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If you’ve been following us for a while now you should know that we’re in the business of disrupting consumer behaviour. This is why we include an additional layer of behavioural science across all of our projects, which is where Paulina Lang has stepped in.
Paulina joined the MMR group in August 2023 and works across all the agency partners, adding her research and insights to projects to create more meaningful and impactful campaigns. We sat down with her to find out more!
“I started my career in rural Scotland, where I delved into researching individuals with dementia, a journey that began my passion for understanding human behaviour. I then progressed through roles in the mental health space as a research psychologist before getting my PhD in social psychology. I then joined the UK government as a behavioural scientist, advising on strategic communications until I moved on to this most recent job at the MMR Group.”
“I have always been curious about why people do what they do and how they think, my interest in understanding human behaviour has been something I’ve been drawn towards all my life. I’m particularly intrigued by the power of communication and fascinated by how we can use creativity to influence behaviours and disrupt established patterns.”
“There is no such thing as a typical day for me, and that’s what I love about this job! Every day brings something different. My work is entirely tailored to each project and client, ranging from analysing specific behaviours to mapping out customer journeys or decisions. Sometimes it involves brainstorming ideas for a proposal or getting stuck into research for the latest project. To sum it up, my day is a mix of creative collaborations with colleagues, in-depth research, and staying on top of the latest evidence in the field.”
“I love translating research results into practical and actionable solutions. In academia, the work was often very theoretical, lacking immediate tangible results or interactions. Now, I enjoy diving into real-life problems, helping clients deal with complex concepts and problems, and developing actionable solutions.
The best part of the job is seeing my ideas and research being transformed into creative solutions and seeing them in the real world.”
“One challenge I often face is arguing against pseudo-science, instances where things are portrayed as scientific, when, in reality, they are not. For example, clarifying to clients that the time it takes to develop a habit has no fixed number (despite the countless claims), as it’s a complex and individual process for each person. It’s important to help people understand that not everything they read or hear is necessarily true or accurate even if it claims to be. It’s about striking a balance and ensuring that information is backed by solid evidence.”
“Anything that involves creative design! As I said earlier, I find it truly satisfying to see ideas backed by behavioural science and research brought to life.”
“One of my biggest passions outside of work is cooking. I cook every day and very rarely order takeaway. I enjoy experimenting with different flavours and foods, it’s an amazing creative outlet for me. I also love a bit of DIY, I’ve always been interested in architecture and interior design so I almost always have some sort of project on the go at home.
Another hobby I’ve recently taken up is sailing. I’m currently learning to sail on a small lake locally, although I’m just trying to not capsize at the minute. However, one day I would love to be able to sail on open water.”
“It’s very behavioural science-specific and also maybe a little controversial, but, I’m not the biggest fan of System 1 and System 2 thinking. People have taken these very literally, as humans have only two defined ways of thinking depending on the situation, which isn’t true. We tend to use a mix of both intuitive and deliberative thinking when making most decisions.”
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If you’re interested in learning more about how we use behavioural science in our work head over to our philosophy page or if you have a project you’d like our help with talk to the team today!
Understanding and influencing human behaviour has always been at the heart of any successful brand strategy or campaign. Even if it wasn’t always called ‘behavioural science’ or involved psychologists. For decades, decisions in the marketing field were often based on intuition, anecdotal evidence, and observations of human behaviour. The introduction of behavioural science has shaken up this landscape by providing evidence-based tools and methods to decode and change consumer behaviour effectively.
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