resources, and policies make the behavior possible? Motivation: Do people see the behavior as worthwhile and consistent with their priorities? Social context: Do relationships and social norms support or discourage it? Equity: Do some groups face substantially greater barriers than others? Provide accurate and usable information People need enough information to understand their options, likely benefits, risks, costs, and available support. More information is not always better. Information should be: Accurate Relevant Understandable Accessible Timely Appropriate to the decision people are making Build capability People may need skills, practice, confidence, or professional support. Examples include: Learning how to communicate with young people about substance use Learning how to participate in public meetings Understanding health information Developing coping strategies for cravings or stress Learning CPR Developing employment or technology skills Training, coaching, mentoring, peer support, clinical treatment, demonstrations, and practice opportunities may all contribute to capability. Improve opportunity and access Review whether the environment supports the behavior. Improvements might include: Free or lower-cost services Transportation support Childcare More convenient hours More convenient locations Remote options Accessible facilities Language access Faster enrollment Reduced waiting lists Safer locations and routes Better privacy protections Increase meaningful benefits Benefits can sometimes be increased directly. Examples include: Adding job-placement assistance to workforce training Providing participant compensation or stipends Offering professional development or credentials Providing useful meals or refreshments during lengthy activities Creating opportunities for social connection Improving service quality Treating participants with respect and dignity Incentives may be appropriate in some interventions, but they should be ethical, proportionate, and designed so they do not create inappropriate pressure. Explain benefits people may not know about Communication can help people understand consequences they may not have considered. For example, tobacco cessation communication might discuss benefits such as: Improved respiratory and cardiovascular health Reduced exposure of household members to secondhand smoke Financial savings Improvements in taste and smell Better physical endurance Use benefits supported by current evidence and relevant to the intended audience rather than trying to exploit appearance, romantic relationships, shame, or social insecurity. Reduce actual costs before reframing them The strongest way to reduce a barrier is usually to change the barrier itself. Examples include: Subsidizing fees Providing transportation Providing childcare Changing location Adjusting schedules Reducing paperwork Providing counseling or peer support Improving safety Communication can clarify tradeoffs or correct inaccurate beliefs, but it should not tell people that a genuine financial, emotional, safety, or logistical burden is unimportant. Understand competing influences In social marketing, competition refers broadly to behaviors, services, products, demands, norms, or other factors that compete with the desired behavior. Competition may include: Convenience of the current behavior Habits Cravings associated with substance dependence Time pressures Social expectations Misinformation Commercial marketing Alternative services Lack of trust Financial incentives Analyze why the competing option is attractive or easier and determine whether your strategy can reduce that advantage. When health treatment is involved, distinguish between evidence-based care, complementary practices, and unproven or misleading treatments. Do not dismiss cultural or spiritual practices simply because they differ from your approach, but communicate clearly when delaying effective medical care could create serious risk. Build supportive social environments Social norms can influence behavior, but the goal should not be to pressure people through shame or exclusion. You may: Share accurate information about supportive norms Engage trusted community messengers Support peer networks Highlight examples of beneficial behavior without stigmatizing people who have not adopted it Work with organizations and institutions whose practices shape social expectations Policies and regulations can also influence behavior by changing prices, access, safety, availability, and environmental conditions. Their purpose should not be described only as making a behavior socially acceptable; they may directly change the opportunity structure in which decisions occur. Remove barriers Review barriers systematically rather than assuming motivation is the main obstacle. These may involve: Money Transportation Childcare Location Time Safety Disability access Language access Privacy Wait times Stigma Previous negative experiences Digital access Institutional policies CDC describes social determinants of health as the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, along with broader systems and forces that shape those conditions. These factors can expand or limit opportunities to practice healthy behaviors. Social marketing strategies should therefore address structural conditions when those conditions are part of the barrier. Pretest and continue learning Before broad implementation, test the strategy with people from the intended audiences. Ask: Do the proposed benefits matter? Have we identified the major barriers? Does the strategy actually reduce those barriers? Is participation realistic? Are supports sufficient? Is anything stigmatizing, coercive, confusing, or inaccessible? Are some groups facing burdens that others do not? Revise based on what you learn. Pretesting does not guarantee that an intervention will succeed. Continue monitoring implementation, participation, access, outcomes, equity, and unintended consequences after launch. In Summary People consider many kinds of benefits and costs when deciding whether to adopt or maintain a behavior. Those considerations may be financial, practical, physical, psychological, social, environmental, or structural. Social marketing can help identify benefits people value and barriers that make beneficial behaviors difficult. The strongest interventions do more than communicate that benefits outweigh costs: they reduce unnecessary costs, improve access, build skills, strengthen opportunity, and make services and environments more supportive. Classic social marketing concepts such as exchange, competition, social support, and ease of action remain useful. They should be used alongside contemporary approaches that consider capability, opportunity, motivation, ethics, equity, community context, and the wider systems shaping behavior. Whenever possible, reduce real barriers before trying to change people's perceptions of them. Transportation problems, unaffordable services, lack of childcare, discrimination, unsafe environments, inaccessible facilities, inflexible schedules, and long waiting lists are not communication problems. Finally, listen to the people involved. Use formative research and community participation to understand what they value, what burdens they experience, and what changes would make beneficial behavior realistically possible. Pretest the strategy, evaluate it after implementation, and continue adapting as conditions and community needs change. Resources Online Resources Population Services International, a non-profit social marketing organization (the world's largest) based in Washington, DC. Examples of campaigns, other information. The Research Exchange, an online journal of the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research. An overview of social marketing, particularly good on dealing with competition to change. Print Resources Alan, R. (1995). Marketing Social Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Kotler, P., & Alan, R. (1987). Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
