The Theory:

As defined by the National Social Norms Resource Center, social norms are "the perceived standards of acceptable attitudes and behaviors prevalent among the members of a community." In 1986, Dr. Wes Perkins and Dr. Alan Berkowitz of Hobart and William Smith Colleges applied the theory of the effect of normative perceptions to college drinking. They found that students overestimate the frequency and quantity of college drinking and that the overestimation and misperception correlated with higher-risk drinking behaviors.

The Implementation:

In 1989, Northern Illinois University was the first college to develop an advertising campaign for its campus based on this theory. By promoting the norms of college student drinking through ads in the campus newspaper, the goal was to reduce the misperceptions students held and test whether drinking behaviors would be affected. The campaign demonstrated measurable results in reductions in high-risk drinking and other college campuses soon followed.

In the 1999-2000 academic year, Penn began pursuing an expanded social norms media campaign, utilizing newly collected data and fresh designs. The advertisements are placed in the Daily Pennsylvanian, on posters, and on magnets. While some schools have expanded their campaigns to include messages regarding sexual health, tobacco, violence, etc., Penn has devoted its resources to one health issue negatively impacting students with a great deal of ferocity - alcohol.

What is important to keep in mind when viewing social norms ads is that the intent of the information is twofold: to provide facts that correct a misperception and to give the viewer a healthy norm to strive for via a positive behavior change. It is natural for students to view the ads with skepticism; after all, they hold a deeply seeded misperception about what college drinking appears to be. It is hard to change that misperception without allowing the community to challenge the new information and reexamine ingrained misperceptions.

Successes of This Approach:

Social norms marketing approaches are still relatively new in college health. Schools that have been utilizing this approach for several years are disseminating their successes. College health practitioners are striving to achieve consistency in the approach so that evaluations can be understood in the context of one another. However, each college campaign differs in message, dissemination method, and individual college environment, so the challenge remains in determining successes across the board. Several studies are underway to develop consistent campaigns and compare outcomes to control schools. Below is a brief table with reported successes of this approach at select schools:

{taken from the National Social Norms Resource Center website}

Recent Press on Social Norms Approaches

USA Today {5.28.2002}
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2002-05-28-social-norming.htm

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Task Force Report on College Drinking
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/

New York Times {12.09.01}
http://www.socialnorm.org/nytimes12.9.01.html

Time Magazine {06.18.01}
http://www.socialnorm.org/time.html

Your Thoughts
Your thoughts are important to us. If you would like to give feedback on the social norms theory, implementation of the campaign, or specific advertisements, please feel free to email Stephanie Ives, Director of the Office of Alcohol & Other Drug Program Initiatives, at: ivess@pobox.upenn.edu

Click on image for larger version

The 2003-2004 Penn Campaign
The 2002-2003 Penn Campaign
2001-2002 Campaign
2000-2001 Campaign