Busting the 3,000 Mile Myth
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Transcript of Busting the 3,000 Mile Myth
Busting the 3,000 Mile Myth
Reducing the Volume of Used Oil by Encouraging California Drivers
to Go Longer Between Oil Changes
From a report to the California Integrated Waste Management Board
Presented by:
The Social and Behavioral Research Institute
California State University
San Marcos
Project Team
Allen Risley, M.A. Director of Research Michael Large, Ph.D. (Former Quantitative
Study Director) P. Wesley Schultz, Ph.D., Faculty Advisor Chuck Flacks, M.S., Study Director Jolin Haley, Research Assistant Sam Ballard, Research Assistant Dana Stokes, CIWMB
Project Goals
Factors influencing oil-change behavior Demographic trends of frequent vs.
infrequent changers Create messages to encourage going longer
between changes Test messages
Oil Change Survey
1,002 telephone interviews conducted with randomly selected drivers between December 1st and January 12th 2005-2006
54% women, 46% men Average age = 49 Sample was more Caucasian, less Hispanic,
more multi-ethnic, and better educated than the expected values given the State of California’s averages in the 2000 Census
Most Important Factors
Oil Change Behavior
Most Go to Professionals
Chart 6 -- Who typically changes your oil?
34%
24% 24%
12%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Car Dealer Quick LubeSpecialty Shop
Other Auto RepairShop
Do-it-Yourself Friend or FamilyMember
How Do They Know When to Change?
Most Use Stickers…
Chart 7: Percent of Drivers with Oil Change Stickers
34%
66%
Yes
No
…But Report Other Means
Chart 8: How People Know When It is Time to Change Their Oil
37%
26%
11%7% 5% 3%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
When it has beenspecific number of
miles
WindowReminder Sticker
Vehicle OilMonitoring
System
Other Reminder Oil level or quality Manufacturer orlog
N = 977, Responses under 2% omitted
How Often Do They Change?
Median and most reported = 3,000 miles, Average = 4,200 miles
Compared to manufacturer recommendations Frequent Changers = more frequent than
manufacturer recommendations Waiters = at or below manufacturer
recommendations
Most Drivers Frequent Changers
Chart 11: Frequent Changers vs. Waiters
27.5%
72.5%
0.0%10.0%20.0%
30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%
80.0%90.0%
100.0%
Waiters Frequent Changers
Changers Vs. Waiters
Changers More likely to be women More likely to drive imported cars More likely to be normal (less severe
conditions) drivers More likely to use synthetic oil More likely to have a reminder sticker on
windshield
Most Important Factors
Greatest concern = engine wear Least concern = saving time Frequent Changers were more likely to be
very concerned about engine wear Saving money and saving time were more
likely to be considered very important by Waiters
Strongest predictor of Frequent Changer was engine wear
Myth Busting
Creating Messages to
Influence Behavior
Theory: Central Route Vs. Peripheral
Applying the work of
Dr. P. Wesley Schultz
Routes to Persuasion
Central route to persuasion Analytic, high effort, cogent arguments Can produce durable, long-term changes in
behavior and agreement Peripheral route to persuasion
Intuitive, low effort, use standard measures Can produce bigger changes in behavior, but not
agreement
Routes to Persuasion
Persuasive Appeal
Central Route
Peripheral Route
Audience Processing Persuasion
BehaviorChange
Analytical andmotivated
Not analytical or involved
High effort,elaborate,Counter-argue
Low effort,use peripheralcues
Cogent argumentsinvoke enduringagreement
Cues triggerliking andacceptance(temporary)
Crafting the Message I
Identified “largest psychographic profile” Women Age 30-60 Use professional oil changers or dealers
Crafting the Message II
Trust the Maker The 3,000 Mile Myth You Can Do Better
Informal pre-testing narrowed the field to “The 3,000 Mile Myth”
Testing on Focus Groups
Two Groups One rural, one urban One coastal, one inland One Northern CA, one Southern CA
Sites were Taylor Research in San Diego and Elliott Benson Research in Sacramento
Consisted of “largest psychographic profile” – women, 30-60, used professional changers
Follow the Manual
3,000 mile myth message: 73% of California motorists believe they should change their oil more often than manufacturer recommends
Improvements in vehicle design result in less engine wear
Oil composition improvements mean people can extend their intervals
Bottom line – Follow Manufacturers Recommendations!
Positive Reactions to “3,000 Mile Myth” Messages
Information believable & represented a clear call to action
Showing sponsorship (CIWMB) provided credibility
Participants motivated to find out more about the issue & perhaps change behavior
Participants wanted more information – Website
Negative Reactions to “The 3,000 Mile Myth” Messages
Participants became more skeptical with more study Data in messages too focused on “efficient” cars Participants felt that perhaps only newer cars could
go longer between changes Participants saw environmental benefits, but
planned on maintaining their frequent changes to be “on the safe side” or to “maintain their warranties.”
Reactions to Synthetic Oil Messages
Big Yawn – Not a subject people were comfortable discussing
Not enough knowledge about costs and benefits
More comfortable with oil change frequency messages
Some participants interested; but none wanted to rush out and try synthetics
Conclusions
Data show that most California drivers change oil more frequently than manufacturers recommend
Biggest fear = engine wear Prompting people with central route
messages creates some discomfort with their behavior choices
Targeted messages to Frequent Changers show potential to produce behavioral change