Walk through almost any grocery store today and you’ll notice something interesting. Protein has found its way into cereal, chips, yogurt and coffee. Beverages promise hydration, gut health and cognitive support. Beauty brands increasingly talk about wellness from the inside out. Alcohol brands emphasize lower calories, active lifestyles and moderation. Personal care products promise healthier […]
Consumers say they want authentic brands. Marketers do, too. Few concepts appear more frequently in brand strategy discussions than authenticity. When a brand loses relevance, marketers often worry that it has drifted from its roots. When a company considers entering a new market, targeting a new audience or updating its positioning, someone inevitably asks whether […]
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Starting Your Research the Right Way – With the Right Question In Brief Before starting any research project there is one deceptively simple question that makes all the difference: “What decision will this research help you make?” This foundational question brings clarity to your objectives, sharpens your methods, and ensures the results drive action rather than […]
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In Brief AI can synthesize text, surface patterns, and even simulate language with remarkable fluency — but it can’t feel. In a world where generative tools are everywhere, it’s tempting to offload insight work to machines. But real understanding — the kind that changes how a brand sees its audience — still requires something uniquely […]
We like to think of market research as a rational process. We design a study, field the data, run the analysis, and deliver the insight. Straight lines and clear outcomes. But if you’ve spent time on the inside of a project—whether as a client, researcher, or agency partner—you know that’s not how it feels. Even […]
In Brief Ethnography is a powerful method for understanding consumers in context—by observing their real lives rather than relying solely on what they say. While surveys and analytics show you the what, ethnography reveals the why. It uncovers unspoken needs, cultural cues, and innovation opportunities that drive meaningful strategy. What is Ethnography? It starts with […]
The Importance of Theory in Research When I was a grad student working on my doctoral dissertation on news media coverage of electoral politics, one of my professors pressed me to clarify the theory of democracy underlying my analysis. My research examined how news organizations shaped public discourse about elections, but she wanted me to […]
What do a legendary ad man, a Grammy-winning music producer, and a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist have in common? They all know the keys to innovation in market research. Our clients describe us as an innovative market research company. They come to us for custom studies to answer complex questions. Recently, I was asked, “How exactly […]
There’s a lot of bad reporting in market research. This has serious implications for corporate research buyers. The best designed and executed market research studies will have little impact if the reports don’t communicate new insights clearly and simply. For corporate research buyers, bad reports mean: Wasted time: Corporate research buyers waste time rewriting supplier […]
(or What Football Can Teach Us About Consumer Insights) By Jim White and David Harris Though it may be a stretch, we wanted to share our thoughts on what football can teach us about successful integrated market research. (Just go with it. It turns out, there’s quite a bit!) And for those of you who […]
