Process
Here's what happens when we work from start to finish.
THE ORGANIZATION
Intake - our first meeting with you is a structured interview where we establish your business goals and other research parameters.
Data review - we go through the data you already might have.
Brand audit - for an existing brand, we review the elements of its Compass and all of its expression assets.
Stakeholder interviews - we conduct structured interviews with stakeholders to understand their vision for the brand, and the role of the brand in their marketing strategy.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Brand strength diagnostic survey - for an existing brand, we test the extent to which the brand influences consumer choice. For all brands in the category, we measure the extent to which the brand in general is an important factor in consumers' decisions.
Culture review - we identity current and emerging cultural trends that influence how consumers behave in the category.
Competitive mapping - we evaluate competitors' positioning, claims, language, brand personalities, and other strategical and tactical elements.
PEOPLE
Social portraits - we collect a diverse sample of category users on social media, and analyze their feeds to sketch their initial profiles.
Consumer interviews - we observe and talk with people to understand what triggers their search, what obstacles they face, how they envision the ideal outcome, how they differentiate one brand in the category from another, how they make their choice, and who influences their decisions.
Survey - we conduct a survey that usually includes the following modules:
- Segmentation module defines and prioritizes prospective customer segments, and informs the Master dimension of the Compass.
- Consumer motives module identifies consumers’ key functional and emotional needs they seek to satisfy by shopping in the category. It informs the Purpose dimension.
- Brand associations module maps the network of associations that exist between brands, benefits, wants, and culture. Informs the Expression dimension.
- Concept testing module evaluates the strength of different positioning concepts, and also informs the Expression and the Promise dimensions.
Interest graph analysis - we will select a sample of social media users who fit the target profile, and examine what they read and who they follow.
Pre-segmentation - the data we have gathered by this point will allow us to make hypotheses about possible audience segments and personas.
Target interviews - we will then conduct individual interviews with 5-6 people per target audience segment. We prefer to conduct interviews in person, but phone or video chat will work in a pinch too. Usually, the interviews are taped.
Brainstorm session - at this point, we will share our preliminary findings with you. We will also, in collaboration with your creative partner, brainstorm content themes, and mock up possible executions.
Survey - finally, if feasible, we will conduct a survey to validate the segments and our findings. We will also pre-test executions to measure their effectiveness, and we will collect data that will help us understand how people search for and interact with content.