A Derby marketing agency has been awarded Government funding for a groundbreaking research project to help communications professionals create more effective behaviour change campaigns.
MacMartin says it wants to bridge the gap between academic theory and creative communications practice to help in-house teams and marketing agencies apply behavioural science more effectively in real-world campaigns.
The move is in response to the current situation, whereby marketers can draw on a wealth of psychological research on human decision-making and how they’re influenced, but have no guidance on how to apply that knowledge to the written and visual content they use to communicate their message.
As a result, there is what MacMartin refers to as “the theory to application gap”, which can often result in behaviour change campaigns that may be built on strong foundations failing to hit home with their target audience.
To remedy this, MacMartin will use the funding, which it has received through the Innovate UK’s Create Growth Programme, to develop a new creative framework which will combine insights from psychology, behavioural economics and design theory.
The aim is to provide an evidence-based and structured process for the creative stage of the campaigns, including guidance on the most appropriate and effective language and visuals to choose.
Anna Hutton, director and co-owner of MacMartin, said: “Behaviour change campaigns are the cornerstone of health and social initiatives and have the potential to change people’s lives for the better.
“However, this relies on their ability to get their message across in a way that has a positive impact on behaviours.
“That is a tall order, and all-too-many behaviour change campaigns fall short in their objectives because their messaging isn’t engaging or persuasive enough, whether that’s down to the words that are being used or the choice of imagery.
“That’s the bit we want to remedy by researching how different creative elements influence people and then use that information to draw up a framework that will give designers the confidence to know that their campaigns will not only look good, but will also be behaviourally effective.”
The framework will be tested through live client projects and pilot programmes with local authority partners, with the results feeding into a commercial toolkit for use in training and consultancy.
MacMartin was founded by Anna and her sister, Claire MacDonald, eight years ago, and specialises in behaviour-focused campaigns across health, sustainability and social issues, including encouraging recycling and active travel.
Its “Every Action Counts” campaign, an anti-social behaviour initiative which it ran in conjunction with Staffordshire Police and local councils, reached more than one million people and reportedly led to measurable reductions in anti-social activity.
Launched in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2022, Innovate UK’s Create Growth Programme provides support, funding and expert mentoring for high potential firms in sectors such as design, media, technology and digital content.
