Maybe it would convince folks, maybe it wouldn't, but you'd have a chance. By contrast, any effort that involves "Do as I say, not as I do", is pretty much guaranteed to fail, and rightfully so. Trying to force others to do something that you yourself are unwilling to do voluntarily is the exact opposite of leadership.
"All of a sudden" was not claimed.
> There's just no evidence that's an effective way to have societal impact.
No evidence, or none that you are aware of? Also, evidence is not required for something to be true.
> and it doesn't mean that if they did pay more others would follow.
It could be achieved via legislation, which is to some degree influenced by public sentiment, which is to some degree influenced by the manner in which we discuss and conceptualize reality.