Qualitative research

It pays to be curious. Let’s learn by asking the right questions and listening.

What do your customers, clients, or donors think of your brand? How about your employees or fellow team members? Would they score your offerings positively or negatively? Would they recommend your brand to others? If not, why not?

You may think you have the answers to all those questions, but are you sure?

That’s what qualitative research is all about: discovering your brand’s human ecosystem in a systematic and objective way.

Little Data = BIG INSIGHTS

Don’t confuse “qualitative research” with “quantitative research” or “big data.”

Quantitative researchers analyze huge data sets to summarize the demographics and choice patterns of thousands or millions of consumers. Those statistics can be helpful when it comes to parsing recent sales or optimizing your ad spend.

In qualitative research, by contrast, we strive to minimize the number of research subjects—choosing just enough to adequately represent each of your key audiences. That allows us to delve more deeply, maximizing our understanding of their experiences and perceptions, and exploring the words or actions that influence their choices.

The insights produced by thoughtful qualitative research can be startling and often game-changing.

We focus on the drivers of behaviors and emotions, looking for leading indicators more than trailing indicators. Qualitative research is a critical input to a future-oriented brand strategy.

We prefer to engage stakeholders in in-depth interviews, but when appropriate, we will lead workshops or focus groups, or conduct brief surveys to gather preliminary data on affinities, interests, or market viability.

With your support and collaboration, we can design and execute research that clarifies muddy waters, drives consensus within your organization, streamlines the strategic process, and guides better decision-making for years to come.