Mandate Masks with Appreciation

Mandates provoke resistance. Mandates produce compliance. The proportions with which each of those two occurs depends on the general acceptance of what’s mandated. This issue’s importance exploded in tandem with the COVID-19 pandemic and the compelling evidence that wearing a facemask substantially reduces transmission rates. A  Pennsylvania State University study compared mandatory versus recommended facemask policies along with whether to express appreciation for wearing a mask or to apologize to the person for the bother of wearing a mask.
     In the study, the mandatory policy was stated as, “All customers are required to wear a mask before entering the store.” The recommendation policy read, “All customers are strongly encouraged to wear a mask before entering the store.” The appreciation message was, “Thank you for your cooperation. We appreciate it.” The apology message read, “Sorry for any inconvenience. Our apologies.”
     It turned out that the highest degree of reported willingness to don a facemask when shopping at a grocery store was among those participants given a mandate and an appreciation message. Offering an apology rather than expressing appreciation resulted in lower reported willingness. For those study participants presented with the recommendation rather than the mandate, there was no evidence that expressing appreciation or an apology made a difference.
     Self-reported interest in revisiting the store followed a similar pattern. Study participants were also asked how much the mask policy would bother them and how restricted they would feel in their freedom. The evidence from all study results together is that resistances will be lowest and compliance highest when mandating mask-wearing and thanking the customers for adherence.
     In general, it’s best to nudge people toward acceptance of an action, not mandate the action. Long-term compliance with limitations is enhanced when people feel in control. Mask-wearing mandates are more likely to succeed when the requirement is time-limited. With long-term restrictions, we might want to provide choices for the consumer. My grandson Eli, whose current early-career job is as a cashier at Rite Aid, and I are considering a possibility for use at his store: Post signs at entrances reading, “If you choose not to wear a mask in the store, we will take your temperature and forbid entry to those shoppers whose temperature is too high. We alert you to the fact that because of supply chain shortages, we currently have in stock only rectal thermometers.” How well do you think that’ll work?

Successfully influence the most prosperous & most loyal consumer age group. For the specific strategies & tactics you need, click here.

Click for more…

Unbox the Resistant Customer 

Say Thanks, Keep the Change