+ Virtual consultation

As great as traditional research can be, it is not always possible in today’s world. So, we have taken it online and the results have exceeded our expectations. We can use new and innovative techniques to interrogate and engage our audiences. The best indicators of a successful engagement session are if participants have confidence that the session will influence decision-making, and that they feel truly listened to. Our virtual workshops score upwards of over 95% respectively on these criteria. Participants are delighted to have an opportunity to engage with their friends and colleagues in a fun and meaningful way.

+ Dialogic research

We are pioneers in a new field that builds on the strengths of qualitative research, public consultation and facilitation, called Dialogic Research. It embraces multiple perspectives in generative dialogue using projective tools to provoke discussions. This has been a very powerful tool that we have used in many strategic and branding initiatives to include internal and external audiences in the change process.

+ Observational and ethnographic research

By immersing ourselves in people’s lives, watching what happens, listening to what is said, and asking questions, we are able to more deeply understand behaviours and what drives them. Completed in-home or on location, we are able to learn far more than just what is said on the surface.

+ Social listening research

Clients are often blind to the vast amount of online conversations that are happening about their brand. We have access to the vast majority of mentions and conversations since social media came into prominence, and we know how to analyze it to produce insights for the future.

+ In-depth qualitative interviewing

In-depth, one-hour long, one-on-one interviews with customers, employees, partners, thought-leaders and key influencers. A traditional approach, but the core of many projects nonetheless.

+ Surveys

When you want to understand a group of people, the best approach is often to ask a whole bunch of them some questions. From market assessments to community engagement, surveys are an effective way to include the consumer or citizen voice in decision making. We are familiar with the quirks and foibles of panel, telephone and open link surveys and fret about terms like incidence and weight so that you don't have to.

+ Semiotic research

The study of how meaning is made within a culture, this looks broadly at cultural products such as popular media and all the advertising, packaging and merchandising in a field, as a context for analysis. A novel approach that generates novel insights.

+ Trend research

Forward-looking research that forecasts and anticipates key trends is extremely valuable. It is best accomplished through a combination of expert interviews, secondary research reviews, and in-depth analysis. And a significant amount of judgment.

+ Indigenous consultation

Being respectful and listening is the key. We have learned, sometimes the hard way, that we cannot rush in with our traditional approach, but we must work with a “navigator” to understand not just the culture, but the local culture before we can understand what we are being told. Powerful, humbling and very rewarding engagement.

+ Customer journey mapping

With the advent of AI tools, increasingly complex customer data now allows us to create more intelligent customer journeys than ever before. Mapping customers through a purchase from ‘pre-consideration’ all the way to ‘advocacy’. Rather than creating one generic and frequently inaccurate journey for all customers, we can create nuanced journeys for distinct segments leading to far more powerful marketing solutions.

+ Best / promising practices

Through a combination of secondary research reviews and in-depth interviewing, we bring rigor, discipline and insight to best practice studies. Not simply reporting on the best practice, but finding why it matters to the problem at hand.

+ Photojournalism

Bringing the reality of the lives of target audiences to life for clients through imagery and video. A well taken, well chosen, and honest photograph speaks volumes. Couple this with insightful questioning and the output of our photojournalistic research always makes an impression.

+ Personas

Persona development has two essential pieces:

1. Identifying the most useful splits between segments for targeting, messaging, or product / experience development.
2. Breathing life into those segments so that your organization can see the world through their eyes. Turning research insight into perspective and inspiration.

+ Brand strategy

Our brands are built on four pillars:

Brand PURPOSE – why you and your brand exist.

Brand PROMISE – what you do, the strategic point of difference.

Brand ESSENCE – your personality, the emotional point of difference.

Brand ATTRIBUTES – based on stakeholder and audience needs, how you want to be described by others.

This creates a distinct and resonant framework on which to build effective creative expressions of your brand.

+ Mission, vision and values

Bridging strategy and culture, a well-articulated mission, vision and values that is built with the meaningful input of internal audiences can fast-track an organization to success. When tied into a brand strategy, it is even more effective.

+ Strategic plans

Measurable and actionable strategies that connect directly to corporate objectives are essential. Our strategies enable our clients and their resources to execute strategically-aligned and brand-aligned campaigns.

+ Tourism strategies

Using a holistic destination management focus, our tourism strategic plans place product and purpose at the core of a destination’s growth plan. If it is not worth visiting, no one will bother to come.

+ Board facilitation

Working with marketing organizations, we are consultative facilitators that gently and respectfully challenge boards and executive teams to think broadly and differently about their business to solve complex strategic challenges.

+ Living the brand workshops

Brands should not be top-down dictators of rules and guidelines. A brand should be a servant-based leader that help others meet their needs. We use these workshops to help internal and external stakeholders better understand the brand strategy and, more importantly, figure out how to make the brand work for them.

The Living the Brand Workshop introduces strategic decision-making tools to allow each stakeholder to identify which aspects of the brand best fit with their own needs and how to promote these elements.

+ Brand storytelling workshops

Once we have the brand, we need a story. The story essence is one or two sentences that capture the core message. It depicts the overarching storyline in an interesting way rather than focusing on details that might seem meaningless without the context of the bigger picture.

Building a brand story provides a clear and compelling framework for all internal and external communications. It also provides clarity for everyone tasked with articulating the brand.

+ Brand measurement dashboards

Brands cannot be evaluated with only one measure. The best approach is a dashboard that tracks the brand across the customer’s journey and includes process measures (what you are doing) and outcome measures (results).

+ Brand graphic equalizers

A useful tool to help organizations understand which brand element to dial up in which situation. Creating a unified voice from disparate actions.