21
Sep

4A’s StratFest Themes: Storytelling, Connection, Inclusivity

Posted by: Brennan Mullin in: advertising , Blog , branding , Conference , links , Uncategorized No Comments on 4A’s StratFest Themes: Storytelling, Connection, Inclusivity

Perspective changes everything. As someone new to Market Research (five months strong!), I’ve started seeing marketing efforts from brands in an entirely new light.

What kind of data fueled that campaign?
How much testing went into this 30 second ad?
Where’s the deeper message? What’s the story besides…buy this now?

Enter StratFest from the team at 4A’s. As my first strategy conference, I was excited to get a lay of the land and see the latest trends and innovations in the field. StratFest did not disappoint. I left the event with new takeaways and ideas for how to better communicate big ideas with data and help brands be seen on a bigger scale.

The event’s bio reads:
“Since its introduction to the ad industry over 50 years ago, the strategy discipline has had an undeniable impact on the ways brands communicate and connect with consumers. The 4A’s StratFest celebrates the strategist community and is home to the 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards, which recognizes the best strategic thinking in marketing, media, and advertising around the world.”

The biggest through line at this year’s event? Storytelling, connection, and inclusivity.

As we hurdle through these strange times, connection is the only constant. Brands that tap into that are seeing high engagement and more profit. So here are a few panels and ideas that really resonated with me:

ENTERTAINMENT IS KING

One aspect of marketing that will likely never change? People like to be entertained. In fact, simply reminding consumers of this fact has worked for brands like Tiffany & Co. Just ask writer Paul Feldwick.

His panel, Why Does the Peddler Sing?, explores the intrinsic link between marketing and entertainment. He argues that brands must be more like peddlers or traveling salesmen who rode along with the circus or other road shows, dazzling audiences and communicating the value of their brands.

“The peddler sings, tells jokes, but above all, he attracts attention. The singing peddler is the perfect archetype of someone coming into your home and putting you in the mood to purchase.”

These days, marketers don’t need an elephant or clowns (thank God) to get the point across since pop stars will do. As shown in the ads above, associating existing brands with popular entertainers like Beyonce and Jay-Z can create buzz and excitement, even about an established brand like Tiffany.

Bottom line? Selling is easier if you can dazzle an audience. You don’t need celebrities, glitz, and glamour, but you must create a steady stream of content for your audience to engage with to garner more attention for your brand.

WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARADIGM SHIFT

During her panel, The Potential of Plurality, Chris Konya from Sylvian Labs spoke about the blurring cultural lines that come from our shared experiences. She argues that because we live in a niched-down world where people have more freedom to consume the media they choose, the idea of a shared cultural experience is different than it was ten (or even five) years ago.

Plurality redefines the idea of shared identity. It posits a culture with no core and outliers, but by individual experiences.

Here are Konya’s tips to creating a more shared culture:

  1. Realize our audiences are changing. It will be harder to find a universal, shared experience. You must design for plurality. Nike created a new shoe design, the GO FlyEase, that requires no hands and no laces to put on. This design was created for people with cerebral palsy, but the design was so successful these shoes are finding an audience with all audiences.
  2. Create new conversations to generate plurality. It’s up to market researchers to push past existing conversations. NFTs have given communities (crypto investors, artists, and tech nerds) that on the surface have little in common a campfire and new language to rally around. How can we create new communities with other experiences?
  3. Celebrate people’s individuality. People want to honor each other’s differences and create a positive shared emotional experience. Not everyone can experience something like “Black Girl Magic,” but it’s a message that we can all get behind.

So, what does this mean for advertisers and marketing pros? We must go beyond the surface. As marketers, tapping into this paradigm shift will be essential to connect with audiences on a deeper level.

CONVERSATION MATTERS

Brand relevance has a direct tie to profit―it’s crucial for corporate entities to join the conversation, but even more important to join the right conversation.

The team at Twitter has been tracking these brand conversations over the past two years and studied how brands can use trending topics and conversations to better connect to people in an authentic way. They’ve found that if a brand can join the conversation and get more attention, they can see an increase in sales. There is a correlation between relevance and revenue.

Rebecca Kramer Rosengard’s and Lisa Cowie’s panel, From Billions to Six Tweets to Six Key Trends: Helping Brands Connect to What Matters, shared findings from the latest Twitter Trends report that dropped this month. Their insights about the six biggest topics of the last two years are fascinating:

  1. Wellbeing – In the last two years, conversations around prioritizing self-care and communities of care has grow by 55%. This includes topics that have exploded during COVID, such as health tech, healthcare, vaccines, and gene therapy.
  2. Creator Culture – There has been a 77% increase in discussions about creativity or creations on Twitter. While self-promotion is important, the rise of crypto art and the use of AI for creation and writing shows that interest in expression in all forms is on the rise.
  3. Everyday Wonder – Escapism has always been a fundamental need for audiences. In the last few years, people have flocked to online conversations about travel, exploration, and even the unknown, including space and the deep ocean.
     
  4. One Planet – There’s been a 1,440% increase in conversations about sustainability. There’s a real sense of urgency around conversations about organic/clean beauty, food waste, and sustainable energy.
  5. Tech Life – There’s been a 274% increase in conversations about technology with audiences particularly interested in connected devices, smart appliances, and crypto.
  6. Identity ‒ People “being seen” on an individual level with representation is crucial. Mentions of “identity” are up 26% and topics around gender equality, racism, liberty, and cancel culture are up by 69%.

AWARD WINNING CAMPAIGNS

StratFest also highlights the best campaigns of the last year through the Jay Chiat Awards. Topics including equity, inclusion, and identity won big in 2021. Here are a few of my favorite campaigns shared during the conference:

Crayola: Colors of the World

Inclusion means a sense of belonging, and in 2020, Crayola found a unique way to bring a message of diversity and inclusion to even our youngest artists by bringing their eight existing skin tones (from 1992) to 40 in 2020. The new Colors of the World Crayons contain 24 specially formulated colors representing people of the world. The subtle shades are formulated to better represent diversity worldwide through shades of almond, rose, and gold.

Edelman & Good Humor: A New Ice Cream Truck Jingle for a New Era

Did you know 60% of Americans think it’s important for brands to embrace racial equality? After social media conversations in 2020 around the racist roots of “Turkey in the Straw,” the default ice cream truck song, Good Humor created a new ice cream jingle with RZA and even made it royalty-free for ice cream truck drivers. Nichols Electronics, the biggest music box manufacturer, partnered with Good Humor to replace Turkey in the Straw with the new jingle.

Unilever & Mele: A Scientific Breakthrough: The Science of Melanin-Rich Skin

People with melanin-rich and darker skin have different concerns unaddressed in the market. This colorblind approach to skincare wasn’t working for unmet needs for black audiences. Enter Mele, a unique new skincare line focused on the science of melanin-rich skin.

IN SUMMARY

Thanks to StratFest, I learned more than just great strategies that help organizations like W5 join better conversations and create content that gets brands seen. StratFest opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about how strategy fueled by data and insights can be utilized to make the world a more inclusive and representative place.

Do you have a research project in the pipeline? Reach out to the W5 team!

16
Sep

Sustainable Fashion: More Than a Trend

Posted by: Sonja Hodgson in: Blog , branding , creativity , Fashion , knowledge No Comments on Sustainable Fashion: More Than a Trend

When I went to my local discount retailer recently to buy jean shorts, I discovered several options that advertised that they were made with post-consumer recycled materials. I was intrigued and wondered how important these claims would be to other shoppers. Upon further investigation, I was amazed to find that sustainable fashion is trending upward.

Brands and campaigns that incorporate these themes are being rewarded.

Not only are more clothing manufacturers sourcing from post-consumer recycled materials, but many retailers that previously employed a “fast fashion” business model are having to pivot their way of doing business to respond to the consumer demand for secondhand clothing.

Hasan Minhaj Netflix GIF by Patriot Act - Find & Share on GIPHY

The current business model for much of fashion retail is linear: buy new, use it up, throw it away when you don’t want it anymore. According to the World Bank, “Of the total fiber input used for clothing, 87% is incinerated or disposed of in a landfill.” This business model also emits considerable greenhouse gases. In 2018, creation of new clothes contributed 2.1B metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—roughly 10% of worldwide emissions!

Sustainable fashion reduces that carbon footprint considerably, and employs a circular model: buy new, use it, donate or resell it to a secondhand retailer, another person buys the used item and reduces demand on new fashion production. Buying an item secondhand and keeping that item in circulation, instead of needing to produce a new garment, can reduce the carbon footprint of that clothing item by 82%, according to ThredUP.

ThredUP, an online secondhand clothing marketplace, says the resale clothing market is expected to double by 2025 to an impressive $77 Billion! Additionally, over 23 thousand retailers have said they are open to integrating secondhand sales into their business model. As a qualitative researcher, I am drawn to answer the “why” behind consumer behavior. I sought to understand what factors were driving this push, and moreover, why the push toward secondhand clothing matters to consumers.

Upon reading further, I found that consumers, especially younger Millennial and Gen Z generations are increasingly buying used clothing instead of new. Additionally, the pandemic year(s) has pushed 33 million consumers to shop resale clothing for the first time. Factors such as a higher priority for spending less on garments, a desire for higher quality materials that can be resold over disposable textiles, and an increased focus on sustainability have driven consumers to shift their gaze to resale clothing over retail.

Consumers are looking for their clothing choices to be more sustainable, and the growing resell industry is a big part of that. For the fashionistas who seek haute couture pieces and the most up-and-coming threads, just hang onto it a bit longer: “continuing to actively wear a garment for just nine months longer could diminish its environmental impacts by 20-30%”. (BBC.com)

What’s more sleek than rocking that drip while doing your part for the planet?

10
Sep

Find What Works For You: Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety

Posted by: Megan Giedraitis in: Blog , culture , links , market research , study , Uncategorized No Comments on Find What Works For You: Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety

With layoffs, employee burnout, pressure to return to the office, and pandemic setbacks, it is difficult to comprehend the level of stress we face today.

In the HBO documentary, One Nation Under Stress, neurosurgeon and medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with experts, affected individuals, and family members to shed light on the chronic levels of stress impacting mortality rates in the U.S. Stress can play a role in negatively impacting the mind and body including heart problems, skin conditions, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and more.

W5ers got together for another Theme of the Month meeting last month to discuss a few key techniques under the topic of STRESS AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT:

Schedule Your Downtime

Picture this: you’ve finally reached the weekend and have some free time to sit back and relax… but you also have this feeling of guilt that you could be doing something more productive. It’s important to remember to get to our peak efficiency, rest and recovery are essential.

Here’s a few tips for making relaxation a part of your regular routine:

  • Set calendar reminders – If a color-coded calendar with audible reminders helps you stay on track during the week, use the same strategy with downtime. Schedule in set times to do activities that make you feel your best―a walk, call a friend, get a massage. Think of it as an investment in your health and wellbeing.
  • Take a tech break – Another simple strategy is unplugging from your devices. In Pico Iyer’s TED talk, The Art of Stillness, he emphasizes the increasing need to bring stillness into an age of constant movement and connectedness. For one hour a day, take a break from your screen. Don’t believe your smartphone apps have enslaved you? Start tracking your screen time and number of pickups and you might change your mind. 
  • Attend a wellness retreat – When all else fails, find time to escape. Rather than an action-packed vacation, seek refuge at a wellness retreat with activities focusing on body movement, healthy nutrition, time in nature, and structured leisure time. Check out The Art of Living Retreat Center or Om Sanctuary tucked among beautiful views of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Find What Works For You

Alright, so you’ve blocked off a 30-minute time slot in your day for downtime, but now you realize your resting state is bombarded with racing thoughts. To distract yourself, you turn to cleaning your kitchen, binging TV, or online shopping. Over time this busyness can be exhausting and it’s important to find  strategies for stillness:

  • Identify the right type of rest – In the TEDxAtlanta talk, The real reason why we are tired and what to do about it, Saundra Dalton-Smith highlights the need to focus on finding the right type of rest from the different energy we use throughout our day (i.e., mental, spiritual, emotional, social, sensory, creative, physical). She notes rest is much more than sleep and does not have to take hours―keeping a notepad to write down thoughts, listening to music, saying no to things you don’t feel up to, spending time in nature, etc.
  • Move into meditation – For many, sitting still in silence can feel like a chore. One way to find a meditation practice is to incorporate movement through yoga. A research-backed strategy for reducing stress and providing peace of mind, yoga postures prepare the body to meditate for long periods of time.
  • Exercising to relax – Meditation might not be for everyone, and some note they must physically exhaust themselves to cultivate relaxation. This may include shoveling wheelbarrows of mulch, lifting weights, going for a run, or playing with kids. Along with physical benefits, exercise provides confidence and resilience despite daily challenges. 
  • Fidget discreetly – One surprising way to fine-tune your focus through movement is fidget toys. If the fidget spinner craze of 2017 wasn’t your thing, there are plenty new options today, from tangles to putty to cubes. While most research is still underway for determining the effectiveness of fidget tools in adults, one study has shown evidence of self-regulation towards achieving calm, focus, and creativity.

For more of W5’s Theme of the Month topics:

GENERATIONAL THINKING

CREATIVITY

RELATIONSHIPS

EMPATHY

We believe great research starts with asking questions and creating connections to understand different viewpoints and life experiences. Everyone experiences different stressors at an individual level and it’s important to take time to assess what makes you feel good.

What are some ways you manage your physical and mental well-being? Share your strategies with us in the comments below!

31
Aug

A Marketer’s Guide to Understanding and Designing a Strong A&U

Posted by: Amy Castelda in: Blog , infographics No Comments on A Marketer’s Guide to Understanding and Designing a Strong A&U

How do people view your category in the marketplace?

What are their purchase motivations?

How do consumers shop for these products?

What are the top purchase barriers in your category?

What is the preferred purchase channel for your brand?

If you don’t have answers to these questions based on robust, reliable data, you may want to consider adding an A&U study to your 2021 fall budget.

Attitude and Usage Studies, sometimes called an A&U or AAU (Attitudes, Awareness, Usage), help brands understand how consumers interact with goods and services by profiling current and potential customers’ habits, attitudes, needs, values, and motivations.

If you’re new to marketing research, A&U studies are a great way to understand the benefits of primary research and can support internal clients across your organization, from innovation and sales to marketing and merchandising.

However, not all A&U studies are alike. Without a custom questionnaire, generic results may undermine actionable insights that drive understanding, trial, loyalty, and most importantly, market share.

As such, A&U studies are typically conducted for specific products rather than brands. This research offers more than a kitchen sink survey approach by focusing on learning and identifying opportunities.  

At W5, our team of in-house statisticians builds each survey from the ground up based on our clients’ KPIs and category. For example, a custom A&U might include questions around:

  • Purchase funnel – Overall awareness (aided and unaided); consideration, purchase intent, have purchased, repeat purchasing; usage levels
  • Brand awareness and trial – Gauging awareness and usage of current major players or disruptive brands in the category  
  • Barriers to trial and/or usage – Hesitations, concerns for non-users; current pain points and frustrations for users
  • Purchase channels – Where it is currently purchased; where consumers want to purchase it; preference for dedicated in-store or aisle placement; online purchasing behaviors
  • Demographics and psychographics – Profile demographics (e.g. age, gender, race, and location) as well as opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and values impacting purchasing behaviors

How do you know if you have a strong A&U Study? Check out the graphic below featuring the three traits that make for a solid A&U.

Interested in learning more? Feel free to reach out to us at rfp@W5insight.com or give us a call at (919) 932-1117.

26
Aug

Video: Strategic Tracking 101

Posted by: Brennan Mullin in: Blog , knowledge , links , market research , Uncategorized , Video No Comments on Video: Strategic Tracking 101

Are you being strategic with your tracking metrics?

Whether you’re measuring every year or every quarter, W5’s strategic tracking framework guides decision-making based on analysis of trends and evaluation of past activity in your field. Great tracking can even help you predict the future!

Check out our video, What is Strategic Tracking?, and download this helpful e-book to understand how a Strategic Tracking can spark innovation and guide new marketing initiatives at your organization.

Interested in more of our Strategic Tracking initiatives? Check out these resources:

Spotlight: Getting the Most Value Out of a Brand Tracker

Ask the Expert: State of the Brand Tracking Research

How to Tackle Tracking: A Conversation with Our Quantitative Team

18
Aug

5 ‘Ice Cold’ Case Studies in the Adult Beverage Space

Posted by: Brennan Mullin in: Blog , knowledge , links , market research , study No Comments on 5 ‘Ice Cold’ Case Studies in the Adult Beverage Space

Hard seltzers are invading every party you go to. Check.
Hard seltzer from every brand on the planet. Been there, drank that.
Alcohol-infused Mountain Dew? Yeah, it’s coming next year.

Staying on top of these and other trends is bread and butter for market researchers. Working with providers of adult beverages is no different. W5 has a history as researchers (and consumers) to collaborate with established, global brands, start-up challengers, retailer partners, and delivery services to get products in people’s hands.

We’ve identified pivotal touchpoints in grocery stores, explored segments to identify new marketing opportunities, and even discovered what consumers think of the latest trends, like CBD-infused drinks.

Quench your thirst with these inspiring case studies that uncovered triggers driving trial, brand loyalty, and retail experience enhancements:

Understanding the Shopper Journey to Create New Experiences

THE APPROACH
A global alcoholic beverage brand partnered with W5 to identify pivotal moments impacting beverage selection across retail channels. A robust hybrid approach utilized a custom survey and in-store mobile activities to track experiences and capture key shopping touchpoints and barriers from endcaps and digital engagement to pricing and promotions.

THE RESULT
W5 plotted the shopper journey, highlighting how shifts in consumption occasions and channel choices lead to purchase triggers and drivers to create new shopper-focused and context-specific shopper marketing strategies, ranging from building brand awareness and consideration to in-aisle strategies for disrupting routines and capturing attention.

Insights to Guide Innovation and Entry into the CBD Category

THE APPROACH
To support launch of a new CBD infused beverage line, a national beverage brand needed to capture a holistic understanding of the CBD landscape, including usage occasions and product form. W5 conducted a custom Attitude and Usage survey to gain insight on consideration, purchase, barriers to CBD trial, brand awareness, and more.

THE RESULT
The survey confirmed consumer interest in a CBD infused beverage, even though a drinkable form was less common than infused tinctures or foods. The client also gained insights on why and when consumers want to use CBD products, attitudes among current users, and barriers for non-users to fuel innovation strategies and a go-to-market launch plan.

Exploring New Segments to Future-Proof a Brand

THE APPROACH
A leading spirits producer sought to evolve the brand image of its strongest performing product. W5 conducted a segmentation to confirm a hypothesized target market and then leveraged ethnographic research to understand how segments engage with spirits and cocktails by exploring recipes, social media influences, bar carts, and mixology trends.

THE RESULT
The research profiled new segments and identified ways to connect with consumers who engage not only imbibe but also host, serve cocktails, and other related activities. The data established perspectives on segment attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles to inspire a new creative campaign, driving tremendous growth among the new segments and elevating the brand’s image.

Tracking the Impact of a Retail Rebrand Over Time

THE APPROACH
A regional wine and spirits retailer and its advertising agency sought to understand the impact of store rebranding on customer satisfaction and shopper perceptions. W5 designed and conducted multiple waves of research with customers and non-customers to measure awareness and perceptions of the rebrand and store consideration.

THE RESULT
The store rebranding was recognized and perceived positively among customers and non-customers alike. The research highlighted aspects of store atmosphere, shopping experience, and improvements in customer service. Study insights were leveraged to refine store design, shopping experience, and inform communications around the refreshed brand.

Dinner Groups to Enhance the Fine Dining Experience

THE APPROACH
A beer, wine, and spirits brand sought to understand what influenced alcohol purchases at fine dining establishments. Dinner Discussion Groups, split by younger and older cohorts, provided an intimate environment to discuss beverage descriptions, pairing, and pricing over dinner and drinks, fostering a space for ideation and collaboration between the client, W5, and consumers.

THE RESULT
W5 identified trends for preferences across wine, liquor, and beer diners’ expectations for spirit offerings, server guidance, and menu details by age cohort and across mealtime moments (appetizer, meal, night cap). The client came away with actionable recommendations for updating menu text, ideas for server training, and appropriate times to promote specific branded spirits to enhance dining experiences.

04
Aug

The Stories We Tell

Posted by: Martin Molloy in: Blog , culture , knowledge , links No Comments on The Stories We Tell

One of the things we try to do here at W5 is tell stories. Data only gets you so far without the story behind it. Stories add context, depth, and richness. I’ve been addicted to stories as long as I can remember since picking up comic books in the 1970s.

One incredible story book are The New York Times obituary pages. They never just give you the facts, but instead dive deep into people’s lives and highlight elements that go far beyond dates and the basics.

Recently, Ron Popeil passed away. While his life was interesting, there was a detail in his obituary that jumped out at me:

His father, Samuel Popeil, was the inventor of the Chop-O-Matic and several other well-known items, and as a teenager Ron began selling his father’s inventions at a Walgreen’s store in Chicago.

His described his relationship with his father, who died in 1984, as all business. In 1974, Samuel’s second wife, Eloise, was convicted of attempting to hire two men to murder him. After serving 19 months of her sentence, the couple later remarried.

Instead of just being a brief remembrance of his life, you start to peel back the layers and wonder about the other people in his life. In two sentences the author shared the most intriguing and interesting detail in the entire piece.

Another obituary that has stuck with me years later is Manfred Gans who escaped Nazi Germany and then went back with U.S. forces to his village to find his parents. His obituary reads like a movie:

In March 1945, he helped free his hometown, the ancient walled city of Borken, where he had been born on April 27, 1922. His house, on the outskirts of town, had been used as a Nazi headquarters; the wine cellar was a torture chamber. His parents, Moritz and Else Fraenkel Gans, had been taken away.

Mr. Gans was determined to find them, though he had no idea if they had survived. He asked his superior officers to grant him a leave. They gave him a jeep and a driver, and the two embarked on a journey that would take them across hundreds of miles of German-held territory.

As researchers, that’s our job― to listen for the elements that aren’t obvious.

What are people really saying, what’s between the lines of what they’re not saying? When are they lying or stretching the truth? When are they obfuscating?

So often I’ll be moderating a focus group and by listening and observing can tell the respondents aren’t reporting what they actually think, feel, and do. Uncovering the truth often involves looking for those unspoken elements or grabbing onto details they find less meaningful. It is in those truths that we often uncover the unexpected, but meaningful, stories that can drive change.  

29
Jul

Spotlight: Getting the Most Value Out of a Brand Tracker

Posted by: Kana Feng in: Blog , Data Visualization , market research , marketing , Media , Spotlight No Comments on Spotlight: Getting the Most Value Out of a Brand Tracker

Brand tracking is an important tool in evaluating growth and progress of a brand, but also seeing gradual, important shifts in the overall market. Here at W5, we help our clients by designing and executing brand trackers that monitor brand health, brand perception, advertising effectiveness, consumer needs and motivations, and more. We combine multiple areas of exploration to create a well-rounded study that guide business decision for the brand.

The case study below introduces an example of our strategic brand tracking research – now in its fifth wave. This research is a great example of two aspects of the brand tracking we do at W5 and how it allows clients to get the most out of this type of research:

  1. Sticking with it (keep track of key metrics wave over wave): By sticking with a tracker for more than a wave or two, we can gain insight to identify anomalies versus actually shifts in the market. But also…
  2. Taking time to reevaluate each wave (adjust small portions of the survey as necessary): Keeping important metrics is a must, but we also advise and encourage clients to take a look at the survey content before each wave goes live ensuing the questions and answer sets are still relevant and up-to-date.

Case Study: Strategic Brand and Advertising Tracking

A leading manufacturer of home appliances and their advertising agency partnered with W5 to conduct a fifth wave of brand tracking research in the U.S. and Canada. The strategic tracker measures brand health, brand perceptions, and advertising awareness/evaluation each wave. It also includes a module of specific questions related to strategic focuses and new product category innovations.

APPROACH

W5 collaborated with the clients to ensure questions in the survey were still pertinent and useful. This year, we adjusted questions to focus on innovation and technology that has become more widespread since the previous wave as well as shifts in behaviors due to the pandemic. Following the collaboration session on the updated Questionnaire, W5 conducted the fifth wave of research to engage a robust sample of homeowners across the U.S. and Canada.

RESULTS

Following data collection and close monitoring of data quality, W5 presented a customized report with results from this wave and all previous waves. By looking at results over a longer period, W5 was able to provide metrics on gradual shifts and important trends in the market versus a one-off data fluctuation. Data from the newly adjusted questions proved to be useful as showcasing the growing need for technology-centric features combined with the waning perceptions of competitor brands as a technology leader. This, in addition the previously tracked brand health metrics, uncovered positioning and marketing opportunities and ideas on how to expand their presence in the market.

Want to learn more about conducting your own longitudinal study to track changing behaviors?
Book a call to continue the conversation.

22
Jul

Longitudinal Studies Track a Changing World

Posted by: Martin Molloy in: Blog , knowledge , market research , marketing No Comments on Longitudinal Studies Track a Changing World

As the world moves through the next stage of a global pandemic and potentially comes out of it, the one constant we will all face is continued change. Given the seismic shifts in people’s lives, it’s no surprise the near-term focus is figuring out how we want to live, how we feel, and how to react to these new factors. From The Great Resignation to shifts in behavior over the last year, it’s clear consumers are not necessarily going back to their pre-pandemic way of life.

While a chaotic time for brands, as market researchers we see opportunity to not only defend market share but steal it. These changes are not one and done. We believe this shift in conditions is going to continue over time. For brands, it’s the perfect moment to think about conducting longitudinal studies with current and prospective customers to ensure your brand, products, and services can adapt. Simply tracking awareness or behavior will no longer suffice.

Brands that want to understand audiences will have to keep an eye on:

  • What consumers are doing and the tradeoffs they are making
  • How consumers feel not only about brands, but categories and their own needs
  • What new products and brands consumers are considering or using
  • What new behavioral hacks consumers are engaging to get what they want and need
  • Behaviors left behind post-pandemic
  • Value shifts and the stories behind those shifts

Traditionally, much of this type of research has been implemented through quantitative tracking studies or quick hit panels that ask a few questions. While these tools are valuable and effective, they don’t always tell the whole story.

At W5, we work with clients to dig deeper and understand how people are (or aren’t) changing attitudes, beliefs, values, behaviors, and aspirations over time through a variety of approaches that wrap consumer stories with examinations of rational behavior.

We’ve been accomplishing these longitudinal studies in a number of ways:

  • Ad Hoc Communities: A collection of target consumers who can share their thoughts and behaviors via multiple qualitative methods provide both direct stories and more self-directed ethnographic diaries
  • Qualitative Tracking: An understanding of consumer sentiment through ongoing qualitative studies (i.e., focus groups, IDIs, asynchronous conversations, mobile ethnography, etc.) that gauges change in sentiment and behavior over time and in reaction to changing market conditions
  • Quantitative Tracking: Traditional, survey-based quantitative tracking to determine how awareness, affinity, and behavior are trending over time
  • Segmentation Refreshment: An opportunity to revisit existing segmentations to determine if underlying behaviors and attitudes are still applicable―updating or re-examining segmentations after periods of extreme change can highlight future direction and market forces

We believe the key is understanding how a client’s objectives and business needs are evolving as we design a custom approach. There is no one-size-fits-all and W5 takes the time to match approaches and tools with insights needs.

Want to learn more about conducting your own longitudinal study to track changing behaviors?
Book a call to continue the conversation.

#mrx #marketresearch #longitudinalstudy #qualitative #quantitative #w5 #blog

14
Jul

New Trends Impacting Hiring Practices

Posted by: Amy Castelda in: culture , knowledge , market research , study , technology No Comments on New Trends Impacting Hiring Practices

A record four million people quit their jobs in April alone, according to the Labor Department. And while post-pandemic behaviors and attitudes are fueling growth and market share for brands and industries (think travel and tourism), without the employee pool to support, growth is limited.

As pandemic life recedes in the U.S., we are starting to see the impact remote work on when and where people want to work. It is clear remote work changed hearts and minds.

This has become prevalent in the advertising sector as independent shops are experiencing a rush of interest and resumes from holding company applicants looking for a healthy work/life balance. According to Adweek, the move is partially driven by burned out “survivors” who worked 40+ hours per week despite taking pay cuts as they attempted to salvage their jobs at these high-profile status shops. Workers are now seeing their same companies hire new talent at higher salaries and generous perks.

This month W5 is exploring the idea of knowing your target audience and how behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets significantly shifted over the past 18 months. While these shifts have significant implications on offerings, communications, and sustainable growth, we are also seeing these mindset shifts impact internal efforts for recruitment, hiring, and retention.

What trends are impacting employee hiring in 2021?

According to recruitment industry trends, the top three priorities candidates are looking for are:

  1. Speed up the hiring process
  2. Improve candidate experience
  3. Reduce hiring bias

In 2021, improving the candidate experience will matter more than ever according the LaborIQ. With a more competitive, but still volatile, job market likely to create anxiety among many prospective hires, it will be critical for companies to make the hiring process timely, efficient and, above all, positive. Poor experiences will not only turn off applicants but tarnish the organization’s brand, marring its ability to recruit top talent in the future.

As researchers, we know the power and importance of having a distinct, defined, verified external target audience. However, knowing the attitudes, behaviors, and values of your internal target audience is just as important, if not more.

What hiring trends are you seeing? Does your definition of an external and internal audience overlap? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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