Social Change

Challenge day update! 💸

We've almost finished our Spend Nothing for a Day challenge, and the team’s competitiveness is brilliant!

From packing lunches and claiming freebies to opting for cycling and walking to work, we're fully embracing the no-spend challenge (with a few minor fails... 👀 - any guesses?).

Exploring new perspectives on consumption and sustainability has been eye-opening. It's inspiring to see how small changes can create significant impact.

By increasing awareness of mindful consumption, highlighting social norms that support sustainable living, and modelling better behaviours for others to follow, we're making strides using the Social Cognitive Behavioural Science theory.

Curious how Behavioural Science enhances team effectiveness? Contact us: https://social-change.co.uk/

We're excited to share how we've supported the Made Smarter East Midlands Programme, connecting over 200 manufacturers with funding and expert guidance for digital upgrades.

Our focus? Creating impactful marketing materials, building a robust online presence, and promoting digital transformation, delivering events and creating a variety of case studies.

Read more https://bit.ly/3WzbOg5

The Social Change team is getting ready for an inspiring challenge: Spend Nothing for a Day!

On 25th July, we'll embrace resourcefulness, sustainability, and teamwork by going a full day without spending a single penny (hopefully!) 💸

Stay tuned to see how we get creative and make the most of our resources.

The ‘BS’ behind the challenge: Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and MINDSPACE

SDT highlights the motivation behind our choices, focussing on:
🧠 Autonomy - Gain control over our spending
🧠 Competence - Develop new skills in frugality
🧠 Relatedness - Connect with the team over a (friendly) competition

We can also apply ‘Commitment’ from Mindspace, as people like to be consistent with their public commitments and promises, whilst reciprocating actions.

These elements boost motivation, making this challenge more than just a test of willpower - it's a path to a more fulfilling, sustainable lifestyle.

Could you take on the challenge?

Discover the science behind behaviour change! Check out our bite-sized guide to behavioural insights and learn to distinguish influences from outcomes: https://social-change.co.uk/blog/a-guide-to-behavioural-insights

82% of UK consumers believe businesses should protect the environment, and 75% are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Achieving sustainability isn’t just about setting goals, it’s about taking action.

At Social Change, our 5-step approach combines stakeholder research and behavioural science to create effective plans. Don’t let your ambitions fail.

Customers are looking for sustainable businesses and becoming loyal to them. Get ahead of the competition and understand what truly matters to your stakeholders. Discover how we can help you turn insights into action!

Find out more https://bit.ly/45We5VO

Kelly and Alison got a first hand look at how AI technology is revolutionising the way agencies work at The Robots are Coming, The Agency Hackers AI Conference in London last week. It's fascinating to see how AI can streamline processes, speed up work, and ultimately offer more value to our clients.

The rapid pace of AI development is both thrilling and a bit nerve-racking. From ChatGPT to HeyGen, agencies are finding new ways to incorporate AI into their workflows and client interactions. Some are worried about the impact on traditional roles and intellectual property, while others see it as a chance to boost efficiency and creativity.

Are you embracing AI or approaching it with caution? 🤖

One of our latest campaigns supported immunisation uptake in young people across Wales. Our creative designs aimed to raise awareness of the Teenage Booster vaccine, protecting against tetanus, diphtheria, and polio.

We conducted audience testing, designed creative ads, implemented digital marketing, and utilised research and social marketing to drive behaviour change. Together, let's increase understanding and alleviate worries about vaccinations.

Learn more about our campaign and how we're making a difference https://bit.ly/3XWIMYW

Evidence or Emotion?

Humans aren't rational optimisers but cognitive misers. We use heuristics and mental shortcuts every day to make decisions, whether it's choosing breakfast or deciding who should win a business tender.

We often rationalise after the fact, so what matters most? Is it all in our gut (or heart), or is it a mix of rationalisation and emotion that makes the biggest impact?

Find out more in our article https://bit.ly/3VXJvXm

Anyone else at Nudgestock today?

Daisy, our head of behavioural insights, is there representing us at the world's biggest behavioural science event.

The event is all about time. Time is your customers and citizens. Time is what makes businesses thrive and brands iconic. To many of us, time is nothing more than a series of moments. But through the eyes of a behavioural scientist, it holds untold influence.

Put simply… the more we understand how we humans are shaped by time, the more we can wisely spend our own. We all want more of it so we can't wait to hear what she's learnt!

🗳️ With tomorrow's general election approaching, have you noticed that many people are hesitant to share who they are voting for? 🤔 It's a fascinating phenomenon that can be explained through the lens of behavioural science. Studies have shown that individuals often prefer to keep their political preferences private to avoid potential conflict or judgement from others.

But here's a question for you: are you willing to break the trend and share who you are casting your vote for? 🤗 Let's spark a conversation and see where everyone's allegiances lie. Comment below to let us know! Your voice matters, so don't be shy to speak up.

It kills more people each year than Covid-19 ever did. But no one talks about it, we just pretend it’s not happening. This sounds like conspiracy, but it isn’t... air pollution is the silent invisible killer, costing us billions a year and killing millions.

Just because it’s normal, doesn’t mean it’s okay.

Our latest blog explores the facts around air pollution and how businesses, organisations and people can use behaviour change to fix it. Read it now https://social-change.co.uk/blog/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-the-invisible-danger-of-air-pollution

Pride Month is over, and the rainbows disappear from corporate pages tomorrow, to come back again next year.

We ran a poll asking how you would respond to hearing comments about LGBTQ+ people at work. Here are the results:

Challenge it directly 14
Report it to someone else 4
Wouldn't do anything 1
Would feel unsafe reporting 1

It's great to see many are ready to stand up against negative comments, but some still feel unsafe. How can we make our workplaces safer and more inclusive all year round?

Why is Gender Inclusivity so important in research?

We often need to ask people what their gender is, to ensure that we are committed to ethical research that allows self expression.

Simply recording s*x can misguide us when it comes to understanding our diverse societies.

Read and download our full guide here

https://social-change.co.uk/blog/why-is-gender-inclusivity-important-in-research

Does your carbon footprint really matter?

Or maybe it’s just something that was invented to shift responsibility onto you, giving governments, politicians and businesses a free pass.

Who do you think has the biggest responsibility to tackle climate change?

The individual (you)
Governments and politicians
Private businesses

Comment below and let us know.

At Social Change, we walk the walk... and cycle too.

We encourage our team to be environmentally conscious, to do what they can to live greener lives.

We offer a cycle to work scheme as well as encouraging people to work flexibly to help reduce our own carbon emissions. This year we are also introducing a scheme where we will pay our team to cycle to work!

As a B Lab UK (B Corp) certified business, we have committed to acts that make a difference for people and planet.

Read more about B Corp here https://lnkd.in/euVfwvDT

We have some new starters at Social Change! Say hello to Liv, whose joined our creative design team. She’s a first-class honours graduate and has years of expertise in print and design and she also has photography and film skills.

Our Creative team work with clients to create impactful graphics and animations.

See some of their work here
https://social-change.co.uk/work

Year 10 students from 8 schools across the county have been busy creating air pollution campaigns within their schools this year!

Using Clarity Air Pollution trackers, they monitored air pollution over several months and today we celebrated their hard work at the Lincoln Museum. The event showcased their amazing campaigns and provided valuable data insights from Clarity.

We also presented on using behavioural science to create lasting positive change, highlighting how to influence behaviour among different target audiences. By creating personas for parents and community groups, we explored tailoring messages and choosing the best channels to expand their campaigns.

A big shoutout to the students for their dedication and creativity! 👏

Year 10 students from 8 schools across the county have been busy creating air pollution campaigns within their schools this year! Using Clarity Air Pollution trackers, they monitored air pollution over several months and today we celebrated their hard work at the The event showcased their amazing campaigns and provided valuable data insights from Clarity.

We also presented on using behavioural science to create lasting positive change, highlighting how to influence behaviour among different target audiences. By creating personas for parents and community groups, we explored tailoring messages and choosing the best channels to expand their campaigns.

A big shoutout to the students for their dedication and creativity! 💚👏

This week is men’s health week.

Men are disproportionality affected by certain health conditions, such as heart disease and mental health related risks.

As agents of social change, we have worked on many campaigns and behavioural initiatives that have helped improve quality of life for men.

From s*xual through to mental health awareness.

Read about our HeadsUp campaign here

https://social-change.co.uk/work/headsup-campaign

Almost 80% of women in Cambridgeshire reported that they felt unsafe when out in public.

Our goal was to address this.

We worked with women across the county to perform research, using qualitative interviews and surveys. Embedding COM-B and other key frameworks in our work.

This research guided us to create messaging and effective communications campaigns promoting positive behaviour change that helped women feel safe.

Read the case study here
https://social-change.co.uk/work/violence-against-women-and-girls-safety-in-public-spaces

Say hello to Jenny! Jenny is an ACIM accredited Marketer and she brings a wealth of experience including expertise in social media management, out-of-home, and print.

Jenny joined us in March and has spent the last 3 months getting to know our clients and campaigns.

As part of our marketing team, Jenny works with organisations and business to run creative communications campaigns that deliver impact for our clients and lead to positive behaviour change.

Read more about our marketing services here. https://social-change.co.uk/services/behaviour-change-marketing

June is Pride Month.

From tomorrow, It’s the time of year when brands change their logos to rainbows across the internet.

We believe that taking a stand is more important, to challenge the behaviours that are inappropriate and unwelcome.

What some people think is a harmless ‘joke’ can cause serious negative impact on people in the workplace. Making them feel alone and isolated.

Our mini guide contains terminology boards and mindful tips that will help you make your team more comfortable,

Read more in our mini guide here https://social-change.co.uk/files/24.02.23_LGBTQ%2B_guide_accessible_.pdf

Meet Diana, one of our new changemakers! Diana has joined our behavioural insights team and works with our clients to scope and research their projects. She is passionate about global causes and communities and is happy to be able to give back by working with us at Social Change.

Diana previously worked for one of the world’s biggest Behavioural Science publications, Habit Weekly

Read more about our Behavioural Insights work here
https://social-change.co.uk/services/behavioural-insights-and-research

We’re changemakers, helping organisations and businesses to make a positive change in the world.

We use behavioural insights and research to understand what makes people tick.

That research is used to drive the approach we use to develop creative campaigns, that deliver messages that make real impact in communities.

Look at our portfolio here
https://social-change.co.uk/work

Call them out.

We worked on the Government’s Safe Street Initiative, specifically targeted at potential perpetrators by encouraging them to do the right thing.

And for other men to feel comfortable and confident in calling out behaviour that is unacceptable.

We used behavioural insights research to understand how certain attitudes and actions make people feel.

The campaign incorporated these key messages built from the research and ran across print, outdoors, television and radio and reached over 349,224 people in Cambridgeshire.

Read the full case study here
https://social-change.co.uk/work/call-them-out

We're working on our office redesign, but we're a little bit stumped on which design to choose for the toilet door... so we're putting it out to you!

Let us know which you prefer! (Option 1 or Option 2)

The Social Change team, aka the 'Game Changers' had a great time at the 2024 Bangers and Fizz Charity dinner hosted by The Lincolnite Ringrose Law and Visual Print and Design in aid of Development Plus.

The food was brilliant, especially the apple crumble dessert!

We came 7th... better luck next time!

Development Plus is a Lincolnshire charity that aims to help disadvantaged people not just survive but thrive. They offer workshops, support work, and mentoring. You can find out more about their work here https://developmentplus.org.uk/

We support the Better Business Act.

We’ve joined over 2,500 businesses to make it clear to government that we need to balance people, planet and profit.

Since day one, Social Change has been focused on doing the right thing and to build on that, we became B Corp certified in 2022.

Below is just some of the things we’ve done.

Read our full impact report here https://social-change.co.uk/files/30.03.23_B-Corp_Impact_Report_.pdf

Join the movement here
https://betterbusinessact.org/