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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!

20
May

Tide: A Masterclass in Ad Development

Posted by: Martin Molloy in: advertising , branding , creativity , knowledge , market research , marketing , Media No Comments on Tide: A Masterclass in Ad Development

When in doubt, trust Ice-T and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

With over twenty years’ moderation experience, I’ve done plenty of qualitative research involving ad testing. The key is designing creative that catches attention, communicates its message clearly, and drives the audience to act. Often, ads are entertaining or informative but fail to live up to all the elements needed to convince consumers to actually do or buy something. Worse yet, they often confuse the viewer into wondering who or what is this for? What does this have to do with the product?

Tide has released a series of ads designed to not only drive sales but encourage consumers to live more sustainably. Their recent campaign (by Saatchi & Saatchi NY) featuring Ice-T and Stone Cold Steve Austin is successful on so many levels it’s almost a masterclass in how to turn the mundane (laundry) into something interesting and compelling.

First, it grabs your attention by leveraging the visibility of Ice-T and Steve Austin and combining it with humor. Then, it uses a wide array of celebrity cameos to drive home that using cold water to wash laundry is their recommended approach. It’s also clear the creators know their target demo: Gen X. The celebrities and sports stars all hail from the 1990s and appeal to both men and women. My favorite pairing features Mr. T and Mark Messier, the greatest sports leader to ever live. Don’t believe me? Check out his resume and career.

Beyond grabbing your attention, Tide hammers home key campaign messages that make them easy to remember:

  • This is a commercial for Tide detergent
  • Tide is more effective in cold water
  • Save money by washing in cold ($100 a year)
  • Help the environment by using less energy

We all know consumers sometimes make illogical, reflexive choices, so driving consideration and purchase is key. The genius behind this campaign is that it’s not in the clutter. Viewers will come away knowing what brand it’s representing, its product benefits, sustainability messages, and how Tide detergent can improve their lives while clearly and effectively communicating the message in an entertaining and artful way.

Interested in knowing how your campaigns stack up? W5 conducts ad testing that can lead to better marketing, more eye-catching campaigns, and even more sales. Set up a call with our team to get started!

#advertising #blog #knowledge #tide #market research #mrx #insight #w5

29
Mar

SPOTLIGHT: ADDING NEW STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE TO AN EXISTING TRACKER

Posted by: John Capps in: Blog , knowledge , market research , marketing , Media No Comments on SPOTLIGHT: ADDING NEW STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE TO AN EXISTING TRACKER

As companies strive to return and adapt to ‘normal’ in 2021, to stay relevant and competitive, it is important to understand one’s market position and consumers’ everchanging attitudes and behaviors. Pinpointing consumer sentiment helps gauge success of marketing initiatives and optimize future efforts.

A key tool to monitor a company’s position and performance is strategic tracking research. This case study highlights W5’s role in assisting a destination marketing organization understand consumer opinions related to travel and vacationing and gauge the likability and impact of advertising campaigns.

CLIENT ASK

A successful U.S.-based destination marketing organization partnered with W5 to overhaul an existing brand and advertising tracking study, fielding two waves per year in four countries. After years of tracker stagnation, the client sought a fresh and strategically focused perspective, maintaining analysis of key metrics but adding insight.

APPROACH

First, W5 collaborated with the client to update and modernize the existing tracker. W5 then conducted separate waves of mobile-optimized online survey research to engage robust samples of traveler and gen pop audiences in each country to gauge their consideration and perceptions of the client’s destination/brand. Additionally, recent exposure and recall of client advertising was assessed to reflect the efficacy of their multi-channel advertising campaign.

RESULTS

Results from each target audience were analyzed to inform strategic conclusions and actionable recommendations for client advertising. Insights around the client’s traditional and digital advertising tactics were critical in guiding marketing focus, decisions, and budgets for the next year. Additional ROI modeling communicated the impact of advertising investment on destination/brand awareness and consideration each wave.

To learn more about W5’s approach to Strategic Tracking, download our white paper.

08
Feb

Key Themes in Super Bowl LV Advertising

Posted by: Kana Feng in: advertising , branding , culture , knowledge , marketing , Media , study No Comments on Key Themes in Super Bowl LV Advertising

Though many of us stayed home this year, excitement for the Super Bowl was as present as ever! As a market researcher who partners with advertising agencies day-to-day, Superbowl ads are something I look forward.

In a recent study, 55% of consumers indicated their main reason for watching ads is ”for a laugh.” This is understandable especially considering the year we’ve all experienced, and many ads achieved this.

However, it’s important to note Super Bowl ad space has been a platform for many brands to share their values and this year was no different.

In fact, because so many events took place this past year, it may be a good idea to focus on themes that jumped to the forefront. Here are just a handful of ads grouped into prominent themes:

*Brands listed alphabetically within each theme

Sustainability and the Environment:

From agricultural practices, reducing food waste, and taking important steps for the future of the planet, these brands introduced their views on sustainable practices and protecting the environment:

Chipotle “Can a Burrito Change the World?”

GM “No Way, Norway” (Honorable Mention: Audi Norge’s response)

Hellman’s “Fairy God-Mayo”

Supporting Local Businesses:

Delivery services took the opportunity to highlight their services that support local businesses:

Door Dash “The Neighborhood”

Uber Eats “Wayne’s World & Cardi B’s Shameless Manipulation”

Connectedness and Unity:

Some brands emphasized the beauty and need for connection and unity at a time when people are literally and figuratively separated:

Anheuser-Busch “Let’s Grab A Beer”

Jeep “The Middle”

Representation:

From a diverse group of celebrities (Tracy Morgan, Awkwafina, Cardi B, Dan Levy, and Michael B. Jordan), a Paralympic athlete (Jessica Long in Toyota’s ad), to the realities and interests of everyday Americans (e.g., Huggies, Indeed, Verizon, Anheuser-Busch, etc.), representation was an understated but important theme. As someone who has felt more seen by brands these past few years (shoutout to Etsy’s holiday ad!), this is a welcome trend I hope to see in the months and years to come. 😊

What were your favorite Super Bowl ads this year? Did you see any other important themes and trends? Let us know in the comments!

27
Sep

America’s Most Expensive Jersey

Posted by: Jonathan Morris in: Uncategorized No Comments on America’s Most Expensive Jersey

The NBA has been saturated with advertising for a long time. From the Los Angeles Lakers’ Staples Center to the New York Knicks’ official beverage Pepsi, anything that could be sold for advertising space was sponsored, branded, and promoted.

There was still one stronghold that resisted advertisers, the jersey. But last year, the NBA announced corporate sponsors would be able to purchase a 2.5 by 2.5-inch patch of ad space on the left shoulder of NBA jerseys. Corporations immediately began scrambling to lock up the valuable ad space.

Jersey sponsors are routine outside America. Teams in English football leagues all the way to Australian rugby teams commonly sell ad space on their jerseys, and the profits are huge. In 2016, Spanish football team Barcelona penned a record deal with Rakuten, a Japanese tech company, worth as much as €61.5 million a year.

After seeing the success of jersey sponsorship abroad, most in the NBA figured it was only a matter of time until the league adopted new policies. In a 2014 interview with AdAge, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said NBA jersey sponsorships were “inevitable.”

In 2017, an NBA decision opened the flood gates and teams began netting anywhere from $5 million to $20 million a year to sell the 2.5-inch square logo on their jerseys. Big name sponsors including Goodyear, General Electric, and Disney piled in to purchase the advertisements. The Golden State Warriors signed the largest deal in the NBA, scoring $20 million a year from Rakuten.

And while 2017’s decision to allow jersey sponsorships is technically a tentative, three-year trial run, there is little doubt the NBA will continue the advertisements. Why? Because according to GumGum Sports, a sports analytics company specializing in advertising, the jersey logos will generate over $350 million in value to these sponsors while NBA teams rake in money.

Jersey sponsorships offer companies a unique opportunity to reach their home market as well as abroad, part of the reason why a team like Barcelona gets such an exorbitant sum. Just ask Chevrolet, who spent $600 million to win the jersey rights of the English football club Manchester United. Chevrolet targeted Manchester United because its fan base has over half a billion people worldwide, nearly half of whom live in the Asia-Pacific region, an area Chevrolet is keen to target.

While European football teams are getting the biggest payouts for their jersey space, it probably won’t be long before you see NBA teams signing nine-figure jersey sponsorships. The NBA grows in international markets every year, and with that growth comes more opportunities for advertisers. Houston Rockets jerseys are popping up in China while Milwaukee Bucks jerseys proliferate in Europe. These jersey sponsorships will be worth more and more as the NBA continues to grow abroad.

The rights to advertise on a team’s jersey is a win-win for advertisers and NBA teams. Jersey ads offer brands a unique opportunity to reach an American audience, and pair themselves with teams increasingly popular worldwide. While purist fans may have their gripes with the new ads it’s unlikely they will be more convincing than the millions of dollars the league stands to earn each year. Who would have thought such a small ad could be worth so much?

 

 

23
Mar

Trouble in Toyland

Posted by: w5admin in: advertising , branding , culture , Media No Comments on Trouble in Toyland

It may come to a surprise to you dear reader, that I am quite the lover of miniature recreations of pop culture icons, you may call me a toy collector-sure. As you may or may not know, a once beloved hive of childhood excitement, Toys R Us will be closing their doors soon. We actually have a store mere walking distance from the W5 headquarters that looks straight out of the late 70’s. This store was one of the first wave of closing stores to start selling off its inners.

2018 has not only been the year to mark of the end for the toy titan, but also for its founder, Charles Lazarus who passed way at the age of 94, a week after the announcement of the closings for U.S. and U.K. locations. Lazarus was the captain of the ship up until 1998 and was notably responsible for the backwards ‘R’ in the logo and for the lovable long-neck Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot. Learn more about Lazarus.

Charles Lazarus, the founder of retail chain Toys ‘R’ Us 1923-2018

Alas, there is still a glimmer of hope for the kid-driven corporation and it comes in the way of…crowdsourcing. If you’re not familiar with the name Isaac Larian, founder and CEO of MGA Entertainment, you may be familiar with Bratz, the line of modern hip dolls the company puts out. Larian hopes to buy out Toys R Us, and revamp the retailer, possibly saving hundreds of jobs and keeping the brand alive. To accomplish this feat, he is attempting to raise a total figure of one billion dollars through the gofundme platform. Larain has put in his own two hundred million dollars to get the ball rolling and hopes that nostalgia and love for the company will take care of the rest by inspiring folks to pour their hearts and wallets out.
This is a fascinating experiment in brand, customer loyalty, and culture. While some feel they may be helping to save an artifact of their childhood by donating, others criticize the attempt claiming the company failed to adapt to changing times and often had larger mark ups than their competitors and thus deserve to going under. There seems to be more of an emotional causality to want to save the toy retailer more than a pragmatic reason, as toys are easily purchased on-the-go or online, often at lower prices.  Currently, the campaign is far from toppling its $800,000,000 deficit, but it is definitely something to keep your eye on.
Toys R Us gofundme

 

RIP Toys R Us 1948-2018

21
Nov

The Ghost of Black Fridays Past

Posted by: w5admin in: advertising , Blog , culture , Media , Uncategorized No Comments on The Ghost of Black Fridays Past

It’s that time again! Don’t act surprised, we do this every year. For those with small humans in their lives, the holidays can be a time for anxiety, stress, and heighten blood pressure as store stock up and sell out of the items that are sure to make your little folks’ hearts skip a beat with excitement. We all put our parents through this nightmarish wild goose chase for plastic, stuffed, or video things, mostly before the advent of Amazon and eBay. I think my father is still indebted to the mob for the – not one, but three Power Ranger figures I received when I was seven-years-old.

So in the spirit of the holidays, I went around the W5 office to see what quests we put our loved ones through to obtain our favorite holiday trophies.

 

  Ian McDiarmid | Practice Consultant

“For Christmas when I was 13, I really wanted an Xbox, which came out that November. I told my mom I wanted it, but that I didn’t expect to get it since it would be sold out everywhere. On Christmas, I was so surprised when I opened up a brand-new Xbox. I was even more surprised to find out that my mom waited in line at a Best Buy starting at 4am to get it.”

 

 

   Robin Morey | Practice Consultant

“Ok, so there was a time that I was super into dinosaurs and I asked my mom for a dinosaur bone. I was young enough that this didn’t really seem unreasonable, but I still knew it was going to be hard to find. She went through a bunch of holiday catalogs from museums and places like that and actually got me a cast replica of a t-rex tooth. I was super excited! And I still have it.”

 

 

  Allison Savicz | Practice Consultant

“Well for me at age 6-8 it had to be the Crissy Doll with the pull down hair which was later updated to include the Talky Crissy in the early 70’s tho I was already too old for her by then!” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crissy

 

 

 

    Ryan Delaune | Practice Consultant

“My parents weren’t big holiday shoppers, so if we wanted something particularly hard to find, they would always give us the cash value and told us that if we could manage to save it, we could buy it ourselves when it was available. We rarely succeeded.”

 

 

 

   Grace Brown | Client Relations Consultant

“One present that really stands out in my mind was the year I got a Samantha American Girl doll. I mentioned wanting one to my mom several times, but thought it was a long-shot present. However come Christmas morning there she was with several outfits (the figure skater outfit and matching skates my hands down favorite) and books to go along with her. I still have my Samantha and plan to pass it down to my child someday.”

 

 

   Amy Castelda | Senior Client Relations Consultant

“As a kid I remember one year I really wanted a Tamagotchi. My older sister had one so of course I needed one. I wrote Santa to ask for it for Christmas. I’m not sure the trouble my parents went through to get it for me. It was a “Santa” gift meaning technically they couldn’t complain about it or else the truth would come out…”

 

 

    Martin Molloy | Partner

“I remember begging for what seemed like 20 years for an Intellivision system. When I finally got it I sunk into the black hole of video games”

 

 

 

   Tom Daly | Senior Partner

“First off, I’m older than most readers to this blog – I was a kid in the golden area of Saturday morning cartoons TV (’67-’77) heavily reinforced with pre-sweetened cereals; our parents could have cared less.

As an OC (only child) I religiously sat glued to Saturday morning cartoons until nearly noontime came and my mother screamed at me to ‘get dressed and get out of here!’ so she could follow her weekly routine of doing the wash and vacuuming (while smoking her Parliament 100s). One year, nearly every third commercial it seemed, was for Major Matt Mason. This was the era of Apollo and my dad actually knew some NASA engineers and military, so Major Matt was my guy. The best part of Major Matt Mason’s world was the Space Station – highly detailed and well built. It put me in another world.

I would literally beg, on my knees, every night at the dinner table, for a Space Station et. al. ‘Please, please, please, it’s all I’ll EVER want!’ I would whimper on the floor under the roast beef in a proselytized state. My father would tell me to get off the floor and the dog would growl, thinking I was there for his Milk Bones. This literally went on for months. In the meantime, I dutifully sat glued to the television, seated but a foot from the screen, waiting for the ad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R99hAG0tgkg), letting myself be drawn into Major Matt’s mission on the moon. I wished so badly to be there.

At Christmas, my aunt and uncle came over and dropped over a very large wrapped box. It was a Space Station with all the trimmings. I was ecstatic. It still probably ranks as one of the most emotional moments of my life; my greatest desire was fulfilled (probably the last time, actually). I guess my parents thought they would have appeared to have given in if they acquiesced to my pleas – easier instead for my mother to have her brother pick it up and deliver it late Christmas Day. A win-win-win all around: I was sated, my parents were off the hook, and my aunt and uncle came out of the blue to achieve hero status. I didn’t even see the connection until years later, and I couldn’t have cared less.

When my uncle was dying of cancer, years later, I thanked him for the Christmas present. He told me ‘they wouldn’t buy it for you.’ I never knew if he was telling the truth or he was still keeping the story alive, he was an old-school guy and perhaps thought it best for me to parse it out. I knew not to ask further. Regardless, we both smiled and left it at that.

Of note, I hear that off-and-on Tom Hanks has attempted to get a Major Matt Mason movie funded in Hollywood along with Roger Zemeckis, a $100-million plus epic based on Tom’s love of Major Matt’s world. Well, he can count on this Tom chipping in and getting lost for a few more hours should Mr. Hank’s actually build that Space Station.”

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14
Jun

The Ruff Life of Millennials

Posted by: w5admin in: advertising , Blog , culture , market research , study , Uncategorized No Comments on The Ruff Life of Millennials

Millennials: we’re not buying houses, cars, or diamond rings. What are we buying? Pets.

In the American Pet Products Association’s annual National Pet Owners Survey, results show that 68 percent of American households now own a pet, with the millennial generation officially surpassing baby-boomer ownership by three percentage points. Millennial pet parents now account for 35 percent of all pet owners. Bob Vetere, President and CEO of the APPA, remarked that the millennial generation of pet owners were different than those before them. “This is a very passionate, active and connected group, and it’s been very exciting to see the ways in which our industry is working to meet the demands of this powerful demographic.”

In this modern millennial pet market, where pets are viewed as members of the family, consumers are looking for the same guidelines of sustainable, eco-friendly food and product labeling that they do for their own needs. As millennial consumers are increasingly health and socially-conscious in their own purchasing and lifestyle decisions, sustainable pet food and pet products have also seen considerable growth.

According to Packaged Facts’ report, Millennials as Pet Market Consumers, 69 percent of millennial pet owners are more likely to consider foods whose recipes use naturally-made ingredients over “normal,” mass-produced foods, versus 44 percent of owners over 35. The almost $70 billion pet industry, which has grown three times since 1996, should look to this class of conscious consumers as more millennials delay marriage and parenthood in exchange for the companionship of a furry (or scaly) friend.

Other pet trends highlighted in APPA’s survey include raw dog and cat food, grain and gluten-free dog and cat food, interactive feeders, micro-chips, pet-monitoring systems, and pet doors.

W5 has previously partnered with pet supply stores, pet food brands, and their advertising agencies to capture insights into the changing marketplace dynamic in consumers’ pet care and dietary demands. W5 has explored consumer reactions to various advertising approaches for a category-leading pet specialty retail brand, finding that, much like the millennial pet trends of today, the advertising approach that focused on pets as part of the family was the most appealing.

09
Mar

Looking back at The Quirk’s Event: Orange County

Posted by: w5admin in: Uncategorized No Comments on Looking back at The Quirk’s Event: Orange County

Last week, W5 attended the first The Quirk’s Event held in Orange County, California. As regular attendees of the previous two conferences held in Brooklyn, we were excited to see what the Golden State had in store for us! With two days of insightful sessions, networking events with familiar and new faces, and fun exploring the exhibitor hall (shout out to the Butt Sketch guy), W5 came away from the conference enlightened with new market research insights and trends to help our clients grow.

One session that I attended, “Lights! Camera! Action! Video Storytelling for Insights in the Data Overflow Age,” piqued my interest due to the evolving methods of showcasing research insights in meaningful ways. W5’s strategy practice is always looking for ways to make insights “sticky,” and this session provided great takeaways on humanizing those insights through video storytelling.

As someone with amateur experience behind the video camera, it was refreshing to hear tips on creating compelling stories through video without being a professional videographer. The most important part of showing research data through video is making sure to tell a cohesive story. Storytelling is a powerful tool that can transform potentially tedious data into a takeaway that will appeal to everyone – from strategists to the C-suite.

It’s easy to show data tables and respondent quotes in a standard presentation, but seeing consumers’ faces as they talk through an issue with a product, walk you through their homes and daily lives, or self-record their reactions to various concepts helps bring research to life. We will definitely use these takeaways to ensure we are highlighting a compelling story through our video deliverables.

We can’t wait to see what is in store for the upcoming The Quirk’s Event in Brooklyn in just a few short weeks and look forward to learning more about the upcoming trends in market research reporting!

quirks

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