Influence.
Behavioural science is a powerful tool. SoMoCo offers insight and training that will equip your team with strategies and tactics, grounded in academic research.
This helps improve engagement across multiple touchpoints and optimises the ability to influence choice and behaviour, towards better outcomes.
Harness psychological principles to elevate your customer, employee, and stakeholder engagement, drive better decisions, and inspire impactful actions.
Case Study :
Anfield Project: Bridging Community and Regeneration.
Liverpool City Council (LCC), Liverpool Football Club (LFC), and Your Housing.
Summary
This case study explores how SoMoCo utilised behavioural science to resolve a seemingly intractable standoff between the local community in Anfield and regeneration partners aiming to implement an ambitious urban renewal scheme, which included the long-awaited expansion of Liverpool Football Stadium.
SoMoCo identified that the core driver of resistance wasn’t opposition to the regeneration itself, but a deep-seated distrust resulting from years of neglect and perceived managed decline. Recognising that conventional consultation methods would likely fail (or worse, exacerbate the community’s disengagement), SoMoCo devised a strategy that focused the partners teams to address the community's immediate needs while gradually shifting social norms to encourage participation.
SoMoCo’s innovative approach not only broke the deadlock but also restored hope in a community that had long been disillusioned, securing the future of a vital £280 million urban renewal project.
Context
LCC, LFC, and Your Housing announced an ambitious £280 million regeneration plan for Anfield. This included expanding the football stadium and revitalising surrounding housing and public spaces.
However, years of managed decline had eroded trust, leading to fierce opposition from the local community, which jeopardised the project's success.
SoMoCo was brought in to break this deadlock and secure the community's support, vital for obtaining planning permission and retaining government funding.
Behavioural Analysis
SoMoCo's behavioural audit uncovered deep-seated distrust rooted in the community's belief that the Council and LFC were complicit in a deliberate strategy to depress house prices by leaving properties derelict. This created a perception of neglect and managed decline.
In addition, residents of the area were experiencing high levels of deprivation, poor living conditions and stress linked to rising antisocial behaviour, and uncertainty of future. This left limited mental bandwidth to engage in discussions about long-term regeneration plans that felt uncertain and far removed from their daily lives.
In the Anfield project, prevailing social norms posed a significant challenge to community engagement. The norm of not engaging with the partners created a strong barrier to participation. When norms are deeply rooted, individuals often conform to them to avoid standing out or facing social disapproval. Changing these norms required visible shifts in behaviour within the community, demonstrating that engagement was becoming the new standard.
Strategy
SoMoCo's approach focused on removing these barriers to engagement:
Address Immediate Needs: SoMoCo advised partners to first address the community’s immediate concerns. A door-to-door initiative was launched to identify and resolve pressing issues within a three-week window, building trust and freeing up mental bandwidth to consider future plans.
Visual Salience: A derelict plot outside Anfield Stadium was transformed into a green, inviting space, creating curiosity and encouraging community members to engage with the consultation process.
Primacy Effect & Reciprocity: The engagement team were coached behavioural techniques designed to enhance communications and drive engagement. They were encouraged to be warm and open. Instead of asking ‘can we consult you on plans for the area’ we offered a cup of tea and a chat. This broke down implicit norms regarding consultants as uncaring and disinterested, fostered goodwill and a spirit of reciprocity.
Ease of Action: Multiple consultation points were established, including door-to-door visits and hubs in frequented locations. A 200-page "Vision Document" was replaced with interactive aids, making it easier for residents to visualise potential changes.
Norm Setting: Short videos showing whole segments of the community participating in engagement and consultation were shared, reinforcing the norm that engagement was widespread and positive.
Implementation
SoMoCo implemented these strategies, with the partners and their teams, transforming community resistance into active participation.
The consultation hubs, visual prompts, and direct engagement efforts significantly increased community involvement.
Results :
A new vision for Anfield was created, reflecting the community's ideas and aspirations.
The success of the Anfield regeneration is now considered a benchmark for urban renewal and community engagement.
The Masterplan was submitted without objection, and the regeneration project, including the stadium expansion, was completed on time and within budget.
SoMoCo's innovative approach broke a two-decade deadlock, securing the future of a vital urban renewal project.
Testimonial :
“SoMoCo exceeded our expectations and delivered a truly innovative approach that managed to break a deadlock of over twenty years in Anfield. The £280 million Anfield regeneration programme has been deemed an overwhelming success, transforming an area which had previously lacked hope, to become a neighbourhood looking to the future with aspiration.”
MARK KITTS, DIRECTOR OF REGENERATION LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL
