photo by esparta

Ah, the power of communication. A new Stanford study of consumer behavior at Starbucks shows that posting calories on the chain’s menu boards lowers customers’ calorie counts without substantially affecting revenue. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Based on transaction data from Starbucks locations in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, the study found that calorie postings led to a six percent reduction in calories per transaction. Interestingly, almost all of the change related to food purchases; average beverage calories remained pretty much unchanged. Hard to break that Grande Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino®  habit, I guess (430 calories with whipped cream, by the way).

Since changing behavior is a huge part of marketing, you might ask yourself what simple communication steps you might take to move the needle. It doesn’t have to cost much, and even modest results could have a dramatic impact on your organization.