Communications, Campaigns and Branding Research & Behaviour Change
At the Social Research Institute we specialise in imaginative, rigorous communications research that helps our clients at all stages of their communications cycles. We know how important it is for communications to work hard for governments and international organisations – especially at a time when there is more pressure than ever to provide value for money.
Client context
The kinds of challenges we help clients with include:
- Identifying, segmenting and profiling key audiences.
- Understanding how best to engage existing and potential audiences.
- Achieving campaign effectiveness, through pre- and post-campaign evaluation.
- Understanding the channels that work best for specific audiences, from traditional channels through to social media.
- Testing and refining communications messages and techniques.
- Social marketing and behaviour change.
Solutions
We work with clients across government and the public sector, both nationally and internationally, to deliver effective research that informs communications, campaigns and brand development. Our research helps governments with their strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, assisting them in their work to inform and engage the public successfully and ensure that people can access government services with ease.
Behavioural research applies theory from behavioural science to social research in research design, data collection, data analysis and in recommending or developing interventions to change specific behaviours.
Given the social scientific model of research is not ‘what works?’ but rather ‘what works for whom and under what conditions?’ we believe it is important to first understand a behaviour of interest in depth and in context before trying to intervene to change behaviour.
In designing research from a behavioural perspective we recognise the shortcomings of any single research methodology in understanding something as complex as a behaviour. With this in mind behavioural research design tends, where possible, to incorporate an appropriate mix of methods.
Case studies
We’ve conducted behaviour change research for a variety of clients to determine both why people do (or don’t do) something, as well as what actions/programs would encourage a desired behaviour.
