A few years ago a friend told me that whenever there is silence in a room, 50% of the people in that room are thinking about Abraham Lincoln. While the validity of this fact has yet to be proven, it has absolutely changed my life. Now, regardless of whether or not I want to, I think about Lincoln whenever a room falls silent.

As social marketers, we rely on the power of suggestion to help raise awareness, change attitudes and shift behaviors to better people’s lives. And yet by doing this, there is always the potential to highlight an issue, attitude or behavior in a way that negatively influences social norms. There are a number of studies and articles that discuss the negative influence of advertising on social norms. For instance, one study found that teens with higher exposure to anti-drug PSAs (between 1999-2004) were more likely to believe their peers used marijuana regularly (Westat, 2006). Another alarming example from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention suggests that specific representations and references of suicide in the media actually increase suicide rates.

While these sorts of influences are often difficult to identify when developing a social advertising or marketing campaign it is important that we remain mindful of the power of suggestion working to our disadvantage.