“Give me less analysis, make me do more work”

Said no-one. Ever. (To me anyway.) That’s why I don’t believe that clients are suddenly finding themselves with more time, or have a desire to do all of the analysis themselves. I believe they want opinions and recommendations based on high quality, truthful insights from their peers.  Yet there is this constant drive towards DIY …

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Empathy? Not feeling it.

Consumer closeness? Not even close. Consumer centricity? More like on the periphery. There is plenty written about these 3 key approaches to market research, but no one has nailed it. No one has got it working in such a way that they are really understanding people; and as a result, no one is really winning …

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Online retailers: if you can’t get me now, when will you?

In the past 6 weeks I have bought a load of things online including printer cartridges (for the kids’ schoolwork), a large picture frame, cheese (of course), wine (of course), coloured paper, postcards and some 6 packs of shoelaces.  All of which I would normally buy from the high street.  Thing is, whilst some of …

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Covid-19: we’re here to help

We’ve heard from many sources that certain traditional research methods – mostly those that involve face-to-face interactions – may have to be curtailed while we work through the coming months. This restriction may hold up projects and, more worryingly, put the livelihoods of some independent freelance researchers at risk. As many of you know, Watch …

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Seeking out consumer groans

Why seeking out your consumers’ groans rather than hiding from them, is a better recipe for success Almost 9 years ago Alistair Vince and I were sitting in a rather wonderful beer garden in a fine pub in Richmond overlooking the Thames, on one of those magnificent but slightly rare 🙂 sunny afternoons in London. …

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Platform 9¾

Many people know us for our video qual projects that bring sledgehammer realisations to the bored and the boardroom. Others for our observation methodologies that ice bucket the presumptions. And some for our ability bring the numbers to life and make the proof, well, foolproof. But Platforms? Don’t you find them on train stations? While …

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Why Watch Me Think?

Other companies don’t "do what we do" We explore consumer behaviour. What people do, not just what they say. We watch. We don’t just ask. We get more answers for our clients this way. We have unique methodologies for video ethnography. Methodologies such as observation self-review, where consumers review their own behaviour and screen record, …

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Silver blanks?

There are currently lots of conversations about how building genuine “empathy” with consumers is likely to be a critical ingredient in the future success of many companies. I could not agree more. We have a lot of evidence to highlight the benefits companies achieve by finding rich seams of empathy in an authentic way. What …

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