Uncovering and understanding how and why people think, feel, and behave as they do on a deep level.

Worthy Strategy Group, LLC, is a research and behavioral science consulting group specializing in uncovering and understanding how and why people think, feel, and behave as they do on a deep level.

Leveraging the best in behavioral science, Worthy delivers insights in the policy and political space that support initiatives to make the world a better place. Worthy serves nonprofits, political organizations, causes, and candidates.

Recent Projects of Note

Political Work

Discovering an unconscious framework that helped drive youth voter turnout for the 2020 election, leading to this ad, among others. More...

Nuclear Threat

Working with the Nuclear Threat Initiative to locate the core narrative that is most effective to activate the public to nuclear threats. More...

AAPI

Worthy is proud to be currently engaged in supporting a DC-based institution in exploring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) culture to support the creation of an exciting AAPI experience. More...

Jewish Experience

Working in support of the Jim Joseph Foundation, Worthy explored the Jewish experience and identity in America. Our study examined the personal meaning of being Jewish. More...

Understanding Immigration

Immigration has long held a grip on the American psyche, with many set in their corners and political progress shut down. More...

Simon Rosenberg

“Gretchen’s research goes deeper into the understandings of American voters than most political research can go. Her work adds a third dimension to a two-dimensional image, uncovering a look into the American voter that we haven’t seen before, and has been game-changing for Democrats. I find her work compelling, and fascinating.”
— Simon Rosenberg, Democratic Political Strategist

What Worthy Does

Our “why” at Worthy has always been to support worthy causes, doing work that makes a positive difference in the world with the best behavioral science research and strategy. We pride ourselves in asking the tough questions and going deeper to uncover the root cause of what’s happening while assembling strategies that move the needle.

Research Consulting and Design

Advising on everything from how to tackle research problems to what kinds of research questions should be asked and how.

Deep Metaphorical Research

In-depth Interviewing and online ethnographies to uncover deep insights about how people think, feel, and behave and how to connect, persuade, and move them to action.

Narrative Analysis and Development

Understanding larger cultural narratives and designing messaging campaigns.

Behavioral Science Workshops

Workshops on brain and behavioral science, persuasion theory and communication strategy, custom-tailored for your needs.

Team

Gretchen Barton, Principal

Gretchen Barton is Principal at Worthy Strategy Group, LLC, Research Director at Future Majority, and former policy lead at the Harvard-founded research firm, Olson Zaltman. Her research has spanned hazing behavior and how to stop it, nuclear threats, cults, the economically vulnerable and perceptions of people in poverty, alcohol-related behaviors and sexual health, smoking cessation and more. She’s worked directly with non-profit health care providers, hospitals and health care professionals to deliver better health outcomes and has led research and served as a behavioral science strategist for political organizations and campaigns. Gretchen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Planning Campaigns with distinction in research from Cornell University. She has written for the Journal of College Student Development and the American Journal of Health Behavior, and co-authored, Prevalence and Profile: Hazing Among College Students and Points of Intervention. She recently co-authored “The Science of Winning with Stories: Using Agency, Urgency, and Community,” a science-based explanation of why storytelling is the most effective form to engage and move a populace.

Kirk Cheyfitz, Board Member

Kirk Cheyfitz is a narrative strategist and writer helping progressive candidates, nonprofits, and causes persuade and activate people with research-driven storytelling. Previously, Kirk was an award-winning newspaper journalist, a successful publishing entrepreneur, and a senior advertising executive. A communications innovator, he was a pioneer of content marketing and the rise of stories in advertising, particularly online. He built the world’s first global content agency for McCann Worldgroup, took it private in 2005 as Story Worldwide, and led the agency until selling it in 2015. The next year, he founded Kirk Cheyfitz / Political Narrative, based in New York City.

Kirk Cheyfitz, Board Member

Kirk Cheyfitz is a narrative strategist and writer helping progressive candidates, nonprofits, and causes persuade and activate people with research-driven storytelling. Previously, Kirk was an award-winning newspaper journalist, a successful publishing entrepreneur, and a senior advertising executive. A communications innovator, he was a pioneer of content marketing and the rise of stories in advertising, particularly online. He built the world’s first global content agency for McCann Worldgroup, took it private in 2005 as Story Worldwide, and led the agency until selling it in 2015. The next year, he founded Kirk Cheyfitz / Political Narrative, based in New York City.

Catharine Hays, Board Member

Catharine Findiesen Hays is a pioneering marketing and sales strategist. She co-founded and served as Executive Director of the Wharton Future of Advertising Program from 2008 – 2018. There she cultivated and convened a network of over 500 executives, innovators, and academics to make the future of marketing and advertising markedly better for brands, people, and society. Catharine has developed and led research collaborations with Google, Facebook, Deloitte, Yahoo!, Hearts & Science, P&G, and others. She has also keynoted and led executive sessions at Cannes Lions, Forbes CMO Excursion, Deloitte’s Next CMO Academy, and more. Previously, she led marketing, strategy, and sales teams during a 16-year career at AT&T. Catharine, a proud mother of two exceptional daughters now resides in her home state of Vermont, which she returned to in May 2020 to lead the Bixby Memorial Free Library as Director. Catharine co-authored Beyond Advertising: Creating Value Through All Customer Touchpoints, Wiley 2016.

BLOG

The Science of Winning with Stories

The Science of Winning with Stories

Using Agency, Urgency, and Community The Democratic Party has been relying on a largely outmoded approach to communicate with voters. The science of the mind has revealed much in recent years about...

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Killer Metaphors

Killer Metaphors

How A Metaphor Can Kill You (or Save Your Life) In 2015, Sarah Kliff and VOX news conducted a remarkable investigation into the different ways hospitals think of, prepare for and respond to medical...

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Losing my religion

Losing my religion

What terrorism, Tony Robbins, furries and the evangelical movement taught me about branding, tribalism and human behavior.Trump Rally, Pensacola, Florida — November 2, 2016 — Carlo...

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In The News

There’s a solution to the labor shortage — and it’s the undocumented workers who are already here

The United States is in a transitional economic moment, moving from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic through a period of recovery to a more traditional economic expansion.

Continue Reading at Salon.com ›

How a zombie apocalypse is informing a new wave of Dem ads

Wide Angle Research, a nonprofit firm, has conducted extensive, cutting-edge research on voter behavior. And they’re turning it into animated ads for the close of the midterms.

Continue Reading at Politico.com ›

To win in 2024, Democrats must become the party of economic renewal

To win in 2024, Democrats must become the party of economic renewal by connecting President Biden’s achievements with improvements to voters’ well-being, and focusing on domestic production and good-paying jobs as per Rep. Ro Khana’s concept of Economic Patriotism.

Continue Reading at thehill.com ›

Reach Out

See something interesting? Want to discuss something more? Contact us.

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