SCL is a behavioral research and intervention agency. It offers its services to governments, militaries, political parties, and commercial companies who seek to affect behavioral change amongst key audience groups.

The company conducts Target Audience Analysis (TAA) to learn the motivations, beliefs and receptivity to influence of specific groups. This methodology is meant to provide comprehensive and accurate psychosocial, socio-dynamic and communication profiles of target groups. SCL argues that this methodology lets it identify the ‘buttons’ that need to be pressed to change the behavior of any target audience.

History

SCL was established in 1990 to undertake the first field trials of a persuasion methodology developed by the Behavioural Dynamics Institute, an academic think-tank that has sought to redefine communications as behavioral science. These field trials successfully broke up a strike at a UK car transporting plant. The following year, SCL was credited with saving Lloyds of London by persuading its financially crippled investors to invest a further £1bn.

After a string of successes in the commercial sector, SCL began to offer its capability to militaries. The division SCL Defence was established and its clientele now includes both the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense.

Over the same period, SCL also offered its scientific methodology to political parties worldwide. To undertake this work, SCL Elections was established and since 1994 SCL Elections has provided the research, strategy and execution for over 30 election campaigns worldwide.

In 2009, SCL expanded into the commercial and social sectors. For this purpose, SCL Social and SCL Behavioral were established. SCL Social applies behavioral methodology to assist with programmes of social change, while SCL Behavioral provides it to the commercial worlds of advertising and marketing.

SCL Behavioral

SCL Behavioural is a behavioral communication agency. It differs from traditional advertising agencies in that it is not creative-led, nor does it base its work on attitudinal research. Instead, it conducts forensic population research across a wide spectrum of measurement variables to identify the triggers that cause a target audience to change its behavior.
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SCL Behavioural has worked on campaigns for banks, financial institutions, airlines, international FMCG, auction houses, and global communication companies.

SCL Defence

SCL Defence is a market leader in the creation and implementation of target audience projects for governments and military organizations worldwide. It conducts research and analysis projects across the globe, particularly on campaigns related to counter-terrorism, counter-radicalization and counter-narcotics.

SCL Elections

SCL Elections operates globally and since 1993, it has worked on successful campaigns in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

This division of SCL offers a variety of political campaigning services. These include advanced electoral polling and behavioural analysis, media research, opposition research, resource management, fundraising, brand advertising, and full campaign management.

SCL’s promotional material states that its use of Target Audience Analysis for developing campaign strategies is unique in the electioneering industry.

SCL Social

SCL Social boasts that its communication campaigns are successful because they are informed by the in-depth results of Target Audience Analysis. SCL argues that its approach is more effective than that of traditional communication firms because it focuses on altering behaviours instead of informing attitudes.

SCL Social runs communication campaigns in the sectors of Health, Gender, Environment, Governance, Economic Development, Education, and Security.

Its promotional materials state: “To help our clients, we conduct Target Audience Analysis and identify the key ‘drivers’ and ‘switches’ that command behavior. We then use this knowledge to develop effective communication campaigns designed to ‘press’ these buttons, thereby ensuring the desired outcome.”