Some of the brands we have worked with
Strategic Research
A strategic marketing research plan is about information; a strategic marketing plan is about action. The one supports the other. Without information there can be no action, and inaction turns information into mere data.
The plan, in two parts
Dividing consumers and potential consumers into subgroups with different sensitivities to the marketing mix. It's the foundation of marketing strategy, guiding resource allocation toward the most lucrative customers by size and value.
Assessing how a product or service should be differentiated to stand out and become more recognisable. This is the key to branding, achieved across three focus areas below.
Product concept tests, pricing research, packaging testing and product evaluation, covering purchase intent, perceived characteristics, category and brand usage, attitude ratings, likes and dislikes, target segment, and even estimated future sales using causal research.
Assessing advertising content and concept, how consumers react to rough versions of an ad for print or airwaves, alongside media studies of what the target market consumes and how they rate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the ads.
The final leg of the plan. A company's longevity depends on knowing what customers think of your service and how they engage with your brand. It must be carefully measured and managed.
Methodology
We draw on the full methodological spectrum, choosing the design that fits the question rather than forcing the question to fit a method.
Staying abreast of the latest academic knowledge in branding and research. This theoretical underpinning reduces business risk and benchmarks every engagement against international best practice.
The most popular strategy: face-to-face, telephone and self-completion questionnaires. By quantifying data it makes reality easy to understand, with representative samples and strictly controlled fieldwork.
Collecting information through human or mechanical observation. The mystery shopper exercise measures brand resonance, brand relationships, which is what branding is ultimately all about.
Answering "what if?" What if I cut price by 8%? Launch in August instead of July? Offer a gift on first purchase? We find the answers using advanced statistical techniques.
Examining the underlying motives of consumers and managers through in-depth interviews, the Delphi technique and group discussions, plus projective techniques like word association, collage and brand mapping.
Reaching beyond the subconscious into the realms of the unconscious through esoteric channels, providing answers where one would usually expect none. See Innovative Solutions.
New age research
Artificial intelligence has changed the speed of research. It has not changed the need for sound method. We use AI where it strengthens the work, and keep a researcher's judgement over every finding.
Transcripts, open-ended responses and review data coded and themed in hours rather than weeks, then validated by a researcher before anything reaches your desk.
Tracking what markets say about your brand across platforms in near real time, an always-on complement to the longitudinal panel.
Machine learning extends our causal designs, forecasting demand, churn and price response before you commit budget.
AI can hallucinate and inherit bias. Every AI-assisted output is checked against primary data, in keeping with our fact-finding discipline.
Let's scope the right research plan together. A detailed proposal follows within seven working days.
Start a project →Some of the brands we have worked with