The questions clients bring, and how we work on them.
107 full case studies and 5 shorter examples: the question each client team brought, how we worked with them and, where we can share it, what happened next.
Our work with consumer brandsOur work with technology companies
Practice
Most clients stay anonymous to honor our agreements with them.
Full case studies
- Developing and testing new products for a cleaning brand What happened next Both propositions later reached shelves. Household goods company
- Shaping one spirits proposition for different palates What happened next The proposition later launched. Spirits company
- Choosing where a food brand could credibly grow next What happened next The brand went on to launch in four new categories. Food company
- Developing flavor ideas that travel across markets What happened next A refined version of one of the ideas explored later reached market. Spirits company
- Building a growth plan for a family skincare brand What happened next The company then commissioned us to test new product concepts, including products for babies and children. Personal care company
- Choosing where to start a kitchen and bath brand’s experience redesign What happened next The brand’s redesign program then asked us to rate eight of its own improvement ideas against the journey. Home products company
- Preparing two pet food brands for a retailer review What happened next The company presented all seven concepts at its key retailer’s innovation review, and two further engagements followed. Pet food company
- Finding where a services group could innovate in well-being What happened next Several ideas were taken on for further work, ready for execution, and the group took up five opportunity areas for its new value propositions. Consumer services group
- A company-wide segmentation for a connected home business What happened next The company’s later research, from packaging to messaging and creative work alongside its advertising agency, was built around the priority segments. Connected home company
- Deciding what the next accessories range should be What happened next Four years later, the client asked us to rerun the portfolio model on its newer range. Consumer electronics company
- Putting new workwear through real working shifts What happened next The brand later launched a workwear range built on the fabric we tested. Workwear maker
- Weighing where a travel brand’s fleet should go What happened next Part of the fleet later ran seasons the itinerary research had assessed. Travel company
- Shaping a partnership offer for a new professional market What happened next The company later commissioned further research from us in the same professional market. Outdoor equipment maker
- Researching a food brand’s market entry from target to pack What happened next After its launch in the new market, the brand reported a lift in consideration. Food company
- Bringing new editions to a core spirit without unsettling its drinkers What happened next The brand went ahead with the series, and two of the editions we researched later reached market. Spirits company
- Developing claims for a new hair care product in two markets What happened next The client’s insight team recommended progressing four claim areas, and set its next step: choosing a lead claim. Personal care company
- Reaching households that rarely use a cleaning product Ahead of an internal review of ideas, a household products company wanted to grow a cleaning product among households that used it lightly or not at all. We made everyday cleaning the subject of a digital ethnography and screened early ideas inside it. Household products company
- Making jobs-to-be-done part of how a pet food company innovates What happened next The company built the job-statement principles into its innovation process and later commissioned training for new champions. A second business in the group commissioned the champion training too. Pet food company
- Preparing a health brand’s entry into four new markets What happened next The brand later launched in one of the markets we had researched. Healthcare company
- Finding the story for a new smart home device What happened next The product later launched. Smart home company
- Working out who would buy a new home-working product What happened next The product later launched, and a further engagement followed. Consumer technology company
- Planning a better layer for people who work outside What happened next The company later launched a new garment. Workwear maker
- Shaping a bank’s offer for people moving between countries What happened next In the bank’s own account, its stakeholders had already begun acting on some initiatives from the research. Financial services company
- Speaking credibly to a community of professional arborists What happened next The company later commissioned further research from us with the same professionals, and the brand later launched new products. Outdoor equipment maker
- Equipping an agricultural sector to respond to alternative proteins What happened next The body published a summary of the report for its sector. Agricultural industry body
- Where a home drinks brand could fit in gift-giving What happened next The company then commissioned further work from us. Beverage company
- Generating hair styling product ideas from men’s own routines What happened next The brand later launched new products. Personal care company
- Writing new dog treat ideas into full concepts What happened next The company later commissioned further innovation work from us. Pet nutrition company
- Pricing and positioning a future connected fitness product What happened next The company’s customer insights director has said the report was shared with its executive team and its board. The company then commissioned further research from us on the same product. Connected fitness company
- Researching the help two cooking appliances should offer What happened next Features in the areas we researched later reached market. Home appliance maker
- Getting athlete evidence into a training wearable’s development sprints What happened next The product later launched. Sports brand
- Turning digital change into choices for a sportswear brand What happened next The brand then took the work into a further phase with us, turning it into an interactive session for its digital teams. Sportswear brand
- Defining the customer for a new consumer category What happened next In the company’s own account, a campaign built on the personas was four times more effective at generating phone appointments than previous campaigns with the same offer. Venture-backed tech startup
- Positioning a new outdoor tool range in a shared aisle What happened next The range later launched. Outdoor equipment maker
- Prioritizing regions for a food exporter’s own retail sales What happened next The exporter took the leading regions into a second stage and came away with a prioritized list of retailers and distributors to approach. Food company
- Finding where product development could improve a cup of tea A beverage company’s team wanted to see what shapes a cup of tea, hot and iced, from the shelf to the last sip. Frequent drinkers took us through the making and the drinking, online, at home and in store. Beverage company
- Settling the cover design for a new personal care stick What happened next After the first phase, the client’s design team created an on-pack instruction and commissioned a second phase from us to test it. Personal care company
- Drawing new ideas from across a pet food business A pet food maker wanted a broad pool of new ideas for its next pipeline, drawn from people across the business. We built the pre-work and stimulus, facilitated ideation with a large cross-functional team, and captured every idea. Pet food maker
- A supplements innovation pipeline, from priorities to screen-ready ideas What happened next Ideas from the program went into the company’s quantitative idea screens. Vitamins and supplements maker
- Strengthening early creative platforms for a home technology brand A home technology brand had several creative ideas from its agency, all written to one strategy. Before any went further, we explored each with the brand’s users and people new to it: what it made them believe, and how it could grow stronger. Home technology brand
- Four accessories in development, each with its own question What happened next Three of the four accessories later launched, and the company launched a product drawn from the fourth. Consumer technology company
- Shaping a sports brand’s range for women A sports brand’s product design team was planning future ranges for the many kinds of women it designs for. We built a design-team assessment from desk research and a fresh read of the brand’s own research on women. Sports brand
- Setting a heating company’s target customers What happened next The client’s media agency planned around the priority segment, and the company commissioned further research on its service and finance offers, read through the same segments. Home heating company
- Planning where an outdoor equipment business should grow Selling to professionals and households alike, an outdoor equipment maker’s business in one Asia-Pacific market wanted one plan for where to grow across both. We built the fact base and shaped the plan with the country team who would run it. Outdoor equipment maker
- Developing new products for a free-from food brand What happened next The brand then commissioned a second innovation pipeline from us, for another part of its range. Food company
- Looking beyond new flavors for a home drinks business A home drinks business wanted growth beyond new flavors, and every idea depended on what its machine could make. We mapped demand across drink categories from its own view of drinkers’ needs, and set out innovation areas with what each would ask of the system. Beverage company
- Body care products a brand could develop on its own timeline A personal care brand was building new platforms in body care, each around its own sensory experience, and needed products it could develop on time. We designed a co-creation workshop where its team, outside experts and buyers worked the ideas together. Personal care company
- Finding where a kitchen appliance could be worth more A home appliance maker wanted one of its kitchen appliances to be worth more to buyers, including the renovators who choose to go without one. Owners and non-owners in three markets made their cases to each other online. Home appliance maker
- Getting to know everyone behind an enterprise technology purchase What happened next The company has commissioned new work from us every year since the program began, and a proposition we explored with it later launched publicly. Enterprise technology company
- Segmenting a venue’s members from its own records What happened next The client changed its email schedule by segment, and reports that the segments informed its brand positioning and its planning of events. Sports venue
- Mapping professional markets for a new mowing technology An outdoor equipment maker was bringing a new mowing technology to professional markets in six countries. We sized each market from the ground up, from the land to be mown and the cost of mowing it, and heard from the people who buy the mowing. Outdoor equipment maker
- Deciding which R&D technologies should upgrade a savory snack What happened next The global brand team built its upgrade plan on the eating-experience framework, and a second phase of the program followed. Snack company
- A growth map drawn from a drinks business’s own research A drinks business saw a growing need close to its core and already held plenty of research on it. We turned that research into one growth map, then developed concepts with its teams and with drinkers, ready for quantitative testing. Drinks company
- Mapping where a beauty company’s suncare innovation should go A beauty company wanted to grow in sun protection, where formulating is difficult and every R&D bet is costly. We mapped the category’s growth signals beside the company’s own strengths, and followed sun protection through people’s beauty routines. Beauty company
- Mapping where a communications software platform could do more What happened next After the first program with PR professionals, the company brought us back to do the same with journalists. Marketing technology company
- Hearing couriers out on the support they get What happened next The company then commissioned further research from us. Delivery app company
- Sizing the demand for automation in professional turf care An outdoor equipment maker wanted to know which parts of professional turf care its customers would want automated, and what that demand could be worth. We sized the market task by task and heard from the professionals who do the work. Outdoor equipment maker
- Mapping where a versatile snack format could stand apart What happened next Weeks after the workshop, the innovation group commissioned a second engagement from us. Snack company
- Setting the taste direction for a new hot drink A beverage company had prototypes of a new hot drink, and its developers needed direction before the next round of development. Drinkers tasting among friends took each cup from aroma to aftertaste with us, and we wrote it up as a sensory design brief. Beverage company
- Following a skincare prototype through repeated use at home A beauty company’s new skincare product asked women to form a habit, and the brand wanted to see whether that would happen before committing more. Women used the prototype at home and shared their experience with us, and we met them in focus groups. Beauty company
- Rebuilding support around what customers need What happened next The company’s own team built its support plans on the research, then took the work into its global customer experience strategy. It was one of several programs the company commissioned from us. Consumer technology company
- Rebuilding a leisure travel company’s view of its market What happened next The company commissioned a refreshed market view from us the following year, with the market sized again through the same segments. Leisure travel company
- Mapping what homeowners need from battery-powered yard tools An outdoor equipment maker wanted to know where its battery range for homeowners should grow next. We mapped the jobs people take on in their yards through the year, then measured them in a national survey. Outdoor equipment maker
- Defining who a snack brand’s protein ideas are for What happened next The brand applied the typology in its innovation program, and commissioned that program’s ideation and consumer clinics from us. Food company
- Grounding a spirits company’s ready-to-drink strategy in evidence Industry reports described the market, and an innovation team building its ready-to-drink plans wanted the drinkers behind the numbers. We ran one survey in six markets on how people choose a ready-to-drink, on which occasions, and which of the company’s brands fit. Spirits company
- Guiding R&D on a personal care device from use at home A personal care company’s R&D team wanted to know what women look for in a device like its new one, and where to focus development now and later. Women used the device at home and filmed it, then built ideas with us in co-creation. Personal care company
- Sizing and pricing workplace equipment offered as a service A workplace technology company had always sold its equipment outright and wanted to know whether businesses would take it as a monthly service. We tested the service ideas with the people who buy for businesses, sized the market conservatively and modeled what to charge. Workplace technology company
- Weighing a new home-energy proposition A home services company was weighing a new home-energy offer in one of its markets, and wanted a realistic sense of how many households it could reach. One household survey sized the market in stages, product by product. Home services company
- Training insight teams to turn evidence into recommendations What happened next The company extended the program from a pilot with its senior insight team to sessions in six countries. Food company
- Checking a new personal care product against its promise A personal care company had chosen the formulation for a new product, and wanted to see how it measured up to its promise in men’s routines. Men used it at home, filming themselves through the day, and read its concept after they had tried it. Personal care company
- Exploring what younger app users will pay for A consumer app company wanted to know what younger users would pay for, and how to offer it, in three European markets. Building on earlier work with the company, we explored how they handle money, the apps they pay for and how they decide. Consumer app company
- Hearing from a brand’s customers before an investment An investor weighing an investment in a young brand wanted to hear from the brand’s customers before deciding. We interviewed its professional and private buyers about their whole experience and reported on it, with actions for the short, medium and long term. Investment firm
- Co-creating a snack brand’s next ideas with its buyers What happened next The company then commissioned further work from us. Snack company
- Researching hair care language for shoppers and salon stylists A personal care company’s hair brands needed to know where their words reach shoppers, and its salon brands needed to hear how stylists talk. In two connected pieces of work, we followed shoppers in two markets and watched stylists at work. Personal care company
- A services vision for a consumer technology company’s devices A consumer technology company wanted hardware, software and services to work as one across its device portfolio, guided by a vision that would last. We built it from basic human needs, industry analysis and expert interviews. Consumer technology company
- Meeting affluent savers at home before targeting them A financial services company had identified affluent savers as a group to target, and wanted to understand them before deciding what to say. We met savers online and at home, went through their plans with them, and brought their families in. Financial services company
- Following a kids’ snack brand’s most loyal families What happened next The company then commissioned further work from us. Children’s snack brand
- Judging skincare ideas from three brands by one standard Three brands were feeding one skincare pipeline at a personal care company, with ideas for adults and for parents. We refined early concepts with both, tested them all against the same benchmarks, and drew one roadmap across the brands. Personal care company
- Setting an entry order for five new countries A software company was weighing five new countries and needed an entry order it could explain. We surveyed its audience in each, sized every market against independent data, and graded each one with its reasoning in plain view. Software company
- Learning how a food delivery app could grow in one market A food delivery app wanted a foundation of customer understanding in one market: how to keep customers, win new ones and stand out. We analyzed its brand tracking, then ran moderated online research with people who use delivery apps, in their own language. Food delivery company
- Sizing future food models for a foodservice business A foodservice company wanted a roadmap of future food models it could put money behind. We read the forces reshaping its market with its own people, set priorities with its team in a digital sprint and built a sizing model for each one. Foodservice company
- One segmentation for a personal care company’s four markets A personal care company’s central insight team wanted markets it could compare, and each local team wanted buyers it could actually reach. We built and sized one four-market segmentation and took it into working sessions with the market teams. Personal care company
- Narrowing where a software company sells, and to whom A B2B software company with two products had more possible markets and customer types than it could pursue at once. Working alongside a research partner, we narrowed the field in stages, down to a survey and depth interviews in three markets. Software company
- Defining what professional chefs expect from a seasoning A food company’s foodservice business was developing the next generation of its seasonings for restaurant kitchens. We set a benchmark for each in the terms chefs use, with chefs cooking and tasting the prototypes beside the products they knew. Food company
- Mapping adjacent growth for a consumer technology company Free and paid competitors were disrupting a consumer technology company’s core service, and it wanted new spaces to grow into. We combined a scan of the trends changing digital life, consumer ethnography, competitive intelligence and executive workshops to find room with a right to win. Consumer technology company
- Defining adventure for a snack brand and its creative teams A snack company wanted its brand and sub-brands to speak to adventure the way people live it, from everyday adventures to big ones. We heard from category buyers in groups, then followed committed adventurers online and out on adventures of their own. Snack company
- Building a product line-up from feature evidence A consumer technology company wanted to grow a young product category with a range of its own, each product with a clear purpose. We measured which features mattered to whom, then built a choice model and simulator to test line-ups before committing. Consumer technology company
- Testing new pack designs with a food brand’s longtime buyers A food company’s brand team was choosing among its design agency’s new designs for a pack its buyers had known for years. We put each design, and the current pack, in front of younger and older buyers in small groups. Food company
- Segmenting mobile gamers beyond a game company’s own players A mobile gaming company knew its own players from its data, and wanted to plan marketing and product around everyone who plays on a phone. We segmented and sized the whole market, then brought the priority groups to life. Mobile gaming company
- Sharpening a new yogurt’s concept routes before a quantitative test A food company’s first concept for a new yogurt format had been through an early quantitative screen, and its global and local teams wanted sharper routes for the next test. We built them with two kinds of buyer, tasting the product as we went. Food company
- Turning frontline workers’ needs into opportunity areas A consumer technology company wanted new opportunities for people who work away from a desk. We followed frontline staff and people who work as they travel through their working days, then built opportunity areas and early ideas with the company’s teams. Consumer technology company
- Weighing a snack brand’s pipeline ideas against its current range A snack brand had more innovation ideas than it could develop, and needed to know what each would add to a range already on shelf. We screened new ideas beside current products on the same terms, then worked through the data with its team. Snack company
- Translating a technology brand into color, material and finish A consumer technology company’s design team wanted each of its brand’s attributes to show in how its products look and feel. Working alongside its designers, we explored what colors, materials and finishes say to buyers and turned it into design guidance. Consumer technology company
- Helping people choose smaller treat portions more often A confectionery company wanted more people to choose its smaller portions more often, without taking from the rest of its range. We built practical growth routes from its own past research, a review of packs and claims across snacking, and a light semiotic reading. Confectionery company
- Charting how flexible working was changing people’s days A consumer technology company wanted to understand people whose work moves with them, and how that way of working was changing their days. We heard from them through jobs-to-be-done interviews, then shaped and prioritized opportunity areas with the company’s team. Consumer technology company
- Exploring what a food brand means in a neighboring market A food company had sold its brands in a neighboring market for years and wanted to understand the people buying them there as well as it knew its home buyers. We met snack buyers at home, in stores and online, alongside the culture around them. Food company
- Sending a food brand’s leaders out with shoppers before a summit A food brand’s leadership team was preparing for its brand summit and wanted to start from time with the people who buy the category. We paired leaders with shoppers in and beyond the category, and shaped what they heard for the summit. Food company
- Generating and testing pack structures for a new indulgent range A food company had defined the products for a new indulgent range, made for enjoying at home, and needed a pack worthy of them. We generated structures with its teams in one workshop and tested the strongest quickly online with priority buyers. Food company
- Choosing an audience to grow a staple ingredient brand A food company had a staple ingredient brand and production technology it believed set it apart. We set out and sized several opportunity audiences for the brand, then went deeper with the one its team chose to pursue. Food company
- Finding what a new food technology could become A food company had a production technology that could change what it makes, and wanted a pipeline of ideas for it. Working with its own teams, R&D among them, we mapped where growth could come from and developed cereal and snack concepts. Food company
- Seeing a fresh-food shop through shoppers’ eyes A grocery retailer wanted its quick fresh-food trips to work harder for shoppers and for the basket, and colleagues to see them as shoppers do. We filmed regular shoppers through eye-tracking glasses, then had each talk us through their own footage. Grocery retailer
- A better-for-you idea people would still enjoy A food company wanted its own better-for-you product in a category it knew well, different enough in product, pack and brand to stand out. We ran an innovation sprint with its teams and buyers, from a map of the category to final concept routes. Food company
- New ideas for a dairy brand’s everyday moments A dairy brand preparing its next launches wanted ideas that would bring it into more everyday moments, ready for quantitative testing. We brought creative consumers into the company’s ideation workshop, then sharpened the concepts with buyers online. Dairy company
- Bringing a food brand’s separate studies into one pipeline A food brand sold in more than one part of the store, in several markets, wanted one innovation story across them. With no new fieldwork, we brought the research it already had together into platforms and a prioritized pipeline for each market. Food company
- Putting real lives behind a snack segmentation A snack company had a new segmentation that sized its market, and its teams wanted to know the people in each segment. Ethnography with people from every segment brought them to life and set out what the brand could solve for each. Snack company
- Working out how many recipes a sauce for professional kitchens needs A food company’s sauce for chefs had come to differ from market to market, and it wanted to know what that variety was worth. Chefs in four markets defined their ideal with us before judging blind-coded products against it. Food company
- Growing a dairy business into new kinds of snacking A food company’s dairy business was strong in a few familiar products and saw room to grow in snacking. We built a growth map from its own knowledge and new work with parents and food experts, then crafted concepts with consumers. Food company
No full case studies match that combination yet. Clear a filter, or ask us; we have run 270+ projects.
Shorter examples
Open one for the short version, and ask us for the long one.
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Innovation and concept development Making a work vehicle more useful to the people who drive it Outdoor equipment maker Outdoor & industrial
This outdoor equipment maker wanted to know what would make its work vehicle more useful. We held small online groups with people who drive one for work and for leisure, and set out the feature opportunities for the vehicle.
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Concept and product testing Exploring a new fabric with uniform buyers and wearers Workwear maker Apparel & workwear
A new workwear fabric looked promising, and the company wanted to know where working professionals would value it before deciding its next stage. We held groups with the people who wear workwear and interviews with the employers who buy it, exploring where the fabric could help in their work.
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Innovation and concept development Choosing which spirits propositions to develop in Latin America Spirits company Drinks & spirits
A spirits company wanted to know which of its proposition directions would appeal to drinkers in a large Latin American market. We explored local drinking culture and how each proposition territory came across to consumers there, as input to the next stage of concept and liquid development.
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Concept and product testing Exploring an early spirits proposition with drinkers Spirits company Drinks & spirits
One part of the spirits category was growing fast, and this company had an early proposition of its own for it. We explored who drinks in that part of the category and why, and put the proposition in front of them, so the team could judge whether it was ready to develop further.
No shorter examples match that combination. Clear a filter, or ask us about the work closest to yours.
Multi-award winners and finalists.
- Market Research Society Best Innovation
- Market Research Society International Research
- Insights Association EXPLOR Award
- AQR Qualitative Excellence, twice
- The Marketing Society Effective Use of Insight
- Marketing Week Masters
- MRMW Best Use of Mobile Technology
- Next Gen Market Research Disruptive Innovator
- Insight250 Legend, for a founding partner
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