Alison Gilbert

16:37, Oct 20, 2014

Hi Meena, thanks for sharing. This campaign makes great use of theories behind behavioral economics, giving people the reminder nudge in the moment before they would take an action that could be harmful in the long run (eating with unwashed hands). The edible reminders are especially effective in this large event setting, with so many people preparing large quantities of food for the attendees.

It would be interesting to explore how this approach could translate to year-round use among families with young children. Instead of imprinting a reminder on food, a similar message could be stamped on everyday items such as toilet paper, perhaps using child-friendly images instead of words. A major challenge to something like that would be the cost and availability of that novelty item, especially among low-income communities in developing countries. But a partnership with a major corporate brand could help alleviate that challenge: the brand could produce and distribute those products at discounted rates as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts.

This kind of nudge could be powerful for other elements of daily life and building healthy habits among children and parents, such as brushing teeth before and after bed or checking for head lice after bathing. (An alarm clock with cartoon toothbrush images at the appropriate hours, sponsored by Colgate? A plastic comb with a visual reminder to check for lice, included in packages of Dove conditioner?) I'd be interested to hear other people's ideas for products that could have family-friendly reminders, hygiene-related or otherwise!