The influence equation: How creatives in the freelancer economy are shaping human behavior

Can creatives change people’s behaviors and help them make healthier and eco-friendly life choices?

According to a 2019 VOMAD survey of 12,814 respondents, at least 53.9% considered going vegan after consuming information online, whether it was a feature length documentary, online video, article or social media post.

The breakdown:

• 21.9% – A featured length documentary
• 16.8% – A conversation with a friend or family member
• 14.4% – A video on the internet (other than featured length documentary)
• 13.2% – Posts on social media (short clips, articles shared, images, comments, etc.)
• 11.2% – I made the connection without any influence
• 4.4% – I read some articles / blog posts
• 3.4% – A book
• 14.7% – Other

To be honest, I was kinda hoping that books would have more influence, especially since I published Lily Bowers and the Uninvited Guest, a middle-grade eco fantasy addressing the topic of animal testing in 2019. I am still glad to see books made the list nonetheless.

Learn more about this survey and more in this article by Sandra Nomoto.

Inspiring humans to turn vegan may be one of, if not THE most difficult thing to do because food is a primal physiological need and people tend to have the attitude of ‘Don’t mess with my food!’

Turning vegan has the myth of being a sacrifice. The belief that vegans have to sacrifice is a whole other conversation that I won’t get into now. Just know that I, nor any other vegans I know feel deprived of anything. We’re good. We’re real good!

So, if you can change people’s life-long eating habits and advocate for nature with your creativity …

… just how powerful are you?

Creating efficacy in the freelancer economy

Your creative mind has more strength than a football team. It’s reminiscent of the power of ants — small in physical size, yet incredibly mighty!

Just like how ants can move objects 5,000 times their mass, every creative effort you make towards bringing about positive change, no matter how small, has the power to move mountains.

You don’t need to speak on a stage.
You don’t need to scream out your opinion.
You don’t need to take it to the streets and hold up signs.

Unless this is your jam, and you show respect for ALL animals, humans included.

Your creative expression speaks for you.

When you design epic campaigns for eco-friendly brands and non-profit organizations, you are indirectly inspiring people to make the change now and shape a better future for the younger generations.

This talent of yours is one of the most subtle yet effective forms of advocacy that you can partake in.

Let’s bring more nature advocacy in this world!

Facilitative intervention

People stick to nature-positive habits when alternatives are readily at their disposal. It all depends on how easy or difficult their lives will be once they’ve made the change.

This is known as facilitative intervention: Facilitating people with the alternatives for an easier transition.

This is where creatives can take full charge of their marketing within the freelancer economy.

Words and design influence consumers.

Imagine I gave you two sets of words and asked you to fill in the blank space for the third word with the missing letter.

For example, if I showed you the words “Cooking” and “Dinner”, and asked you to complete this word “So_p” with one letter, what would that one letter be?

Whereas, If I showed you the words “Bathroom” and “Towel” beforehand, what would your answer be then?

The question remains the same, but your answer might be ‘Soup’ or ‘Soap’ based on the influence of the information you consumed just before you answered your question.

This is not a conscious decision. This is subconscious influence, and this technique has been used for centuries, but in different ways.

Not just a set of words, but even your actions can be influenced by the data you come across in your daily life.

This phenomenon has been demonstrated in numerous experiments and every time, the results are the same.

Information influences decisions.

If you’re interested in this kind of research, follow this link to learn more.

While manipulation for the sole purpose of driving sales for profit-driven companies is exactly what we don’t stand for at Ethical Brand Marketing, using ethical marketing practices to inspire people to connect more with nature and shop consciously by buycotting eco-friendly brands IS.

Since nature is often silenced, neglected and forgotten, imagine using ethical marketing to speak for nature so that you can create waves of exponential positive impact?

There is a better way to market.

Cast the Magic

You can and may already protect nature through your words, graphics or videos.

We at Ethical Brand Marketing believe that creativity and ethics go hand in hand. That’s why we’re currently designing an ethical marketing program to empower creatives like you in the freelancer economy to gain visibility and more easily connect with mission-aligned clients.

So that together, you can create epic award-winning campaigns to inspire entire generations to change the way they shop, eat and live.

Will this be a ‘walk in the park’? Not, there is work involved. The universe does not support laziness.

Can you actually learn to enjoy marketing? ABSOLUTELY! We’ll show you how.

Create on and prosper,