Starting with Evidence, Not Assumptions

Effective behaviour-change campaigns don’t begin with ideas they begin with understanding. Our research and co-creation workshops explore the real-world context shaping people’s choices, combining behavioural insight, lived experience, and stakeholder perspectives. This approach helps organisations make confident decisions, align teams early, and design campaigns that are grounded in reality, not guesswork.

By testing assumptions early, this approach helps reduce risk before significant budget or campaign decisions are made..

Research Using Applied Behavioural Science

We use behavioural science to understand why people act the way they do and how that behaviour can realistically change. Our research combines evidence, observation, and co-creation to uncover the motivations, barriers, and contexts shaping everyday decisions.

Every brief is approached with a clear behavioural lens, ensuring insights are rooted in real human experience rather than assumptions. This allows organisations to plan interventions and campaigns with greater confidence, clarity, and credibility.

Our work focuses on how people actually think and behave in real-life settings, helping clients make informed decisions that stand up to scrutiny and lead to meaningful change.

Key behavioural science theory that we regularly use:
COM-B and behaviour change theory, nudge theory, dual- and tri-process thinking (Systems 1, 2 and 3), cognitive bias and heuristics, social norms, incentives, scarcity, anchoring and habit formation..

“We don’t start with ideas. We start with people — and the barriers they face.”

We do this work because too many campaigns are built on ideas that feel right or sound right, rather than audience insights that show what will actually work.

Starting with behavioural insight brings rigour to everything that follows — from how behavioural barriers are defined to how campaign communications are designed.

Our role is to apply proven behavioural research methods early, so organisations understand the real factors shaping behaviour before messages are written or budgets are committed.

Joanna Wilson Brown
Research & Insight Director

A Partner That Understands Behaviour Change

People are poor witnesses of their own behaviour.

Most decisions are made quickly, under pressure, and within everyday constraints. Rather than carefully weighing every option, people rely on habits, biases, and social cues to navigate daily life.

Our role is to understand how and why those decisions are made in practice. Using behavioural science and co-creation methods, we uncover the human truths that shape behaviour and translate them into insights you can act on with confidence when designing policies, programmes, or campaigns.

Understanding Audience

Audience segmentation & profiling
Ethnography & lived-experience research
Behavioural insight & diagnosis
Identifying barriers, motivators and context

Co-Creation & Lived Experience

Co-creation workshops
Facilitated ideation and community panels
Innovation and stakeholder groups
Focus groups and in-context observation
Diaries and longitudinal insight

Digital, Media, Advertising & Campaigns

Concept development, creative planning and testing
Behaviour-informed campaign design
Monitoring, evaluation and optimisation
Behavioural automation and journey design to reinforce behaviour change
Media planning and buying

Project Showcase

Peer-Reviewed. Evidence-Based. Trusted by Nestlé Purina

Dog obesity is a growing health issue, and owners often struggle to manage it effectively. Working with Nestlé Purina and the University of Sheffield, Perfect Circle helped co-create a peer-reviewed intervention using behaviour change science.

The result? A COM-B model–based health pack that 94% of owners used, with 80% reporting positive changes to feeding, exercise, or interaction.

Now rolling out through vet practices nationwide, the project proves how social marketing can deliver real impact. Read the full story and research findings on our blog.

Learn More

What our clients say

Working with public sector, health and community organisations.

Client testimonials

"Working with Perfect Circle we developed innovative intervention methods that enabled us to reach our target audience in their workplace. The campaign delivered upon its objectives and provided great data for future campaigns."

Sophie Stewart

North Lancs NHS

"Perfect Circle were able to build and deliver a social marketing campaign that addressed a very difficult health issue for us. The successful outcomes of the campaign were achieved even with the very limited budget that they had to work with."

Caroline Dearden

NHS Bury

"We were one of the first councils in the UK to address the dangers that Legal High’s pose to young people, and Perfect Circle offered us great support."

Rachel McQuilliam

Oxfordshire County Council

"Perfect Circle’s social marketing approach helped us exceed the targets for our dental health campaign and ahead of schedule."

Katherine Beattie

Trafford, NHS

News & Insights

Feb

Nestlé Purina and Partners Pilot a New Approach to Dog Obesity

This is the first in a three-part blog series following the journey of a project helping to tackle dog obesity in a new way....

Feb

Co-creation workshops vs traditional consultation

Organisations often use consultation to improve results, but more are now choosing co-creation workshops for a more collaborative and effective approach. Both methods gather...

Nov

The Shift to Sustainable Manufacturing: Why More Manufacturers Are Working With Perfect Circle

A New Era for UK Manufacturing

Manufacturing is evolving. With global pressures around sustainability, ESG reporting, and shifting customer expectations, the sector...

Oct

How To Measure Behaviour Change In Marketing Campaigns

Marketing that changes lives is about more than getting attention. When a campaign is designed to shift behaviour for the good of people and...

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