Labeling of previous donation to encourage subsequent donation among experienced blood donors

International audienceObjective: This study aims to examine the effects of persuasive messages focused on the labeling of previous blood donation behavior on subsequent donation among experienced blood donors. Method Participants (N = 410) received blood drive invitations by mail that were categorized with the labeling of the previous donation. They were randomly assigned to one of three conditions functional labeling (which underlines the utility of their donation), social labeling (which underlines their own social value), and no label of previous donation (control condition). Dependent Variable Number of participants who made a new blood donation. Results: Donors are more likely to make a new blood donation when they have received a message labeling their previous donation (26.7%), whether it be social or functional, compared with a nonlabeled message (17.5%). Moreover, labeling condition interacted with age parameter indicating that the older the donor, the more sensitive the donor to the labeling technique. Labeling condition also interacted with gender, revealing that women were almost three times more likely to come back to give their blood in labeling conditions compared with the no-label condition. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the interest in using strategies based on the recall of previous donation, that is a labeling technique, to help blood centers to stimulate repeat donation. Labeling the previous donation increases the likelihood of a new donation among experienced donors, especially among older people and women, the latter being a part of the most reluctant profiles to repeat blood donation. © 2013 American Psychological Association