AIA Australia launches ‘secret donut’ social experiment via The Reputation Group

To prove that Aussies need an incentive to make healthy choices, life insurer AIA Australia set up a donut truck with a difference last week in Federation Square — one which dissuaded people from buying donuts via The Reputation Group.

Over 200 customers hoping to buy hot jam donuts at the food truck were surprised when

they were urged by sellers to swap the greasy snack for a fruit salad at the point of purchase. When customers were simply told that the fruit salad was the healthier option, 95% refused to give up their donuts. However, 40% of customers made the switch when they were offered a $10 Myer voucher alongside a discounted fruit salad.

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Customer reactions were caught on hidden cameras as many gave excuses or rationalised why they chose the unhealthier option.

AIA Australia used the social experiment to demonstrate the power of using incentives to encourage healthy choices — a key premise of Vitality, the world’s largest incentive-based health and wellness program that the life insurer launched in Australia in March.

Says Tim Tez, chief marketing officer of AIA Australia: “As part of our marketing activities we decided to use a fun social experiment to show Australians how Vitality can use similar incentives to help them achieve their health goals. While there has been a lot of academic research on the impact of incentives on health, we wanted an everyday example that could be shared via a variety of social media and other channels.”

AIA Vitality members are rewarded with discounts or vouchers from leading brands every time a healthy choice is made (for example, 35% off domestic and international Qantas return flights originating from Australia; $50 Myer gift card when members reach 5,000 AIA Vitality points). Costs of healthy food and fitness-related activities are also subsidised. Independent research into the Vitality program has found that it increases gym usage and expenditure on healthy food.

The story about the social experiment broke on The Project last Wednesday as part of an ongoing PR strategy for AIA Vitality, developed by The Reputation Group. AIA Australia also engaged professor of psychology, Bill von Hippel, from the University of Queensland, to conduct the experiment.

Says Lelde McCoy, managing director at The Reputation Group: “AIA Vitality is a proven behavior change program, not just another run-of-the-mill rewards program. We wanted the public relations campaign to spark discussion about Vitality’s underlying principles and to provide relevant and emotionally engaging content to extend the conversation about incentives into traditional and online media.”

Damien Mu – General Manager, life insurance

(Pictured: Caption: PhD students Catherine Auld and Ernest Baker try to convince customers to swap a donut for a fruit salad)