Action Research
Action Research is a private Oceanside, California-based behavior change marketing firm founded in 2001. It applies Community-Based Social Marketing methodology to design and evaluate environmental outreach programs for government agencies, non-profits, and private companies across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersOceanside, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Action Research does
Action Research is a private behavior change marketing firm headquartered in Oceanside, California, founded in 2001. The firm applies Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM), an evidence-based methodology rooted in behavioral and social science, to design and evaluate outreach programs that drive measurable behavior change. Its core services include CBSM program design and implementation, quantitative research (telephone, mail, web, and intercept surveys with statistical analysis), qualitative research (focus groups and interviews), creative development (graphic design, content writing, and branding), social media campaign management, and customized training and capacity building. The team is led by President Jennifer Tabanico, who is co-authoring the 4th edition of the foundational CBSM textbook with Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, and Director Joey Schmitt, both holding master's degrees in Experimental Psychology with peer-reviewed publication records.
The firm primarily serves government agencies (municipal, county, and state), with additional work for non-profit organizations and private companies across North America, including the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Documented engagements include shoreline protection campaigns for Chesapeake Bay Trust, SB 1383 organic waste compliance for Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (achieving 22% participation increase), irrigation runoff prevention for Riverside County Water Protection Program (28% reduction in observed watering days), and skatepark litter prevention for Orange County Stormwater Program (57% decrease in litter accumulation, 2022 CASQA award). The firm operates with a small team of approximately 11 full-time staff and has won multiple industry awards including the 2024 Social Marketing Association Gold Award for Best Environmental Protection Program.
Action Research monetizes through custom professional services engagements delivered via multi-year contracts with government, non-profit, and private-sector clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but the model is consistent with quote-based project work covering program design, research, creative development, and training. GTM motion is sales-led, relying on direct engagement with prospects, active industry memberships (CRRA, CASQA, AAPOR, ISMA, SMANA), invited conference presentations, social media presence (LinkedIn, Facebook), and a content-marketing website featuring detailed project case studies. The firm is privately held with no evidence of external investors or parent company ownership.
Action Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Action Research
- Legal name
- Action Research
- Website
- https://actionresearch-inc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Action Research is a private Oceanside, California-based behavior change marketing firm founded in 2001. It applies Community-Based Social Marketing methodology to design and evaluate environmental outreach programs for government agencies, non-profits, and private companies across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Action Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Marketing Consulting
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
Keywords
Where Action Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oceanside
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Action Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Behavior Change Consulting Services: Professional services including community-based social marketing program design and implementation, survey research, focus groups, creative development, social media campaigns, and training and capacity building for government, non-profit, and private-sector clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Action Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Action Research is a behavior change marketing firm that designs, implements, and evaluates outreach programs applying behavioral and social science research. Core offerings include Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) program design and implementation, quantitative and qualitative survey research, focus groups and interviews, creative development, social media campaign management, and training and capacity building for government agencies, non-profits, and private companies.
Product overview
Action Research is a behavior change marketing firm offering a suite of professional services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings include Community-Based Social Marketing, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Creative Development, Social Media management, and Training and Capacity Building. These services are delivered through named project programs such as Tricks To Trashcans, Sprinkler Spruce Up, Give Your Food Scraps New Life, and Living Shoreline, each tailored to specific environmental behavior change outcomes like litter prevention, water conservation, organic waste collection, and shoreline management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community-Based Social Marketing
- Survey Research
- Focus Groups and Interviews
- Creative Development
- Social Media Campaign Management
- Training and Capacity Building
Quantifiable outcome
- 22% increase in participation in curbside organics collection program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Action Research
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Action Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Action Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Chesapeake Bay TrustcorePartnership to develop a behavior change campaign encouraging shoreline property owners to install living shorelines or maintain natural shorelines to improve Chesapeake Bay health. The campaign included literature review, expert interviews, surveys of Maryland and Virginia shoreline property owners, and development of CBSM materials including flyers, commitment cards, lawn signs, resource guides, and a PSA video.
- Salinas Valley Solid Waste AuthoritycorePartnership to develop a behavior change campaign supporting SB 1383 compliance for organic waste collection in Salinas Valley. The campaign addressed barriers to curbside food scraps collection, including knowledge, perception, and convenience barriers, achieving a 22% increase in participation.
- Riverside County Water Protection ProgramcorePartnership to enhance an existing Sprinkler Spruce Up education campaign integrating community-based social marketing principles to prevent overwatering and irrigation runoff. Developed materials including postcards, lawn flags, and irrigation tune-up instruction cards, achieving a 28% reduction in observed watering days.
- Orange County Stormwater Program (H2OC)corePartnership to create a behavior change campaign to prevent littering at skateparks among youth. The Tricks to Trashcans campaign included event booths, commitment collection, and social norm messaging, resulting in a 57% decrease in litter accumulation and winning a CASQA award.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Action Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with an environmental services practice that includes public outreach, stakeholder engagement, and behavior change support for water, waste, and climate programs. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same government environmental RFPs as Action Research, with greater resources and geographic reach.
- ICF International: Large global consulting firm with a significant public sector and environmental practice that includes behavior change communications, research, and program evaluation. It serves the same government and non-profit clients as Action Research but at much greater scale and as part of a broader portfolio of services.
- WSP: Global professional services firm with a sizable environment and sustainability practice delivering public engagement, behavior change, and program evaluation services to government clients. It is a broad incumbent in the same addressable market as Action Research, competing particularly for larger multi-region environmental contracts.
Others
- Rare: Non-profit organization that uses behavior change campaigns and community-based approaches to advance conservation and sustainable resource use globally. It is thematically aligned with Action Research's mission but operates as a non-profit rather than a for-profit consulting firm, making it an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- Resource Innovations: Sustainability and energy efficiency consulting firm that delivers behavior change, community engagement, and program design services for utilities, governments, and non-profits. It is directly comparable to Action Research in combining research-based program design with measurable behavior change outcomes for environmental clients.
- McKenzie-Mohr & Associates: Consulting firm founded by Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, the originator of Community-Based Social Marketing, offering CBSM training, workshops, and program design for sustainability and behavior change. It is the most direct peer to Action Research, which co-authors the canonical CBSM textbook with Dr. McKenzie-Mohr.
- Aeffect: Social marketing and behavior change agency that applies behavioral science to public health, environmental, and safety campaigns for government and non-profit clients. It competes with Action Research in the niche of research-driven, evidence-based behavior change communications.
- Spitfire Strategies: Strategic communications firm focused on social impact, designing campaigns for non-profits and foundations to drive behavior and policy change. It is a direct peer in combining research, creative development, and campaign execution for cause-driven clients, with an adjacent but overlapping service model to Action Research.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Action Research social profiles
Digital presenceAction Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Action Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Action Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Action Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Action Research
What does Action Research do?
Action Research is a behavior change marketing firm that designs, implements, and evaluates outreach programs applying behavioral and social science research. Core offerings include Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) program design and implementation, quantitative and qualitative survey research, focus groups and interviews, creative development, social media campaign management, and training and capacity building for government agencies, non-profits, and private companies.
Is Action Research a public or private company?
Action Research is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Action Research founded?
Action Research was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Action Research based?
Action Research is headquartered in Oceanside, United States, in the North America region.
How does Action Research make money?
One revenue line is on record: behavior Change Consulting Services.
Who are Action Research's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tetra Tech, ICF International and WSP. Rare is listed as an others. Direct peers are Resource Innovations, McKenzie-Mohr & Associates, Aeffect and Spitfire Strategies.
Does Action Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Action Research.
What industry is Action Research in?
Action Research's product category is Social Marketing Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAF, Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research, with a secondary code of BPAHALAE, Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom). Its NAICS code is 54191 and its SIC code is 7311.