Action Research

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.

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

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

• Behavior change marketing
• Social marketing consulting
• Community-based social marketing
• Environmental outreach programs
• Survey research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oceanside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chesapeake Bay TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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

Broad 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/ActionResearchSocialMarketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/actionresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Action Research