Our Approach

‘Lean in’ research
Consumers should be at the heart of the brand development process, not be a bolt on. Research shouldn’t be a black hole that thinking and creativity disappears into.
We believe collaboration is key to getting the most innovative and effective strategies- between us and the marketing team, and between us and consumers. Break-through thinking and work is difficult to achieve, but the chances are better if we all ‘lean in’ to the research and treat it as a journey of discovery. We have a number of simple and effective process ideas to help this happen.

Serrated edge thinking
Qualitative research can be a bit flabby. It doesn’t always deliver the strategic edge and clarity a business needs. But the essential methodology remains tremendously illuminating and effective when handled properly.
As experienced appliers of research we’ve had a look at the process to make sure our projects really deliver sharp and incisive thinking. For us, every debrief needs to work like a knife with a serrated edge – a series of clear points that cut to the heart of the issue and open up new vision for the Client team.

Turning the lights on
We switch your lights on, rather than deliver information. The value of strategy development doesn’t sit in a power-point deck. It needs to come to life in the minds of clients and their agencies so they can re-shape the brand’s activities. By the time we’ve completed the research or consultancy journey we want to have switched on new lights in your head.

Multiple sources, richer thinking
We rarely just ‘single source’ the development of strategy whether in research or consultancy projects. As planners we’re adept at bringing in stimulus and contribution from a wide variety of inspiring and relevant sources to enrich our thinking.
This can range from conducting broader cultural analysis, to seeking out the latest thinking on the issue at hand from published sources, to involving leading ‘experts’ in the field who may have an interesting and unexpected point of view. It all helps enrich our perspective on your issues.

Knowing the end game
It’s as important to understand how the findings will be used as it is to understand consumers themselves. As planners we know how research thinking is (or isn’t!) used after the debrief and this affects where we take our thinking to. If it’s not relevant, actionable and creatively liberating it causes problems.
Our backgrounds mean we’re well placed to deliver actionable findings that meets everyone’s objectives.