Study To Reduce Factory Farmed Meat Consumption

This paper describes an audience segmentation study that highlights several areas where current social marketing strategies in relation to reducing factory farmed meat consumption could be more effectively applied. The need to address factory farming (intensive animal agriculture) and meat consumption is supported by a large body of evidence that points to their deleterious impacts worldwide…

This paper presents part of the analysis of data collected in 2009 for a study designed to explore the range of attitudes towards farm animals and factory farming in Australia and to identify the factors that lead Australians to support or actively reject factory farming and factory farmed products. Initial results showed that motivations for maintaining meat consumption are strong, extremely varied and complex. Yet one factor emerged that became the basis of an audience segmentation described in this paper: the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance (CD) and the response strategies that individuals apply to avoid it. The discomfort of CD in the context of meat consumption primes individuals for behavioural change. Social marketing strategies can be developed to leverage the CD phenomenon and reduce the consumption of factory farmed meat. Further, social marketing initiatives are called for which increase the likelihood of individuals taking up the desired response strategies. Finally, many participants describe how purchasing, preparing and consuming meat are nested within the habits and routines of day-to-day practices. This demonstrates how behaviours are facilitated by the structures of the production and supply system, as well as by social and cultural assumptions and expectations. To be effective, a social marketing strategy also needs to target the key stakeholders in the entire structural system, such as regulatory bodies, retailers, producers, service providers and the media.