MacMartin has secured government funding to launch a ground-breaking research project that closes the gap between behavioural science theory and creative execution. The work will develop a practical, evidence-based framework to help communications teams design more effective behaviour-change campaigns.
It’s official: this month, MacMartin has been awarded government funding through Innovate UK’s Create Growth Programme to launch a ground-breaking research project. Our aim is simple but ambitious – to close the persistent gap between behavioural science theory and creative execution, helping communications professionals design more effective behaviour-change campaigns. This funding reinforces our ongoing commitment to transforming how people think, feel, and behave through creativity grounded in evidence.
There is a wealth of academic research explaining how people make decisions and what shapes their behaviour. Yet many in-house teams and agencies are left without practical guidance on how to translate that insight into the words, visuals and creative assets that drive real change.
And what does that leave them with? Behaviour change campaigns that are well-intentioned and theoretically sound, but fail to resonate where it matters most, with the people they are designed to support. As Anna puts it, “That’s the bit we want to remedy.”
With support from the Create Growth Programme, we’re developing an evidence-based framework that blends psychology, behavioural economics and design theory. Its purpose is simple: to help creatives make informed choices about the language and visuals that shape campaign effectiveness.
This framework will:
It’s an ambitious step but it’s also a necessary one. Effective behaviour change relies on communication that is both empathetic and behaviourally sound.
Our approach is rooted in academic credibility and tested through practice. The framework will be piloted across live client projects, including work with local authority partners, so every insight is shaped by real-world behaviours, not just theoretical models.
These findings will then be developed into a commercial toolkit for training and consultancy, helping the wider industry embed behavioural science more confidently and consistently.
Behaviour change campaigns have the power to improve health, strengthen communities and support sustainability. But this power depends on our ability to communicate persuasively, responsibly and creatively.
By bridging the gap between theory and practice, we’re helping the sector move beyond what works on paper to how it works in real life, ensuring every campaign is grounded in evidence, empathy and design that genuinely influences behaviour.
This research is another step toward our mission to drive change for good, uniting academic insight with creative power to make a lasting, positive difference.
