Services

Good market research is all about getting to know the people we want to serve. Qualitative research yields deep insights into what consumers think, want and do. Some ways in: 

• One-on-one interviews: informal chats to get to know consumers better. What's important to them? What's keeping them up at night? What drives them? What are they buying today? If they could wave a magic wand and create their perfect (fill in the blank) what would that look like? Ask 'why, why, why' until you hit the insights.
• Diary studies: follow consumers over a period of time to get to know their routines & habits. Why do they do what they do? Look for the tensions, 'hacks,' and compensating behaviors. Is there something we can 'solve' that will delight them?
• Friend groups: sometimes people are hesitant to  talk to strangers - but they love chatting with friends. Here we guide the conversation, listen and learn. These are always fun!
• Shop-alongs: tag along on shopping trips. Did your product get noticed? Is the proposition clear? What did consumer ultimatley buy / why? Here we learn how we compete in the real world.
• Focus groups: as seen on TV! Ask a group of people focused questions on any topic.

Quantitative research is all about knowing the MANY. It's designed to build CONFIDENCE in results behind large base sizes. Some methods:

• Surveys: these are a mix of art and science - the art of asking the right questions, the right way, and the science of analyzing findings to identify the most important insights. These are useful to quickly understand behaviors & attitudes. 
• Concept, Claim, Copy, Package and Shelf tests: identify and optimize your strongest ideas. 
• Brand Health: understand how consumers think and feel about your brand compared to the competition over time. This is particularly important to gauge amongst Gen Z, who reward brands that align with their values. 
• Segmentation: inspire product and commercial innovation by better understanding WHO you want to serve and what's important to them.

Analyze your brand, the category and the competition to understand market dynamics and identify opportunities. 

• Stalk the competition. How do they show up in store and on-line? What do they stand for? How are you the same / different from the competition? Why should consumers pick you?
• Listen. What are people saying about your brand, competition and the category in reviews and on social media? This is a free treasure trove of consumer understanding.
• Identify trends. What's happening in / out of your category? How will it change what and how people buy? What can you tap into, or lead?
• Define white space opportunities. Where are your greatest opportunities? 

Map out the path forward. Innovation is the lifeblood of every company. Follow a tried and true, but flexible roadmap that looks like this:

• Get grounded in the business. Do you need ideas, products and services NOW, in the next 3-5 years? Or 5+ years? Do you have existing technologies that you want to leverage or are you building from the ground up? Who are you targeting / why?
• Define the context. What's happening in your category and the world, both today and tomorrow, that will impact what you launch?
• Jobs to be done (JTBD): what progress are consumers trying to make when they buy or use your product / service?
• Inspire.  Pull in trends, 'fringe' thinkers and experts to push ideation.
• Co-create with consumers. Rapid, iterative cycles of idea sharing, gathering feedback, optimizing ideas, hit repeat. This bakes the voice of the consumer into your ideas throughout.
• Validate. Quantitatively test top ideas to identify and optimize the strongest. 
• Launch, track and modify. Watch, learn and optimize.