Using Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis for Creating Effective Outreach Messages to Promote Oak Management

Studies of woodland owner values, intentions, and actions have advanced understanding of barriers and motivators to active forest management. Social marketing research has likewise offered significant insights into the effective design of persuasive conservation campaigns and importance of factors such as message framing and use of social norms. Yet, evaluation of the attributes of outreach messages designed to encourage woodland owners to take action has received limited attention. We used an innovative marketing research approach, choice-based conjoint analysis, to determine what attributes of outreach messages are most persuasive. This study focused on woodland owners in the Midwest in the context of improving conditions for oak regeneration. We identified the importance of imagery and message source as of primary influence, whereas other attributes such as message framing and social norms were less influential. This study offers insights that can be evaluated with other targeted woodland owner audiences under different management contexts.