By Kerry Juhl

Do you know how your customers feel about their experience with your brand? Do they love it, or does it leave them feeling frustrated?

If your customers don’t love their experience with your products or services, your market share is likely at risk. According to a study from PWC,

Even if people love your company or product, in the U.S., 59% will walk away after several bad experiences, 17% after just one bad experience.

You cannot afford to not know how your customers are experiencing your brand.

The Importance of your Customers’ Experience (CX)  

Understanding your customers’ experience can identify product or service flaws. It can be important, even if you are coming from a place of strength. It allows you to build stronger customer relationships, seize new growth opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge in the market. Companies that prioritize a strong understanding of the customer experience are better positioned to meet the needs of their customers where they are and how they want to be served. This allows companies to thrive in today’s customer-centric business environment

Typical Stages in a Customer Journey 

The customer journey is typically divided into sequential stages that represent the key phases of the customer’s interaction with the brand. Stages typically align with the marketing funnel and include “Awareness,” “Consideration,” “Purchase,” “Retention” and “Advocacy.”  These stages may differ, depending on the industry, category, or channels that the brand is competing in.  

What is a Customer Experienced Journey Map? 

A customer experience (CX) journey map is a visual illustration that outlines the steps a customer takes when interacting with a company, brand or specific products or services. It helps organizations gain a deep understanding of the customer’s experience, including their motivations, decision moments, delights, pain points, and emotions that come into play, across all the touchpoints with a brand. Companies may also map the customer journey for competing brands to better understand product strengths and opportunities in a competitive context. 

Understanding the Experience 

Building a customer journey map requires comprehensive qualitative research exploration and is often followed by quantitative validation.  CX Insights Experts start with a combination of observation and qualitative methodologies (e.g., mobile missions, bulletin boards, shop-alongs, in-home visits) to facilitate in-depth conversations with brand or category users. This allows them to delve deeply into each key milestone and brand touchpoint within the customer journey.  With the qualitative exploration completed, experts will often conduct an online quantitative survey to validate the journey and quantify the consumer experience with statistically significant sample sizes. Note that the journey may differ for various user segments (e.g., younger vs. older customers, multicultural customers, households with kids vs. no kids, etc.) so the research must be inclusive of customer groups that are important to the business.  

Activation Planning with a CX Journey Map 

Once the CX Journey Map is complete, it is time to bring the team together to immerse and align on the learning and develop an activation plan.  SIVO recommends a 1-day workshop with key team members and stakeholders to: 

• Immerse in the CX journey (including images, photos, insights, quotes) to create a common understanding and language 
• Identify and prioritize steps with the greatest opportunities for improvement 
• Develop design criteria and starter ideas for product or service improvements  
• Ideate next steps, assign owners, and create timelines 

A Key Asset to Customer Journey Mapping 

Hiring a strategic market research agency with proven CX experience, or a fractional Customer Experience (CX) Insights professional to lead the journey mapping process will set you up for success. You will need experts who have a strong background in CX research design, journey mapping, research execution and activation planning. They will help your team: 

• Assess the state of your brand experience from the customers’ point of view 
• Identify CX improvements that can drive value for customers and the brand 
• Work with your cross-functional team to deliver CX assets (e.g., customer profiles, journey maps, a comprehensive report) 
• Collaborate with your team to develop customer-centric recommendations and activation plans for product/service improvements that lead to growth 

Contact SIVO, Inc. at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss how SIVO can help you map your customer experience.  Also, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how a fractional Customer Experience (CX) Insights Manager can be an asset to you and your team.  

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By Ashton Walz

What is Consumer Segmentation 

Market or consumer segmentation is a market research approach that allows you to divide a brand’s universe of potential consumers into smaller groups or segments based on their characteristics, e.g., demographics, values, attitudes, behaviors, and geography. The segments are composed of consumers who have similar characteristics within a segment and differing characteristics from all other segments. 

Once the consumer population within the market has been segmented, teams can assess and compare segments to understand which segments offer the most potential for growth, i.e., which group is most likely to find value and be motivated by your products or services and respond to your marketing, promotion, and innovation initiatives.

Creating Your Segmentation 

When developing your segmentation, the idea is to create segments that feature members who are as similar as possible to each other but different as possible from members in other segments. To do this, brand teams work with SIVO to define the parameters that will be used to segment the market, i.e., behaviors, attitudes, psychographics, or demographics, location, etc. For instance, if you wanted to segment the breakfast food category, you might want to include demographics (e.g., presence of kids in the household), behaviors (e.g., whether breakfast is eaten in the home or out of home) and attitudes (e.g, level of commitment to healthy eating habits) to help define your segments.

Once a plan is in place, a survey will be developed, and data will be collected from consumers in your defined market. Survey respondents will be presented with a scale to rate the importance of a series of behavioral and attitudinal statements or participate in a trade-off exercise to choose one of four statements that is most important or best describes them.

With the data collected, segments are created using clustering analysis. The ideal number of segments for a typical market is 5 to 8. More than 8 segments can be overwhelming to manage and fewer than 5 may lump too many consumers together.

Once the segments are developed, SIVO Consumer Insights experts will develop detailed profiles or personas, using all the survey data to describe or tell a story about each segment. The profiles/personas highlight the unique attributes and behaviors of the segments for easy comparisons. 

Applications for Consumer Segmentation 

When analyzing the consumer segmentation, it is important to understand the best ways to use this valuable marketing research tool. 

Targeted Marketing Campaigns 

The first primary use is to develop targeted marketing campaigns. By understanding the unique needs, interests, and demographics of each segment, business teams can alter their marketing messages and promotional activities to resonate with specific segments to increase consumer engagement. When marketing communications have been written with a specific consumer segment in mind, consumers feel understood and are more motivated to make a purchase.   

Optimized Distribution in Stores and Channels 

Understanding the consumer segmentation within a market also helps businesses optimize their distribution and sales channels. Different consumer segments may have varying preferences for different store banners or channels.  They might also have different preferences for online shopping, physical stores, or a combination of both. By identifying these preferences and behaviors, companies can allocate resources strategically, focus on the most effective stores and channels, and provide a seamless shopping experience for each segment.

Identify Market Gaps 

Another significant use of consumer segmentation is to help identify market gaps where there are a lack of products or services that are currently meeting the needs of specific segments.  Gaps in the market can then be translated into opportunities to develop new products or modify existing ones to cater to the needs of specific segments. This strategy enables companies to stay ahead of competitors, enhance consumer satisfaction, and build stronger brand loyalty.

Identify Additional/Secondary Markets 

Consumer segmentation allows businesses to identify untapped market opportunities and potential areas for expansion. By analyzing the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of different segments, companies can uncover secondary or adjacent target segments that also align with their products or services. This knowledge enables strategic decision-making and facilitates successful market penetration. 

Your Source for Expert Consumer Insights 

At SIVO, Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients develop and utilize consumer segmentation that reveals their consumer target. We design custom learning plans that will help you understand which segment of consumers hold the most potential for growth and then facilitate the development of action plans so you can connect with and serve your consumer target. 

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call! 

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By Anna Stoesz, SIVO Insights in partnership with Yogesh Chavda, Y2S Consulting

How “Where to Play / How to Win” Strategy Becomes Practical for Every Brand

There is a moment most insights professionals have experienced.

A well-designed research study is presented to a leadership team. The work is solid. The story lands. Heads nod around the room. And then . . . nothing really happens.

Not because the work wasn’t good, but because the learning wasn’t there when the decisions needed to happen. Often when it’s time to decide where to invest, which ideas to back, or how to prioritize markets, people forget about the great learning and quietly drift back to intuition, internal politics or whatever worked last year.

Now we have added AI into the mix. With AI, we talk about auto‑coding open ends, auto‑summarizing interviews, and auto‑drafting reports. We celebrate the time savings; what used to take three weeks now takes three hours. That is certainly progress, but it is not the whole story.

The more exciting shift we’re seeing is that AI can now give us the building blocks to move from episodic research to real-time decision intelligence.

A Shift in How Insights Show Up

Instead of treating research as a series of projects, we can begin to work in a more continuous way. By monitoring signals, recognizing patterns, and updating our understanding as behavior shifts, we can see opportunities and risks emerge in something close to real time.

In other words, companies are starting to leverage insights from intelligence engines that sit much closer to where decisions are made.

Historically, this kind of decision intelligence was a luxury reserved for companies’ proprietary models and armies of consultants. While AI doesn’t magically answer strategy questions for us, it does make the classic questions of “where should we play” and ‘how will we win” practical for brands that don’t have blue‑chip consulting budgets.

To get there, we must stop thinking about AI as a faster report writer and start thinking in terms of real-time decision intelligence.

This change will also require a shift in how researchers work.

From Faster Projects to Intelligence Engines

Intelligence engines are focused, AI‑accelerated and human‑guided systems designed to answer specific strategic questions in an ongoing way. In a mature setup, you might see engines that continuously map segments and demand spaces, surface and prioritize need states, and stress‑test ideas against multiple plausible futures. Each engine tackles one slice of the strategy puzzle and together, they form a practical, reusable decision system.

The pattern is always AI + HI (human intelligence), where the human‑led inputs of clear business questions, curated data, and activation meet an AI‑powered engine.  The engines are purpose-built, specialized models tuned to a task with guardrails that only come with deep expertise.

To make this concrete, let’s look at a situation common to both B2B and B2C clients.

From a Stale Segmentation Study to “Three Moments We Must Own”

A mid‑size health and wellness brand had a segmentation built five years earlier. It was still the official truth, but everyone knew it no longer matched reality. New players had entered; behaviors had shifted; the market had fragmented. Both the marketing and innovation teams were eager for refreshed insights as they moved into the annual plans process, which was quickly approaching.  

The team considered refreshing the work as originally designed but knew it would require high costs and months of fieldwork and analysis using traditional large-scale surveys and qualitative research that would mean delivering insights too late to act on.

They came to SIVO to understand how an AI intelligence engine might provide the insights they needed to help with real-time learning to support decision-making during the planning process.

We stood up two AI engines: a refreshed dynamic segmentation and a moments engine.

1. A living map of demand

The segmentation engine ingested existing qualitative and quantitative data, ecommerce data, cultural signals, and continuously incorporated new publicly available data through LLMs. It used clustering to surface needs and motivations, reframing them as current demand spaces and segments rather than fixed “personas.”

Because the heavy lift is automated, we could refresh the view as behaviors shifted without launching a new segmentation.

2. From fuzzy journeys to concrete moments

Once we had a sense of the target audience and their needs, the moments engine was then layered on top.  It mined deep LLM research, consumer reviews and behavioral data to surface and bring-to-life micro‑moments across the journey.

For this company, the moments turned “we think awareness is the issue” into something sharper:

• “Here’s how the need state comes to life and the three key moments we must own.”

• “Here’s what this means for messaging – when, where and what to message”

• “Here’s how that connects to both our innovation work and marketing plans"
  

The team was elated to get the insights during the planning process, when they were ready to build and act on them.
 

Keeping Engines Honest

Any time we move AI closer to strategic decisions, the obvious concern is whether the insights are true or not.  For this, three guardrails matter:

Traceability - Every output should be traceable to sources, assumptions, and methods. If you cannot show your work, it’s not insight.

Clear Guardrails - Be explicit about what’s in-scope and where extrapolation begins. Most misuses of AI come from over‑generalizing.

Human‑led design, validation and activation - Engines should feed human judgment, not replace it. The value is in how experts design the engines and how teams use the outputs to frame decision and actions.  

Human-led validation of outputs and intuition based on actual consumer interaction is also top of mind throughout the process to ensure we have the right inputs and validation to match the level of risk and rigor of the decision.

A New Consultative Playing Field

Once the guardrails are in place, a new consultative playing field opens for insights professionals. The intelligence engines give researchers the ability to play at a more strategic level and not just inform decision-making but truly own the recommendations and “where to go next” conversations.

For earlier-career team members, intelligence engines put “where to play” framing at your fingertips. This makes it easier to step into these types of conversations sooner, whether that is structuring a problem, exploring options, or contributing to decisions in a more meaningful way. 

For more experienced leaders, intelligence engines provide a way to continue consulting and building on prior work. They make it possible to explore multiple paths and scenarios, better understand trade-offs, and test how ideas hold up as conditions evolve.

That is the value of moving from episodic insights to real-time decision intelligence.  AI intelligence engines enable you to deliver insights confidently, place well-timed bets, and act with precision when it matters most.

This may be a change for researchers who are not accustomed to delivering insight at the point of decision-making, but one with significant opportunity for greater organizational influence and impact.  

By Leslie Turner – VP, On Demand Talent

Over the past few years, we’ve had the privilege of working with organizations navigating all kinds of change: leadership transitions, unexpected surges in demand, shifting priorities, and the ever-present pressure to do more with less. One consistent theme has emerged: fractional insights talent can be a game-changer.  

Not because it replaces full-time researchers. But because it complements them.

We’ve seen fractional researchers step into high-impact roles with speed, empathy, and precision. Whether they are brought in to lead key innovation or brand strategy initiatives, provide Insights leadership or optimize DIY platforms, they can play a key role in helping teams maintain momentum during critical transitions. And they’ve done it all while working alongside internal teams, to stretch their influence and impact.
 

So, what is fractional talent?

Fractional insights professionals are seasoned researchers who embed into teams on a flexible, project-based basis. They’re not just temporary workers but strategic partners, who understand the demands of the business. Often former heads of insights or highly experienced research consultants, they bring deep research expertise across methodologies, industries and tools. They work part-time or on-demand, but their contributions are anything but temporary.

"Fractional leadership is the next evolution of the independent contractor economy"

– Sara Daw, Fast Company, July 11, 2025

Why it matters now

Marketing research teams are under pressure, with tighter budgets and timelines often competing with higher expectations. It can be hard to anticipate what the next year may bring, and sometimes you just need support now.  Fractional talent helps bridge the gap by offering:

• • Speed to impact: Pre-vetted professionals can start contributing within days. They quickly grasp business needs and drive results from day one

• • Scalability: Whether covering a leave, leading a strategic initiative, or managing a surge in workload, fractional talent flexes with your needs

• • Cost efficiency: You pay only for the time and expertise you need - no long-term commitment or lengthy hiring processes

• • Strategic enablement: With fractional experts familiar with your methods and tools, they can focus more of their time on helping instill insights and action across your teams to move the business forward
    

They’re especially valuable when your team is trying to scale insights without compromising depth or rigor. We’ve seen them turn raw data into executive-ready outputs, design unbiased surveys, and bring fresh thinking from outside your category, all while working within your existing tools and workflows.

How to prepare your team  

If you’re considering fractional support, here are a few things we’ve learned that help set the stage for success:

1. 1. Define the role clearly: Log unmet needs over a week to identify where support is needed. Use this to scope the role and match the right skillset

2. 2. Establish communication protocols: Set expectations for check-ins, updates, and feedback. Use collaboration tools to maintain alignment 

3. 3. Integrate cross-functionally: Ensure fractional professionals are looped into the appropriate teams (marketing, product, customer experience, etc.)

4. 4. Interview for fit: Even for short-term roles, cultural fit matters. Look for adaptability and alignment with your team’s style

5. 5. Provide access and context: Share tools, background materials, and stakeholder introductions to help them hit the ground running

6. 6. Leverage for capability building: Fractional staff can train internal teams, create research playbooks, and establish governance for DIY platforms
      

Fractional insights talent might be the answer

Fractional talent isn’t a work-around, it’s a strategic lever. It allows research teams to stay agile, deepen their insights, and build internal capabilities without overextending resources.

Full-time researchers are the backbone of any insights team. Fractional talent simply helps them go further, faster.  If your team is thinking about how to balance speed and depth, fractional talent might be the answer.

For further insight into the value of fractional talent and how it could support your team, please reach out. We're always happy to share what we’ve learned, explore your team’s needs, or just talk shop about the future of insights!    

contact@SIVOInsights.com

If you're part of a consumer insights team, you already know what this time of year looks like. The upcoming start of annual planning season brings high expectations, overlapping requests, and limited capacity. You’re pulling together top trends, completing industry reviews, immersing stakeholders, and expected to deliver fast, sharp guidance that informs decisions across the business. There’s no shortage of urgency. But there is often a shortage of time, hands, and headspace.

In this post, we’ll focus on how teams like yours are preparing for the planning season pressure with smart, flexible insights support. From tips for handling the volume to examples of how fractional talent can plug in fast, this is a practical guide to getting through planning season without compromising on quality. 

The Planning Season Challenge: from an Insights Perspective

Planning season can be a moment of high visibility for insights teams. It’s when your work directly shapes decisions on budgets, brand priorities, innovation pipelines, and go-to-market plans. Expectations are high, and so is the payoff if done well.  

This is also when the work becomes less linear, as you’re often not managing one big project, but you’re responding to competing needs from multiple teams, often simultaneously. You’re asked to shift from high-level trends to granular customer behavior, to turn data into strategy, and to do it all faster than ever. Internally, you may be running up against resource constraints, limited capacity for synthesis, or pressure to answer questions that haven’t been fully scoped. Stakeholders want insights, leaders want speed, and everyone wants you to predict the future so they can plan better for it.

This is the reality many insights leaders are preparing to navigate right now: how to maintain rigor under pressure, how to prioritize when everything is urgent, and how to protect the quality of insight that drives real decisions. 

Tips for Managing Insight Deliverables During Planning Crunch

With overlapping asks and limited time, prioritization becomes a strategic skill. It’s not just about getting things done, but making sure the most valuable work gets done well. Below are a few practical ways we’ve seen insight teams stay focused and deliver effectively under pressure. 

Start with internal alignment 
Before saying yes to every request, align with key stakeholders on what’s truly critical to planning outcomes. What decisions need to be made in the next few weeks? What’s nice to have versus required? This helps filter the noise and focus resources where they matter most. If you’re a seasoned insights pro, this step probably comes naturally to you. 

Map deliverables to decisions 
For every request, clarify what decision it’s intended to inform. This helps the team determine how deep to go, what methods are appropriate, and whether existing insights already cover it. 

Synthesize what’s already known 
Planning often sparks redundant questions. A quick synthesis of past work, organized by theme, audience, or priority, can help prevent unnecessary rework and provide fast traction. Even a short “What We Know” session can help reset expectations and surface gaps more clearly. 

Be transparent about trade-offs 
Not everything can be done at the same depth, and it’s best to communicate that clearly. Stakeholders usually respond well when you explain what’s possible, what’s at risk, and where additional support would make a difference. This creates space for smarter resourcing decisions, and helps prevent extra stress and burnout among your team.  

Build in a checkpoint before things scale 
Use a mid-cycle checkpoint to review whether what’s being delivered is actually moving planning forward. If not, it’s better to adjust early than stretch your team to deliver work that won’t be used. 

How to Expand Your Insight Team’s Capacity Without Compromising Quality

When insight teams hit capacity during planning season, the instinct is often to either say no, or simply push through. But overloading the team rarely leads to strategic work. It leads to shortcuts, slower turnarounds, and deliverables that lack the synthesis stakeholders expect – putting the strategic plans at risks.  

Many teams are addressing this challenge by bringing in short-term support. But success depends on who you bring in and how they work. Traditional freelancers or overflow support often require onboarding, guidance, or extra training time. That adds to your workload instead of reducing it, and that’s not what you need when you’re already stretched thin.  

What works better is adding insight professionals who understand planning cycles, know how to manage complexity, and can operate as part of your internal team. When done right, this model gives teams the room to focus on what matters most. It protects insight quality while meeting the volume and speed planning requires, and it also reduces pressure on the team, making it possible to stay sharp across multiple workstreams. 

Bringing in Fractional Insight Experts for Planning Season

At SIVO, we work with companies across industries to extend insights teams during planning season. Our On Demand Talent includes seasoned researchers, strategic thinkers, moderators, planners, and communicators who can step into the specific functions you need. Whether that’s help managing an overflow of qual studies, needing someone to run stakeholder synthesis, or build strategic narratives that tie research to business planning – fractional insight experts are here to help.  

You don’t need to compromise quality to meet a deadline, and you don’t need to burn out your team to deliver on planning season demands. Whether you need a sharp moderator for next week’s workstream, a strategic partner to help frame consumer implications, or someone to translate findings into clear planning outputs, we can match the right talent to your exact need.  

Need Extra Capacity on Your Insights Team for Planning Season, Fast?
Let’s find your perfect match!

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As 2026 planning season approaches, most leaders are focused on big decisions: where to invest, how to grow, and which bets to place. But the strongest strategies don’t begin with goals, they begin with your consumers. 

In fact, the annual planning season is the perfect time to pressure-test assumptions. Before you finalize budgets or commit to growth strategies, it pays to refresh your understanding of today’s consumer landscape. What’s changed? What’s emerging? And what gaps in understanding could derail your decisions? 

This post outlines how to approach annual planning through the lens of consumer truth, so you can build smarter, more aligned strategies. Let’s dive in!  

Why Annual Planning Should Start with the Consumer, Not Budget Goals

For many organizations, planning still begins with internal goal-setting: revenue and profit targets, innovation and growth priorities, and cost cutting. And high-performing teams know that successful strategy isn’t just about setting ambition, it’s about aligning that ambition to current market conditions.  

Consumer behavior is one of the most dynamic variables in that equation, and often, one of the most overlooked. Market assumptions that were true a year ago may no longer apply. Purchasing patterns, motivations, and category expectations can shift quickly, especially in volatile economic environments like the current one. And if your plan doesn’t reflect those changes, it’s much more likely to underperform. 

This consumer-centric understanding is foundational. It informs product decisions, pricing, messaging, innovation, and channel strategy. Without it, even well-intentioned plans can quickly drift out of sync with real consumer needs. Starting with the consumer also accelerates alignment. It gives cross-functional teams, from marketing to finance to sales, a shared understanding of where the business is heading and why. It moves planning conversations from opinion to evidence and from speculation to strategy.

If the case still isn’t clear, consider this: even well-resourced plans fail when they aren’t aligned with current consumer behavior. It’s often not about effort or execution, it’s about starting with the right inputs. Let’s look at a few examples:

How Outdated Insights Can Derail Strategic Decisions

Outdated consumer insights can lead to misdirected efforts, misaligned messaging, missed opportunities, and unnecessary risk. To illustrate what this looks like in practice, here are two common scenarios where strategy easily goes off track because the consumer context was never fully validated.  

Scenario 1: Revenue Growth: Investing in the Wrong Innovation 

A company sets aggressive growth targets and decides to compete more directly with newer players in the category. They allocate budget toward developing a new product with features they believe will differentiate them. The plan gets approved. Timelines are set. Everyone is getting ready to mobilize fast and execute. 

But the innovation was based on an internal assumption about what consumers wanted – not on recent consumer insight. In reality, consumers weren’t looking for more features. They were looking for simplicity, availability and value. The company spends $$$ getting the launch ready, but the product doesn’t gain any traction. The opportunity for a product refresh was real, but the execution missed the mark because actual buyers weren’t consulted.  

Scenario 2: Cost Efficiency: Accidentally Cutting the Value Driver 

Another company, facing margin pressure, looks for quick wins through cost reductions. They make the decision to cut a service element they believe is underutilized, based on operational data and internal team feedback. 

What they didn’t realize is that this element was one of the few remaining differentiators in the eyes of their customers. It wasn’t used loudly, but it created trust and loyalty. Cutting it might save money in the short term, but it might erode value perception and reduce retention in the long term.  

Scenario 3: Missed Market Signals: Falling Behind in a Shifting Landscape 

A brand team, focused on stabilizing performance, decides to stick with the same marketing and channel strategy that had worked well in the past. But in the background, both consumer behavior and category norms had shifted. 

Competitors began simplifying their digital experience, consolidating touchpoints, and creating seamless mobile journeys. Meanwhile, this brand was still investing in a fragmented app strategy and outdated content flows. The team didn’t realize that expectations had changed. Consumers weren’t looking for more brand interaction, they were looking for convenience and control in one place. By the time results started to dip, the gap was already visible. A competitive audit or trend review could have flagged these shifts much earlier, giving the brand time to adapt before losing relevance. 

These are not unusual cases. They reflect a planning process that moved forward before validating the reality on the ground. Other common issues include planning around outdated needs or occasions, targeting segments that have shifted or declined, or simply prioritizing the things that don’t matter to consumers anyways. None of these decisions are inherently flawed, but when they’re based on outdated or assumed insight, the risk of “planning in the wrong direction” increases.

What Consumer Insights to Refresh, Replace, or Revalidate Before You Strategize

The good news is you don’t always need to start from scratch. In many cases, the best approach is to audit what you already have, identify gaps, and decide what needs to be refreshed or revalidated.

Here are some key areas worth pressure-testing, before you commit to planning: 

1. Who your core consumer is today: Recheck your segmentation. Are the groups you’re targeting still behaving the way you expected? Have new needs emerged that shift how they make decisions or what they prioritize?

2. What needs are driving behavior now: Validate what’s motivating purchase (or non-purchase) in your category. Are you solving the right problems with benefits that still differentiate? Are consumers making new trade-offs? Have recent competitive moves or industry trends shifted expectations?

3. Where the category is shifting: Look beyond your own brand. What competitor moves, adjacent innovations, or retail dynamics are influencing what consumers see as normal, or even expected?

Pro Tip: Run a Get Smart session 

Many teams start with a Get Smart session. It’s a fast-turn immersion that pulls together everything you already know, from existing data to partner knowledge to internal POVs, and highlights what’s still missing. These sessions help surface blind spots, align teams, and set the foundation for what to explore further through new research or analysis, which will lay the foundation for a solid and strategic plan.  

Insight work at this stage doesn’t need to be complex. It just needs to be focused, current, and relevant to the decisions you’re about to make.  

From Insights to Action: How Updated Consumer Truth Drives Smarter Planning 

The strongest strategic plans are built on a clear understanding of the consumer. When that understanding is current, relevant, and grounded in reality, teams make better decisions, faster, with less risk, and greater impact. At SIVO, we help businesses enter planning season with confidence:

Custom Research, Built for Planning Timelines 

Whether you need to revalidate consumer segments, understand emerging behaviors, or map new usage occasions, our team designs studies that answer the right questions at the right time. We work fast, focus on what matters to your business, and turn insight into clear recommendations for strategic use you can easily relate to in your annual plans. 

Rapid Discovery & Immersion Sessions 

Need to align insights and teams quickly? Our Get Smart sessions help you make sense of what you already know and highlight the gaps that matter most. These sessions help build internal alignment early and avoid late pivots, and are perfect as a foundation for your annual plans.  

Flexible On-Demand Talent (ODT) for Extra Capacity 

Already have an internal insights team, but planning season is stretching your resources? SIVO’s On Demand Talent gives you access to senior insights professionals who can plug into your team quickly. Whether you need a trends lead, moderator, or strategic storyteller, we match you with the right expert, without hiring delays and long-term commitments. The perfect flexbile insights approach to supercharge your insights team for the planning season!  

Consumer truth is the foundation of smarter annual planning. Whether you're building that foundation or scaling your team to deliver it, we're here to help.  

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As customer needs evolve and competition intensifies, traditional segmentation frameworks often fall short. Many segmentation models are based on demographics and psychographics, and often define customers based on traits such as their age, gender, attitudes and values. They tell you who your consumer is – but not why they make the choices they do. 

To fuel meaningful, strategic growth, businesses need more than demographic snapshots. They need contextual insight. This is where frameworks like Demand Space thinking comes in. 

What Is Demand Space Thinking? 

Demand Space frameworks shift the focus from static consumer traits to the moments that drive decisions. Instead of defining your audience only by traits such as age, gender, or income, this approach considers: 

• When the decision happens 

• Where the consumer is 

• Who they’re with 

• What they’re trying to achieve 

• How they feel in that moment 

It’s not about who your consumer is on paper – it’s about what’s happening around them, and inside them, when they make choices. 

Why It Matters 

Consumers don’t always behave the same way, even when they share similar traits on paper. A single person has different needs and behaviors throughout the day, week, or year, and traditional segmentation often misses these moments that drive real-world decisions. Demand Spaces, on the other hand, are based on the moments where context, emotion, and need converge.  

The Power of Demand Spaces for Growth 

When implemented thoughtfully, Demand Spaces help businesses: 

1. Reveal Unmet Needs 

Demand Spaces help businesses find the moments when consumers are underserved by existing options. These blind spots often become the clearest opportunities for growth. By identifying emotional or contextual gaps in the consumer experience, teams can design solutions that respond to real pain points and not using assumptions. 

2. Unlock Innovation Whitespace 

They also help businesses go beyond what consumers say they want and uncover what they actually need in specific situations. This helps teams design offerings that better reflect real-world behaviors.  It’s a way to spark smarter ideas, grounded in daily routines, shifting priorities, and overlooked occasions that traditional research often misses. 

3. Strengthen Brand Positioning 

Demand Space tools help position brands based on context and need, not just category. This reduces overlap and creates clearer brand roles. That means brands can carve out distinct emotional territory, ensuring each one plays a defined role in the consumer’s life, not just on a shelf. 

4. Clarify Audience Priorities 

By focusing efforts on the most critical consumer moments – when the stakes, emotions, or needs are highest – teams can prioritize smarter. It enables brands to align resources with the occasions that drive the most value, loyalty, or conversion – improving both focus and ROI. 

5. Reduce Internal Cannibalization 

They also help in assigning each brand, product, or service distinct moments. This ensures they serve different needs or occasions rather than competing for the same ones. By separating who serves what – and when – demand spaces bring clarity to brand architecture and reduce inefficiencies across portfolios. 
 
Demand Spaces help businesses unlock growth by bringing clarity to what consumers need, when they need it, and why. Instead of chasing broad segments or spreading resources thin, brands can focus on the moments that truly drive behavior – revealing new opportunities, reducing internal friction, and building solutions that resonate in the real world.  

Real-World Example: Same Consumer, Different Moments 

Let’s say your target is a 35-year-old parent who regularly shops for snacks. Depending on the situation, they might want:

• A quiet, solo snack to recharge after work (need example = calm, emotional reset) 
• A fun, shareable treat for a family movie night (need example = togetherness) 
• A convenient, energizing bite during school drop-off chaos (need example = speed, functionality) 

Each moment carries different emotional and functional needs – and may lead them to choose entirely different brands or products. This is the nuance Demand Spaces capture.

How to Map Demand Spaces 

In a challenging market, brands can’t afford to rely on guesswork. Demand Spaces provide both smarter lenses for targeting and innovation, a more human understanding of consumer behavior, and a faster path to discovering what will actually drive choice – and growth.  

To identify and activate demand spaces, brands need to move beyond static surveys. Instead, they should use context-rich research tools like: 

• Mobile ethnography and video diaries 

• In-the-moment interviews and shop-alongs 

• Qualitative deep dives to understand emotional context 

• Behavioral observation and journey mapping 

These are some of the methods that help businesses capture real consumer behavior, in real environments. At SIVO, we combine deep qualitative expertise with flexible research models to help you map the demand spaces that matter most to your business. Whether you're reassessing brand positioning, exploring whitespace for innovation, or trying to understand behavior shifts in today’s market – we help you with the right tools and insights for your business.  

Want to talk about how Demand Space research can unlock strategic clarity for your team?
We’d love to help!  

Contact us

In today’s fast-paced world of AI-powered dashboards, real-time metrics, and instant feedback loops, businesses are flooded with data. But despite this access to information, many teams are still struggling to truly understand their consumers.  

Why? Because understanding doesn’t come from data points alone. It comes from empathy – the ability to see the world through your consumers’ eyes.

Empathy is not just a soft skill. In a business context, empathy for your consumer is a strategic asset.  And when used intentionally, it becomes a competitive differentiator that can unlock sharper decisions, faster innovation, and stronger brand resonance.  

What Is Consumer Empathy?

Empathy in a business context goes beyond surface understanding: It’s the process of cognitively and emotionally connecting with your consumers’ experiences, motivations, and needs.  

Consumer empathy allows teams to: 

• Understand what people truly need (not just what they say)
• Identify emotional drivers of behavior
• Reveal friction points across the path to purchase
• Spot new whitespace opportunities (unmet needs) for innovation
• Build trust with messaging that actually resonates

And most importantly: it allows your team to move beyond assumptions and act with confidence.  

Why is consumer empathy important?

What we see most notably, with the rise of AI, more and more executive teams are pushing for faster, leaner decision-making. But without a connection to real-world consumer behavior, speed risks becoming shallow, and very costly. From an insights perspective, developing empathy within organizations and training teams isn’t a nice-to-have or a luxury – it’s a necessity. 

• In tight markets, empathy reveals which value drivers matter most.
• In global expansion, it highlights cultural context and emotional nuance.
• In innovation, it guides idea development that actually solves consumer needs.

And these are just some examples. Empathy fuels smarter decisions at every level of the business, in all departments.

Actionable Tools to Operationalize Empathy 

Whether you’re a CMO rethinking brand positioning or an Insights Director building your learning plans, here are some key tools to bring empathy into strategy:

1. Ethnographic Interviews

Spending time in your consumers’ real environments  (their homes, their workplace, neighborhood stores, their daily routines, even in their cars) allows you to uncover insights that would never surface in a focus group or controlled environment. Watch for routines, artifacts, interactions, and decision-making moments. What feels normal to them might be revealing for your team.  

Ethnographic interviews are perfect to use when exploring new segments, refining product strategy, or understanding how a category fits into everyday life.

2. Shop-Alongs & Path to Purchase Observation

Understanding how people actually make choices at shelf (or online) tells you more than any survey can. What stops them? What persuades them? How do they navigate the retail space? How does your product show up relative to your competitors? Shop-Alongs and Path to Purchase Observations are perfect when optimizing in-store experience, packaging, or online conversion strategy.

3. Empathy Treks

These immersive, multi-day learning experiences are designed to help teams step into the shoes of their consumers – literally. Whether it’s joining farmers on their land or shadowing a parent on a morning routine, empathy treks bring brand teams (and senior leaders) closer to the emotional context that drives decisions. It’s a common tool to aligning cross-functional teams, inspiring innovation, or uncovering core brand truths.

4. Digital Diaries

Mobile mission software, accessed through smart phones, gives you visibility into your consumers’ world in real time or over time. From what they eat and wear to how they talk about brands, these tools capture lived experiences in context, without disrupting them. Digital diaries are perfect for when businesses are looking to understand rituals, routines, and the evolving emotional process of the consumer journey.

5. Insight Activation Workshops

Empathy doesn’t end with the research. In fact, it’s only the beginning, and companies should strive to embed it in their day-to-day businesses. But how? That’s where tools like Insight Activation Sessions come in, to help teams translate empathy into action by reframing findings as strategic questions, idea starters, or business moves. A perfect move to embedding insights into planning cycles or cross-functional decision-making, for long-term results.

Real-World Results: What Empathy Reveals 

At SIVO, we love helping clients across industries uncover powerful insights through empathy-driven methods. Here are just a few examples of past cases:  

Electronics Retailer | New Product Optimization

A leading electronics retailer struggled to connect with their consumers – their messaging felt clinical and cold. By stepping into the real lives of their target market, in their own homes, we uncovered the emotional language that truly resonated. The result? Clear direction on positioning and communication strategies – and a renewed path to success in a challenging category.

Global Beverage Brand | Improved Brand Messaging

A global beverage brand was losing relevance across key consumption occasions. Through immersive virtual ethnography, we helped them see how emotions, rituals, and motivations shaped beverage choice across six countries. This empathy-powered understanding led to sharper messaging and inspired marketing activation across core segments.

Consumer Electronics Brand | A Global Brand Strategy  

An electronics brand expanding globally needed to understand what truly drives consumer decisions – but sales data alone weren’t cutting it. Through ethnographic interviews and in-store observations across multiple countries, we uncovered key journey moments that shaped how and why people buy. The insights directly informed their brand growth strategy.

Recreational Vehicle Company | Innovation and Renovation Opportunities

A recreational vehicle company wanted to identify new opportunities for innovation and product improvement efforts –  but needed to understand the deeper feelings associated with their utility vehicles. The SIVO and client team spent quality time with farmers and hunters on their properties, riding in their vehicles to see and feel how these vehicles integrated into their consumers’ lives, their farming businesses, and leisure time.

Empathy isn't just a buzzword or about "feeling good" –  it's about making better decisions, for you, your company, and your consumers. When you understand the world your consumers live in, you can make decisions with more clarity, alignment, and confidence. 

Ready to move from unaware to empathetic?  
Let’s explore how empathy can drive better decisions across your company!  

Contact us

Every year, businesses face the same challenge: key research projects grind to a halt when insights professionals go on vacation. Deadlines can slip, stakeholder requests pile up, and business decisions get delayed, all because critical expertise isn’t available when it’s needed most.

For many teams, the choice is either overloading remaining staff (leading to problems like burnout) or putting projects on hold (risking lost momentum and missed opportunities). But there’s a better way.

Leading brands solve this problem by leveraging On Demand Market Research Talent—highly skilled, fractional insights professionals who step in seamlessly, ensuring that research initiatives keep moving, even when core team members are out. Whether planned months in advance or needed at the last minute, these experts keep insights flowing year-round without the cost or commitment of full-time hiring.

In this article, we’ll explore:

• The hidden cost of vacation gaps in Insights and Analytics teams
• How on-demand insights professionals fill these gaps
• How leading brands use flexible research talent to maintain business continuity
• How to prepare for coverage gaps (and what to do if you didn’t)

If your research team has ever struggled to keep up during vacation seasons, this is for you. Let’s dive in.

The Hidden Cost of Vacation Gaps in Insights Teams 

Insights teams (or their superiors) often assume they can absorb the impact of vacation gaps—but the reality is more disruptive than expected. When key insights professionals are out of office, projects stall, timelines get pushed, and business decisions are delayed. The ripple effect extends beyond just a temporary pause—it can create significant financial, operational, and strategic costs. 

Delayed Research = Missed Opportunities 

Insights don’t operate in isolation. When research is postponed due to staffing shortages, marketing campaigns, product launches, and strategic initiatives suffer. A postponed concept test could mean missing the ideal market entry window, and a delayed brand study could leave unanswered questions right when leadership needs clarity. 

Burnout Increases & Productivity Declines 

The default response to vacation gaps? Overloading remaining team members. This short-term fix often leads to long-term burnout, reducing productivity and increasing the likelihood of rushed, lower-quality insights. High-performing researchers need time to recharge, but when teams are stretched too thin, performance—and retention—suffers. 

Loss of Institutional Knowledge & Context 

Even with strong documentation, there’s always implicit knowledge that only team members carry—research nuances, stakeholder preferences, and the context behind past decisions. When an insights pro steps away, this expertise temporarily disappears, forcing teams to either pause projects or make assumptions that may not align with prior research. 

Stakeholder Frustration & Lost Credibility 

Insights teams thrive on being trusted advisors to the business, but when gaps in coverage lead to stalled projects or incomplete data, stakeholder confidence erodes. If leadership views the insights function as unreliable, they may turn to gut instinct over data-driven decision-making—undermining the very role of the Consumer Insights function. 

The bottom line? Vacation gaps in insights teams aren’t just an inconvenience—they create costly disruptions that affect business performance. But there’s a way to avoid these risks while still ensuring that research professionals get the breaks they need.

Vacation gaps are inevitable—but research delays don’t have to be.  

How to Keep Market Research Running When Your Team Is Out 

Vacation gaps are inevitable—but research delays don’t have to be. The key to maintaining momentum without burnout is having a strategy in place before gaps happen. Whether you’re proactively planning or scrambling for last-minute coverage, here’s how leading companies keep research running smoothly, even when key team members are away. 

1. Bring in an Experienced Insights Pro—On Demand 

When key team members are out, the biggest risk is insights bottlenecks—studies stall, stakeholder questions pile up, and research deliverables get delayed. SIVO’s On-Demand Talent steps in seamlessly, ensuring business-critical work continues without disruption. 

• Assign an experienced insights consultant to step in and manage ongoing research—from moderating qualitative sessions to overseeing quant studies to basically doing anything your full-time hires are usually covering.  
• Have a dedicated insights pro handle analysis & reporting, so findings are delivered on time—even when your internal team is out. 
• No long hiring process. ODT experts onboard in days, keeping your projects moving. 

2. Get Temporary Coverage for High-Stakes Projects 

Certain projects can’t afford to pause just because someone is on vacation. Product launches, consumer deep dives, and ad testing require continuity and expert oversight. 

• ODT teams provides specialized researchers who can step into complex projects midstream—without missing a beat. 
• No need to push deadlines or overburden remaining team members. Temporary insights professionals ensure work stays on track. 

3. Avoid Costly Delays with Rapid-Response Staffing 

Sometimes, vacation coverage isn’t planned—it’s needed last-minute. Whether it’s a sudden leave of absence or a forgotten PTO overlap, scrambling to fill gaps can lead to expensive delays. 

• ODT rapid-response talent network means you don’t need to panic. The placement of insights professionals can happen within days, so projects don’t stall. 
• Teams stay lean without losing research momentum. No need for bringing on extra full-time hires to cover gaps, when short-term coverage is usually all that’s needed. 

Whether planned or unexpected, vacation gaps don’t have to slow down insights. With an On-Demand Talent strategy in place, businesses stay ahead of potential disruptions—avoiding last-minute scrambles and keeping research moving seamlessly year-round. 

How Top Brands Maintain Research Continuity During Vacation Gaps 

Leading companies plan ahead—or react quickly—with On-Demand Talent, ensuring no critical work falls through the cracks that can impact the organization. Here’s how organizations leverage fractional insights pros to bridge gaps and keep research running smoothly: 

1. Keeping Consumer Research on Track When Your Lead Insights Manager Is Out 

Scenario 1: A national CPG company has ongoing brand equity tracking and ad testing, but their Senior Consumer Insights Manager was heading out for a month-long vacation. 

Without coverage, research timelines would have slipped, and stakeholder meetings would have lacked fresh insights. Instead, the company brought in an On-Demand Consumer Insights Strategist to manage the process, ensuring: 

• Data collection and analysis continued without interruption.  
• Reports were delivered on time for marketing and leadership teams.  
• Actionable insights informed the next stage of brand strategy—without delays. 

This proactive approach prevented research bottlenecks and decision-making gaps, keeping the business moving. 

2. Avoiding a Last-Minute Crisis When an Insights Director’s PTO Overlaps With a Major Product Launch 

Scenario 2: A global food & beverage company had a new product launch scheduled—but their Head of Consumer Insights and two key team members had overlapping PTO. 

With final-stage concept testing still underway and last-minute adjustments needed for packaging and claims, the company faced a potential launch delay. Instead of postponing, they brought in a fractional Insights Lead to: 

• Step in immediately and oversee remaining consumer testing. 
• Ensure insights translated directly into marketing and sales execution. 
• Keep the launch on schedule—avoiding costly delays and lost momentum. 

ODT gave them specialized expertise exactly when they needed it, ensuring no compromises in research quality or speed. 

3. Handling an Unexpected Leave of Absence Without Overloading the Team 

Scenario 3: A leading technology brand was in the middle of a competitive landscape study when an unexpected leave of absence left their insights team short-staffed. 

Rather than overloading remaining team members or pressing pause on critical work, they: 

• Onboarded an On-Demand Market Researcher within a week to pick up where their team member left off.  
• Maintained the study’s original timeline, ensuring insights were delivered as planned.  
• Prevented burnout among the existing team while keeping leadership informed with fresh data. 

With rapid-response talent placement, the company avoided research disruptions and kept its competitive intelligence up to date. 

4. Managing Seasonal Vacation Overlaps Without Halting Innovation Research 

Scenario 4: A major retailer had a busy summer innovation pipeline, but multiple insights pros were out on PTO at the same time. 

Rather than pausing consumer co-creation sessions and delaying concept testing, they used On-Demand Talent to:  

• Moderate in-depth interviews and lead focus groups while internal staff was away.
• Analyze & synthesize findings, ensuring no delays in go/no-go decisions.  
• Keep internal teams updated with real-time insights, even with limited internal resources. 

With fractional insights experts seamlessly filling gaps, the company stayed on schedule without sacrificing research quality. 

The Bottom Line for How to Deal with Research Bottlenecks During PTO 

Whether you plan ahead or need urgent support, On-Demand Talent ensures your research stays on track—so your team can take time off without work grinding to a halt. 

By leveraging fractional insights professionals, companies can prevent last-minute scrambles, reduce the risk of missed deadlines, and maintain research momentum year-round. 

How to Plan for Vacation Gaps in Your Insights Team (And What to Do If You Didn’t) 

So, how do you avoid research slowdowns when your team is out? And if you’re already facing an urgent coverage issue, what’s the best way to bridge the gap without scrambling?Let’s break it down. 

Proactive Planning: How to Avoid Vacation Research Gaps Before They Happen 

Businesses plan for financial forecasts, marketing campaigns, and supply chain logistics months in advance. Yet, many insights teams still treat PTO gaps as an inevitable issue. The key is building vacation coverage into your annual research strategy so that insights continue flowing, no matter the time of year. Some things you can do:  

• Map Out High-Stakes Research Periods & Coverage Needs 
  Identify peak research cycles—product launches, annual brand tracking, campaign testing, etc.—and ensure backup support is in place well before PTO is scheduled. Use research roadmaps to flag critical projects where dedicated resources are required, so gaps aren’t discovered too late. 
  
• Cross-Train Teams & Create Research Playbooks 
  The best insurance against knowledge loss is ensuring at least one other team member understands key methodologies, ongoing studies, and stakeholder expectations. Develop structured research playbooks that outline study designs, data sources, and reporting formats to minimize disruption. 

• Leverage Fractional Research Support for Built-In Coverage 
  On-Demand Talent (ODT) provides pre-vetted insights professionals who can step in seamlessly—ensuring research projects stay on track without long-term hiring commitments. Businesses that integrate ODT into their talent strategy avoid last-minute scrambles and keep research moving efficiently year-round. 

Planning ahead prevents vacation gaps from becoming business roadblocks. But what if PTO conflicts weren’t anticipated—and now key insights work is at risk of falling behind? 

Short-Term Fixes: What to Do If You’re Already Facing a Research Vacation Gap 

Even with careful planning, unexpected gaps happen. A last-minute PTO request, overlapping team absences, or an urgent business need can leave insights teams short-staffed at critical moments. If you’re already dealing with a research gap, here’s how to minimize disruption fast: 

• Prioritize & Streamline Workloads 
  Not every project is equally urgent. Work with stakeholders to reassess timelines, consolidate deliverables, or temporarily deprioritize lower-impact initiatives until full team capacity is restored. 

• Leverage Internal Teams for Tactical Execution 
  While high-level insights strategy requires expertise, some research tasks—survey fielding, basic analysis, or stakeholder updates—can potentially be temporarily shifted to marketing or product teams with clear guidance. However, there is always a risk that they aren’t equipped with the skills to execute properly – and who can really blame them?  

• Activate On-Demand Talent for Immediate Research Support 
  Need an insights pro immediately? As mentioned, ODT fills critical gaps within days, not weeks, ensuring research continuity without overwhelming the existing team, and is an excellent fix for filling research vacation gaps. Instead of pausing work, rushing through deliverables, or handing off work to other staff members, fractional insights pros ensure studies stay on track, analysis is completed, and high-quality reports are delivered on time. 

AI vs. Human Expertise: Can AI Cover Vacation Research Gaps? 

As companies seek more efficiency, many turn to AI-powered research tools to bridge staffing gaps. While AI can be a valuable support system, it has clear limitations that make it an unreliable substitute for expert insights professionals—especially when high-stakes decisions are involved. 

For instance, AI is great at surfacing data but doesn’t interpret nuances, human motivations, or cultural relevance—leading to misaligned insights. AI models also (unfortunately) inherit biases from training data, which can skew results if not carefully reviewed and adjusted by human experts. Additionally, executives rely on strategic recommendations, not just raw data—AI lacks the credibility and business acumen needed to drive stakeholder decisions.  
 
If you’re considering using AI to fill vacation coverage gaps for your research team, keep in mind that the more tools you introduce, the more training your team will require. This can actually take more time away from employees rather than increasing productivity—especially for short-term needs like a vacation fill. What seems like an easy solution can quickly turn into a time-consuming distraction, creating more inefficiencies rather than solving the original problem. 

Where to Find Temporary Research Experts Fast & Seamlessly 

When critical insights projects can’t wait, finding temporary research experts quickly is essential. So, where can businesses turn for immediate, high-quality research support? 

Many organizations look to freelance platforms and consulting firms, but these often require lengthy onboarding or lack the industry expertise needed for specialized research roles. Others attempt to redistribute workloads internally, which can lead to inefficiencies and overburdened teams.  

A more effective approach is tapping into pre-vetted insights professionals (like ODT) who can integrate quickly, understand complex research needs, and keep projects moving without disruption. Whether covering for a planned PTO or responding to an unexpected gap, having a flexible resourcing strategy ensures that insights teams can maintain momentum—without last-minute scrambles or overburdening internal staff.  

About SIVO 

At SIVO, we provide businesses with flexible, on-demand insights talent to keep research initiatives moving—no matter the challenge. Whether you need short-term vacation coverage, interim leadership, or specialized expertise for a critical project, we place senior-level insights professionals within days. 

• Short- or long-term commitments–ODT is flexible! 
• Seamless integration into your team 
• Deep experience across industries and methodologies 

Don’t let research slow down when key insight team members are out for vacation. Let’s talk:  

contact@sivoinsights.com | www.sivoinsights.com/on-demand-talent-management/ 

By Natasha Weith 

Innovation is often seen as a creative pursuit—a way for businesses to stay ahead, differentiate, and drive growth. But for many companies, the innovation process feels uncertain. How do you know if an idea will resonate in the market? Will consumers adopt a new product, behavior, or service? How do you distinguish between a promising concept and a costly misstep? 

Most innovation initiatives are guided by internal vision, expert intuition, and trend analysis—all valuable inputs. But in a rapidly shifting consumer landscape, these elements alone aren’t enough. 

Too many innovations fail—not because they weren’t good ideas, but because they weren’t validated in the real world before launch. The key to success? Embedding consumer input via market research into every stage of innovation instead of treating it as a final checkpoint.

The Risks of Relying on Internal Assumptions 

Companies often assume they “know” their market. Here’s where innovation efforts commonly go wrong: 

• Overconfidence in Industry Knowledge – Even the most experienced teams can miss shifting consumer attitudes and behaviors. 
• Speed-to-Market Pressure – Rushing a launch without real-world validation leads to costly post-launch pivots. 
• Relying on Trends Instead of Market Reality – Trends reveal what’s happening now, not what drives long-term adoption. 
• Internal R&D Without External Input – What works in the lab doesn’t always work in-market. 

The result? Companies invest millions in ideas that sound good internally but fail to gain traction.

How Market Forces Shape Innovation Success 

Consumers don’t just react to new offerings—they make trade-offs based on convenience, price, and habit. A product might be superior on paper, but that doesn’t mean consumers will switch. 

To succeed, businesses must: 

• Understand behavioral drivers – Why do consumers choose one product over another? 
• Assess competitive response – How will existing players react? 
• Brand fit?  Do consumers believe this brand should offer a certain product? 
• Time the market correctly – Is the category ready for this innovation? 

Without these insights, even a groundbreaking innovation can flop.

The Missing Link: Embedding Consumer Insights into Innovation Strategy 

The most successful companies don’t just test ideas—they build them alongside the target consumer using agile, iterative research. However, even companies that invest in research get it wrong when they: 

✖︎ Use Research as a One-Time final checkpoint – Instead of a continuous input, insights are only used for last-minute validation. 

✖︎ Seek Confirmation Instead of Challenge – Teams look for data to support their pre-existing beliefs instead of stress-testing their assumptions. 

✖︎ Over-Rely on Stated Consumer Intent – What consumers say they’ll do and what they actually do aren’t always the same. 

✖︎ Fail to Connect Insights to Execution – Research reports sit in PowerPoints instead of shaping strategy and launch plans in real-time.

That’s where agile market research comes in. And let’s be clear: Agile research isn’t just about speed – it’s about making sure insights are integrated into the development process and at every decision point. Here’s how:

Build a Research System That Moves at the Speed of Business 

• Shift from slow, long-cycle studies to fast, iterative research cycles that provide continuous feedback. 
• Use rolling consumer feedback instead of one-off surveys.
  

Bridge the Gap Between Insights and Execution 

• Ensure research teams sit alongside decision-makers so insights aren’t siloed. 
• Use real-time testing & iteration to refine ideas in-market, not just pre-launch.
   

Scale Research Without Scaling Costs 

• Right-size your research based on business risk, not just volume. 
• Use On-Demand Talent to provide insights support on smaller-scale DIY product development processes.
  

By embedding agile insights, companies create faster, more successful go-to-market strategies—without unnecessary spend.

Final Thoughts 

It’s easy to get excited about a breakthrough idea. But without rigorous, real-time consumer input, even the most promising innovations can fail. 

The best companies don’t just test innovations—they co-develop them with their consumer target. They ensure research isn’t a last-minute formality but a continuous input that sharpens ideas and launch plans and accelerates success. 

As you think about your next big move—whether launching a new product, repositioning a brand, or identifying a growth opportunity—ask yourself: 

• Are we making assumptions, or do we have real consumer intelligence? 
• Is our research shaping decisions, or just confirming them? 
• Are insights integrated throughout the process, or just at the end? 

If you’re not fully confident in the answers, it’s time to rethink how market research fits into your innovation strategy.

About SIVO 

At SIVO, we help businesses turn market research into a competitive advantage. Whether you're validating early-stage concepts, refining go-to-market strategies, or optimizing post-launch success, we ensure that insights fuel smarter, faster decision-making at every stage of the process. 

Our senior insights professionals specialize in agile, in-context research that goes beyond validation to actively shape breakthrough innovations. And with On-Demand Talent, we provide fractional research experts to scale your capabilities—without long-term hiring commitments. 

Want to sharpen your innovation strategy? Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to learn more. 

By Natasha Weith

"The great end of knowledge is not knowledge, but action."
- Thomas Henry Huxley

This sentiment resonates deeply in the market research world, where the true value of consumer insights is not in their discovery but in putting them into practice.  In fact, one of the defining characteristics of a consumer insight is that it “can be applied to the business in a way that drives growth.”    

Too often, valuable market research findings remain confined to lengthy, boring research reports that end up sitting in a file cabinet, collecting dust, and failing to inspire meaningful business actions.   At SIVO, we have been thinking a lot about how we and our client teams can make insights land in organizations, inspiring stakeholders to engage in our market research findings and seize the opportunities that we have uncovered.  We came up with five strategies to do this.  

Here’s how to get insights to land in your organization:

1. Cross-Functional Team Involvement

Involving key stakeholders throughout the research journey fosters a sense of ownership and ensures that the insights resonate with colleagues who will act on the insights. Conducting insights activation workshops allows teams to interactively explore findings, brainstorm applications and prioritize the action steps.  We also believe “persona immersion sessions” help clients experience the perspectives of their consumers, building empathy and deepening their understanding and commitment to business actions that will serve their consumers.

2. Leadership Buy-in & Internal Champions

In addition to engaging the team, securing support from leadership and identifying internal advocates is a great way to influence business outcomes with insights. Sometimes teams employ the “meeting before the meeting” with key leaders to create space for them to think through the implications and ensure linkage between the research findings and organizational priorities. With leadership already on board, the cross-functional teams can feel empowered to act on the findings.

3. Storytelling Over Data Presentation

Of course, transforming data into compelling narratives makes insights more relatable and memorable.  Employing storytelling frameworks, such as the hero’s journey, can illustrate the consumer's struggle, highlight opportunities, and propose solutions. Utilizing metaphors, analogies, or visual aids like infographics, consumer video reels and photos, further enhances the stickiness of the research findings, ensuring they resonate with audiences.  Modifying the report for different audiences can also help, for example, R&D may want a “data-heavy” version while the leadership team will likely want a 3 to 5 slide summary.

4. Creating an “Always-On” Presence for Insights

To constantly remind teams that their primary role is to serve the consumer and make informed decisions on their behalf, CI teams can proactively “surround” teams with insights. For instance, you can develop and distribute "insight of the week" micro-learning moments through platforms like Slack or MS Teams, to keep teams regularly informed.  Additionally, developing consumer reality-check posters for both physical and virtual office spaces can serve as constant visual reminders of the consumer's perspective. Incorporating gamification elements, such as quizzes and contests into standing meetings can further reinforce learning by engaging teams in a dynamic and interactive manner.  

5. AI-Powered & Interactive Insights

These days, CI teams can leverage AI to help with stakeholder engagement in research data and findings.  For example, AI-powered dashboards are increasingly available for real-time tracking and scenario planning. Additionally, giving stakeholders access to AI chat tools that query both proprietary research data and public data sources help deliver answers to in-the-moment consumer questions and can increase engagement.   

By implementing these five strategies, Insights professionals can bridge the gap between just delivering data and driving organizational change, ensuring that the insights we identify serve as a catalyst for informed decision-making and business growth. 

Let’s keep pushing to effectively impact your business together! 

About SIVO Insights 

SIVO, Inc. is a market research and strategy firm specializing in helping businesses understand people. We partner with world-class brands to answer key questions and identify opportunities that unlock business growth. Our team of insights market research professionals are masters at designing custom research plans, executing with excellence, identifying strategic insights and then helping client teams translate those insights into action. Our On Demand Talent solution places fractional insights experts into client companies to temporarily fill open roles, complete projects or expand team capabilities. 

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a Research or On Demand Talent discovery call so we can help you make an impact! 

By Natasha Weith

As someone who’s passionate about the power of insights to drive business growth, I was thrilled to host our recent SIVO Insights Forum, “Bridging the Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results.” It was an inspiring conversation with some of the best minds in the insights industry, and I’m excited to share the experience with you.

At SIVO, we believe consumer and marketplace insights are the foundation for business growth. But let’s be honest, while all insights professionals understand this, turning those insights into actionable business strategies can be a real challenge. That’s exactly why we brought together this incredible panel of leaders to share their expertise and experiences.

I had the honor of facilitating this discussion with:
• Eliana Wahnon (VP of Consumer & Market Insights, General Mills)
• Khary Campbell (VP of Consumer Research & Insights, Comcast)
• Elizabeth Oates (Book Author, Former VP of Consumer Insights, Ulta Beauty)

Together, we explored how to bridge the gap between data and meaningful outcomes. Whether you watch the session on-demand (linked here) or continue reading for some highlights, I think you’ll find this forum both interesting and actionable.

Aligning Market Research with Business Priorities

In a world filled with data, the ability to convert that data into actionable insights sets successful businesses apart from the rest. Insights professionals must not only translate data into insights, but also deliver those insights in a way that inspires ideas and guides business strategies. 

Insights teams need to be strategic about where they focus their time and resources. More specifically, it is vital to align research projects with business priorities. Elizabeth Oates posed these questions to consider during The SIVO Insights Forum: 

• How do potential research projects drive the priorities of the business?
• Which projects are going to drive future success for the business?
• Are there any projects that serve multiple business partners?

Navigating through the business questions and issues that arise and honing in on those with the highest business priority offers the greatest chance of making a meaningful impact with your research findings.

Navigating Leadership Reluctance

One common challenge that Insights teams face is leadership reluctance to act on the research findings. This hesitation may stem from personal biases or not understanding the potential benefits. Forming alliances with key stakeholders and truly understanding the business from their perspectives will help insights teams address real business needs and inspire colleagues to act. This can take the form of getting early buy-in on research objectives and designs or previewing the findings and recommendations with colleagues to ensure alignment with broader organizational goals.

To this point, Khary Campbell advised insights teams to “be consumer first, but not consumer only,” during our panel discussion. “Consider the research implications to all the functions. After all, every function is working in an orchestra to drive business growth.”  

Making a Bigger Impact

Insights teams can expand their influence by highlighting the strategic value of their work. Sharing success stories, aligning insights with organizational goals, and fostering a culture of consumer-driven decision making are crucial steps toward amplifying the impact of insights.

Great storytelling with a clear narrative, executive summary, intuitive visual aids and consumer quotes can simplify complex data and enhance understanding. These tactics ensure that research results will grab attention, persuade, and motivate key stakeholders and drive action.

Eliana Wahnon shared a 3C’s framework for driving impact when reporting research results:  

• Context: What matters around this particular topic, issue, or question?
• Clarity: Be brief and straight forward. Share the Insight in a cohesive story.
• Conviction: Create evidence to support and inspire action from your audience.

The Evolving Role of Insights

The SIVO Insights Forum also gathered perspectives on the rapidly evolving role of insights professionals, inspired by the advancements in AI and the increasing complexity of consumer behavior. Despite suggestions that automation may replace traditional roles, the leaders in the panel believe insights professionals will remain indispensable for managing AI, distinguishing truth, and uncovering the “why” behind consumer actions. As Eliana Wahnon emphasized, “While AI offers tools to streamline tasks like drafting questionnaires and analyzing unstructured data, it cannot replicate the nuanced understanding of human behavior, or the creative spark needed to inspire ideas.”

Elizabeth Oates underscored the importance of balancing historical insights (the rearview mirror) with a forward-looking perspective (the windshield) to navigate future challenges. The discussion highlighted “scenario thinking” as a vital skill for anticipating multiple possibilities in an uncertain world.  

Ultimately, AI is a tool to enhance efficiency and free up time for strategic thinking, but the human role in connecting dots, navigating contradictions, and driving innovation remains irreplaceable. As Khary Campbell noted, “Insights professionals must stay curious and adaptable, leveraging technology while preserving the core skills that drive business impact.”  

This balance ensures the field of insights not only survives but thrives, enabling businesses to navigate an ever-changing future with clarity and purpose.

Conclusion & The SIVO Insights Forum

As I reflect on the conversations we had during the SIVO Insights Forum, one thing is clear: insights professionals play such a critical role in shaping decisions that drive growth, via consumer insights, but our real challenge lies in ensuring those insights are acted upon. 

The panelists shared so many practical strategies and thought-provoking ideas that I believe can truly help us build trust, credibility, and impact within our organizations. From navigating leadership reluctance to making a bigger organizational impact, these insights resonated with me—and I hope they will with you too.

If you want to dive deeper into these topics, I highly recommend watching The SIVO Insights Forum “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results”. You’ll hear directly from our incredible panelists about:

• The evolving role of insights in shaping strategic decisions
• Tactics for ensuring insights translate into action
• Building trust and credibility with senior leaders
• And so much more.

Let’s keep pushing forward, bridging the gap, and making an even bigger impact together.

About SIVO Insights

SIVO, Inc. is a market research and strategy firm specializing in helping businesses understand people. We partner with world-class brands to answer key questions and identify opportunities that unlock business growth. Our team of insights market research professionals are masters at designing custom research plans, executing with excellence, identifying strategic insights and then helping client teams translate those insights into action. Our On Demand Talent solution places fractional insights experts into client companies to temporarily fill open roles, complete projects or expand team capabilities.

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a Research or On Demand Talent discovery call so we can help you make an impact!

By Julie Rose

In today’s blog, we take a break from our standard format and have a little fun imagining a utopian future for market research. Jump with us to 2029, will you? We think you’ll like it!

We’ve jumped in the time machine and 2029 is a new era for market research. Picture this: AI has taken the mundane, repetitive tasks off our hands, freeing insight professionals to focus on creatively connecting insights, telling compelling stories, formulating strategies, and influencing business decisions. Gone are the days of designing surveys from scratch, laboriously cleaning data, and spending weeks on synthesis. The research role has evolved into something greater—part strategist, part AI conductor, and part visionary. Welcome to the golden age of insights.

Synthetic Personas: A New Era of Consumer Insight

In 2029, traditional surveys are feeling as outdated as fax machines. AI-driven synthetic personas have completely changed the game. These AI-generated personas are lifelike, modeled using real consumer data and machine learning, simulating consumer behaviors, preferences, and even emotions with remarkable accuracy. They behave, react, and even feel like real people—without requiring self-reported data or human subjects. 

The scalability is mind-blowing. Imagine running thousands of personalized conversations and “what-if” scenarios simultaneously, testing hypotheses, and gathering nuanced feedback in real time.  

Additionally, the days of complicated recruitment challenges are gone. Synthetic personas have made it possible to engage with hard-to-reach populations and conduct large-scale research without any privacy concerns.

Multimodal Inputs & Emotional AI: Understanding Consumers on a Deeper Level

Remember when we relied on surveys, focus groups, and social scraping to understand consumer sentiment? By 2029, those methods feel like relics from a distant past. Today, AI uses multimodal inputs like text, video, voice, and even biometric data to give us an authentic view of consumer attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. 

For example, emotional recognition tools track subtle cues like facial expressions, vocal tones, and physiological responses in real time. When testing a product or promotional materials, AI can measure a consumer's heart rate and stress levels, bridging the gap between what people say and what they truly feel. This deeper understanding enables brands to craft emotionally resonant products, services, and communications that genuinely connect with their audiences. 

Synthetic Data: Privacy-Proof and Scalable Insights

Data privacy concerns used to be a major issue in research, but not anymore. By 2029, synthetic data—artificially generated datasets that mimic real-world data—has become a staple in marketing research. This allows us to test hypotheses, simulate consumer behaviors, and run detailed "what-if" scenarios on a large scale, all without compromising privacy as the analyses do not access any personal (human) data.

Unlike the randomly generated or hallucinated data that was an issue in the past, synthetic data is now created using sophisticated machine learning algorithms that extrapolate patterns from real data to generate highly accurate, privacy-safe datasets. This isn’t new—researchers have always synthesized data—but AI now makes it faster, more accurate, and scalable. As more data is collected and validated, synthetic data models in 2029 are more precise, enabling deeper insights while respecting privacy regulations.

Agent-to-Agent Collaboration: Adapted Research Management

Perhaps the most revolutionary change in 2029 is how AI helps market research teams manage entire research projects. The team has built and now manages digital agents—AI programs designed to mimic human decision-making—to handle the repetitive aspects of a research project. The team sets business and research objectives and high-level questions. From there, digital agents collaborate with one another to execute tasks, analyze data, and refine insights. These agents work tirelessly in the background, leaving the team free to focus on more creative and strategic aspects, like storytelling, providing actionable recommendations linked to the business context, and building client relationships.  

This isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about empowering them. By automating the basic operational tasks, AI gives us more time to dream big and think creatively.  

Driving Action & Outcomes: AI-Enhanced Storytelling

In 2029, AI is an essential partner in crafting compelling narratives from raw data. Gone are the days of manually structuring reports or laboring over visualizations. Today, AI systems instantly outline story arcs, recommend the best supporting data, and generate tailored presentations depending on the audience. With the guiding hand of Content Strategists, AI delivers high-level insights to C-Suite audiences and produces more detailed reports for technical teams. 

The most exciting development? AI-powered immersive presentations. Using augmented and virtual reality, Research Strategists (with the support of Content Strategists) guide stakeholders through dynamic, interactive experiences, allowing them to explore insights in a hands-on way. This revolutionizes the presentation experience, making it more engaging and impactful than the static reports of the past.  The result? Stakeholders leave every presentation engaged, informed, and ready to act.  

Humane AI: A Future of Ethical, Mindful Collaboration

Back in 2024, many feared AI—worried about bias, transparency, and job security. But by 2029, those concerns have faded. Rigorous regulations ensure that AI systems are ethical, transparent, and fair. Continuous audits minimize bias and guarantee that AI tools uphold the highest standards of integrity.  

Rather than replacing us, AI complements our skills. Researchers who embraced AI early on have found themselves thriving. Together, humans and AI form a powerful partnership, pushing the boundaries of what market research can achieve.  

The Researcher’s Elevated Role: Creative, Strategic Visionaries

In 2029, our favorite part of being a researcher is the freedom to focus on what we love most: strategy, insights, and relationship-building. AI handles tedious, repetitive tasks, giving us the space to drive business impact in ways we never thought possible.  

The role of the researcher has evolved. We’re no longer data processors or survey designers—we’re storytellers, strategists, and visionaries. AI enhances our work, allowing us to uncover insights faster, more accurately, and with greater depth than ever before.  

Are You Ready for the Future? 

The future of market research isn’t coming - it’s already here and getting better every day. At SIVO, we’re embracing this transformation with open arms, empowering our team and clients to thrive in this exciting new era. Together, we can unlock the full potential of AI and create a better, brighter future for our industry. 

Are you ready to join us on this journey? Let’s build the future together. Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery today.  

Context. Clarity. Conviction. Consider these your driving factors for presenting Insights that shape strategic business decisions. Eliana Wahnon (General Mills, VP of Consumer & Market Insights) recently joined The SIVO Insights Forum to share her expertise.

Let’s dive deeper into the framework Eliana uses:  

• Context: What matters around this particular topic, issue, or question?
• Clarity: Be brief and straight forward. Share the Insight in a cohesive story.
• Conviction: Create evidence to build that what you are saying needs to be acted upon.

https://youtu.be/Yv8JdvFvILY

Tune into a lively on-demand conversation “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results" to hear from Eliana and other Insights experts including Khary Campbell (Comcast, VP of Consumer Research & Insights) and Elizabeth Oates (Book Author, and former Ulta Beauty VP of Consumer Insights.) 

Learn from Insights leaders as they discuss: 

• The critical role Insights plays in shaping strategic business decisions
• Strategies and tactics to ensure Insights are acted upon
• How to navigate leadership that is reluctant to follow Insights’ guidance
• How to build trust and credibility with senior leaders
• The evolution of Insights roles in the future
• How to make a bigger impact within your organization

Special shout out to Natasha Weith, VP of Research at SIVO Inc. for hosting The SIVO Insights Forum!

In the world of Insights, it’s vital to align your research projects with business priorities. The SIVO Insights Forum recently hosted author of the book, “More than Just Interesting: How to Build an Insights Function for Impact” and former Ulta Beauty VP of Consumer Insights, Elizabeth Oates, who shared these questions to consider.

1 - How do my potential projects drive the priorities of the business?

2 - Which projects are going to drive future success for the business?

3 - Are there any projects that serve multiple business partners?

https://youtu.be/PZs4uAkRH1I

Tune into a lively on-demand conversation “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results" to hear from Elizabeth and other Insights experts including Eliana Wahnon (General Mills, VP of Consumer & Market Insights) and Khary Campbell (Comcast, VP of Consumer Research & Insights).

Learn from Insights leaders as they discuss: 

• The critical role Insights plays in shaping strategic business decisions
• Strategies and tactics to ensure Insights are acted upon
• How to navigate leadership that is reluctant to follow Insights’ guidance
• How to build trust and credibility with senior leaders
• The evolution of Insights roles in the future
• How to make a bigger impact within your organization

Thank you to Natasha Weith, VP of Research at SIVO Inc. for hosting The SIVO Insights Forum! 

Be consumer first. Don’t be consumer only. Powerful words by leading Insights executive, Khary Campbell, VP of Consumer Research & Insights at Comcast.

https://youtu.be/xJSQO7VSw5Q

During a recent SIVO Insights Forum, Khary shared the importance of considering the implications of all functions. After all, every function is working in orchestra of the business.

Click here for a lively on-demand conversation “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results" to hear from Khary and other Insights experts including Eliana Whanon (General Mills, VP of Consumer & Market Insights) and Elizabeth Oates (Book Author, and former Ulta Beauty VP of Consumer Insights.) 

Learn from Insights leaders as they discuss: 

• The critical role Insights plays in shaping strategic business decisions
• Strategies and tactics to ensure Insights are acted upon 
• How to navigate leadership that is reluctant to follow Insights’ guidance 
• How to build trust and credibility with senior leaders
• The evolution of Insights roles in the future 
• How to make a bigger impact within your organization 

Thank you to Natasha Weith, VP of Research at SIVO Inc. for hosting The SIVO Insights Forum!

SIVO is thrilled to present The SIVO Insights Forum, an on-demand panel discussion with esteemed Insights executives. You’re invited to tune in here! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX3aO1k61QE

The lively conversation focuses on “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results" with industry leaders:

• Eliana Wahnon | General Mills, VP of Consumer & Market Insights
• Khary Campbell | Comcast, VP of Consumer Research & Insights
• Elizabeth Oates | Book Author, Ulta Beauty Former VP of Consumer Insights 
• Natasha Weith as Forum Host | SIVO Insights, VP of Research & Operations 

Learn from world-class Insights leaders as they discuss: 

• The critical role Insights plays in shaping strategic business decisions
• Strategies and tactics to ensure Insights are acted upon 
• How to navigate leadership that is reluctant to follow Insights’ guidance 
• How to build trust and credibility with senior leaders
• The evolution of Insights roles in the future 
• How to make a bigger impact within your organization 

Feel free to share with your team and reach out with any questions that spark as you watch! 

About SIVO: 
SIVO is a global insights and strategy firm specializing in understanding people and their needs and beliefs that drive behavior. We partner with world-class brands to answer key questions that fuel business growth and innovation.

By Julie Rose

"If you wish to influence an individual or a group… tell them a compelling story"  

– Annette Simmons 

Market Researchers cannot just be number-crunching analysts; they must be storytelling experts. We all must master the art of translating raw data into compelling narratives that instill confidence in company leaders, inform decisions, drive strategies, and shape the future. Yet, transforming vast amounts of data into illuminating narratives is time-consuming, complex, and unwieldy.  

Artificial Intelligence or AI-powered tools offer immense potential to revolutionize the storytelling process, making it faster, more precise, and more impactful. However, while AI is an exceptional co-pilot, the human touch is the navigator. At SIVO, we combine cutting-edge AI with the nuanced understanding and creativity of human researchers to craft stories that resonate deeply and drive real impact.

The Power of Storytelling  

Every great story follows a familiar arc. Whether it’s Toy Story, a pitch on Shark Tank, or your next big presentation to the Leadership Team, the best narratives unfold through exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. These elements build anticipation, deepen engagement, and ultimately, deliver a satisfying conclusion.  

In business, these arcs guide decision-makers from uncertainty to clarity. The most powerful, action-inducing stories lead audiences from the business context to compelling insights to clear recommendations. Yet, creating a cohesive and captivating story often requires more than just technical precision—it demands emotional intelligence, contextual awareness, and strategic thinking. This is where the human element plays a vital role. 

When paired with AI’s capabilities, insights professionals can more quickly create stories that are deeply meaningful and impactful. It’s important to note that SIVO always prioritizes data privacy by using secure, closed AI systems. This ensures we harness AI’s power while safeguarding our clients' sensitive information. 

AI + Human Expertise at Every Stage of the Storytelling Process

Phase 1: Conducting Initial (or Supplemental) Research for a Topic 
AI is an excellent tool for quickly gathering relevant data on a specific topic, whether you’re preparing for a project or looking to supplement your research. 

AI co-pilot quickly gathers relevant data, scans vast sources, and identifies new insights or gaps. Example prompt: “Identify top consumer behavior trends influencing [topic] in 2024.” 

Human navigator brings context and intuition to guide AI queries, ensuring the focus aligns with the client’s unique challenges and goals. Researchers combine trends with firsthand knowledge of industry dynamics to refine the research direction. 

Phase 2: Summarizing & Simplifying the Long & Complex
Synthesizing data into a digestible format can be daunting. AI excels at summarizing lengthy reports or simplifying complex findings.  

AI co-pilot synthesizes data into digestible formats, tailoring content for different audiences. Example prompt: “Condense this 50-page report into a 1-page executive summary.” 

Human navigator applies judgment to ensure the summaries reflect nuance, tone, and the specific needs of stakeholders. Researchers review the summary to enhance clarity, add context, and emphasize key strategic points. 

Phase 3: (Re)Analyzing Raw Data to Identify Incremental Insights
AI can offer valuable guidance in outlining the structure of a story. 

AI co-pilot processes large datasets, uncovering hidden correlations and trends. Example prompt: “Analyze this survey data and identify the top three themes for [a specific audience segment].” 

Human navigator interprets findings through the lens of cultural and business factors, translating raw data into actionable insights. Insights professionals validates themes against observed behaviors and industry expertise. 

Phase 4: Providing Story Structure and Design Guidance
Even experienced storytellers face moments of writer’s block or struggle to find the right story flow.  

AI co-pilot outlines story structures, identifies key takeaways, and suggests visuals. Example prompt: “Create a story outline for this research report with key takeaways and best supporting data.” 

Human navigator refines the narrative flow, ensuring the narrative concisely covers the business teams’ priorities. Insights professionals enhance the outline with compelling metaphors, anecdotes, and watching for thematic cohesion.

Phase 5: Generating Story Content
Transitioning from analysis to storytelling can be a daunting process for some, to ensure the right information is included to support in the research and business objectives. 

AI co-pilot drafts initial versions, refines the narrative, and speeds up iterations. Example prompt: “Draft a report summarizing the key insights aligned to the learning objectives.” 

Human navigator injects tone, cultural relevance and business relevance into the content, making it truly focused on the business context, key questions and objectives. Insights professionals edit the draft to ensure the voice aligns with the brand and the audience’s expectations. 

Phase 6: Preparing for “Presentation Day”
Storytelling doesn’t end with the final report—it extends into how insights are presented to stakeholders.  

AI co-pilot anticipates audience questions, highlights potential gaps, and suggests alternative views. Example prompt: “Anticipate five critical questions a CMO might ask after reviewing this report.”  

Human navigator uses empathy and presentation skills to adapt delivery, read the room, and build a connection with the audience. Insights professionals prepare nuanced responses that tie insights back to overarching business goals. 

SIVO: Insights, Stories & Impact That Matter 

At SIVO, we continue to explore AI’s potential to help our clients unearth and articulate insights that propel businesses forward. With AI, we’re enhancing our storytelling capabilities, turning data into insights faster, more accurately, and with greater depth (alongside a brilliant team of creative humans) to create stories that illuminate opportunity and inspire meaningful action. 

If you’re ready to tell data-backed, insight-rich stories that spring your business forward, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries, and marketing research is no exception. In the field of innovation, AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a transformative force. As market researchers strive to speed up timelines, generate breakthrough insights, and stay ahead of consumer trends, AI offers new opportunities. At SIVO, we believe in exploring AI’s strategic potential, balancing excitement with careful consideration of its limitations and practical applications.  

AI’s Advantages in the Innovation Process: Speed, Cost, and Quality

AI offers unparalleled efficiency across all phases of innovation. For example, traditional brainstorming sessions might yield a few dozen ideas over several hours, but AI-driven generation tools can produce hundreds of concepts in minutes. Models like ChatGPT can produce ideas 200 times faster than humans, feeding researchers more possibilities and compressing the innovation cycle, enabling faster decision-making.

AI also delivers significant cost savings. Research shows that organizations using AI for innovation can reduce costs by as much as 85% through the automation of “front-end” work streams such as data analysis, ideation, and concept validation. By minimizing the manual labor required, AI allows companies to reallocate resources toward high-value strategic efforts without sacrificing quality.

And it’s not just about speed and cost - AI excels in generating high-quality ideas. Studies suggest that AI-powered ideation rivals, and sometimes surpasses, human creativity. AI isn’t just capable of producing novel ideas but is also highly effective in generating nuanced originality. Furthermore, the emerging field of synthetic testing allows AI to simulate human consumer sentiment, attitudes, and behaviors, enabling iterative, real-time refinement during the ideation phase.

Key Applications for Innovation Insights Work Streams

AI offers powerful tools for businesses throughout the innovation funnel, from discovery to launch. At SIVO, we’re particularly intrigued by AI’s role in the “front end” of innovation and the growing potential of synthetic validation. Key areas include:

• Trend-Watching and Market Analysis: AI tools can scan vast datasets to detect emerging trends, helping businesses capitalize on opportunities early. This capacity allows AI to uncover patterns and insights that humans might miss, all at unprecedented speeds. With AI, businesses can shift from limited market understanding to robust assessments in a matter of hours, rather than weeks.
  
• Idea Generation: AI pushes the boundaries of human creativity, generating diverse, contextually conscious ideas based on vast amounts of structured and unstructured data. Its objective nature helps overcome creative blocks and organizational inertia, allowing for breakthrough concepts that transcend traditional human limitations.
  
• Simulated Consumer Testing: AI’s ability to simulate consumer responses via synthetic personas is transforming how researchers test products and services. Synthetic testing models mimic real-world consumer feedback at scale, significantly reducing the reliance on traditional, resource-intensive field testing. It’s important to recognize that synthetic data isn’t “fake”—it’s a machine-assisted way to process existing public and proprietary data to quickly generate valuable insights.

AI is reshaping innovation research. Thoughtful adoption of these tools is essential for businesses that want to remain competitive in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace.

Challenges and Watchouts:
The Importance of Oversight in AI-Supported Innovation

While AI offers immense potential, it also presents important challenges:

• Bias in AI Models: AI tools are only as good as the data they’re trained on. If the data contains biases or is incomplete, the resulting insights can be skewed. Ethical considerations and human oversight are essential to ensure that AI-generated insights are accurate, reliable, and free from bias.
  
• AI Hallucinations: Sometimes, AI can produce ideas that seem plausible but lack real-world applicability. These “hallucinations” can mislead the conclusions if not properly filtered. Human intervention is key to distinguishing between useful creativity and impractical output.
  
• Synthetic Data Limitations: AI-generated synthetic data may not always capture the complexity of human behavior. It can replicate biases from original datasets and miss outlier insights, leading to incomplete conclusions. Blending synthetic data with traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods provides more reliable results.

In a field where accuracy and context are critical, these limitations must be accounted for. AI should not replace human creativity and research expertise but should instead serve as a collaborative partner that enhances researchers’ ability to innovate more efficiently and comprehensively.

Strategic Integration of AI for Innovation: A Balanced Approach

To successfully integrate AI into your innovation process, it’s important to narrow your focus. Identify the areas where AI can deliver the most value—whether in trend analysis, ideation, or simulated consumer testing. From there, begin experimenting with AI in those areas to build trust and familiarity.

For those hesitant to fully embrace AI, running parallel testing alongside human-led research can be a great starting point. This approach allows teams to compare AI-generated insights with traditional methods, building confidence in AI’s capabilities while reducing risk. Alternatively, AI can be applied to lower-profile projects first, allowing teams to rehearse its application and refine their approach as they gain experience.

The key is to strike a balance—lean into focused, mindful use of AI to reap its benefits and stay competitive without feeling the need to chase every new use case. AI should be applied where it truly adds value and enhances the innovation process.

SIVO: Your Partner in AI-Enhanced Innovation

At SIVO, we’re actively experimenting with AI tools and exploring AI’s potential to transform how market research supports your new product innovation needs. We see AI as a powerful tool to accelerate processes and enhance creativity, and advocate for a stepwise, cautious approach. We’re eager to guide clients through proof-of-concept tests, blending AI’s scientific power with the art of human-driven insight application, which remains at the core of our work.

If you’re ready to experiment with AI and enhance your innovation process, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call.  

Let’s navigate the future together! 

By Julie Rose 

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to balance future readiness with the demands of today.

The future isn’t distant. It’s already here and unfolding in ways most can’t imagine. If you look closely, the signs of what's to come are everywhere. Technology, consumer preferences, and industry landscapes are evolving at an unprecedented pace.

Yet, many still expect gradual change, a slow evolution of today’s norms. The reality is different. The future is coming faster and with more disruption than we’ve ever experienced before. To remain competitive, companies must adopt a future readiness mindset.

More Different Than Ever Before 

In the next 20 years, society will change more than it has in the past 300 years. We live in the Technology Era, where things evolve exponentially. This is hard to grasp because we’re wired to think in linear steps, not exponential leaps. 

For example, the stepwise expansion of grocery store refrigerated sections to include fresh snacks and functional beverages and grab & go meals was a slow, predictable evolution. But the rise of Instacart, which recognized paradigm shifts in eCommerce, the gig economy, and rideshare platforms was a significant leap that changed grocery shopping substantially. Today, 25% of groceries are bought through delivery services like Instacart. 

While we easily project near-term change, we vastly underestimate long-term transformations. 

Take TikTok, Zoom, Peloton, Alexa, Airbnb, and Tesla—none existed 5 to 10 years ago, yet they are now embedded in our daily lives, and disrupted industries almost overnight. 

How will your industry, competitors, and consumers transform in the next decade? 

The Power of Exponential Change 

Exponential technological growth, driven by Moore’s Law, is driven by the power and capabilities of technology doubling every two years, if not faster. This exponential curve is almost impossible for our linear human brains to understand. Let’s demonstrate: 

Imagine folding a giant piece of notebook paper in half. Now fold it again and again until you’ve folded it 42 times. How tall would that folded tower of paper be? Four inches? Four feet? Four yards? 

Wrong. It would stretch all the way to the moon (0.004 inches x 2⁴² ≈ 240,000 miles)! 

This is the power of exponential growth—small changes compound quickly, creating massive impacts. Companies and individuals who can think exponentially, recognizing and preparing for the transformational changes on the horizon, will thrive in a future that looks radically different from today. 

How to Prepare for Tomorrow, Today 

Here are four critical steps to get your organization ready for the era of exponential change: 

1. Narrow Your Lens   

With endless opportunities (and challenges) on the horizon, it’s easy to lose focus. Which do you want to solve? Where do you want to start? Narrow your focus to areas where you can make the biggest impact. Rather than trying to chase every opportunity, focus on solving the problems that align with your strengths and strategic goals. Successful companies of the future will be those that zero in on the right opportunities, rather than trying to cover too much ground (or worse, choosing to stand still).  

You don’t have to be Amazon, Tesla or Google X—but you better not be Blockbuster. 

2. Notice & Anticipate   

The future doesn’t usually arrive in the form of today’s familiar faces. Instead, it comes from the edges. Netflix didn’t resemble its current form in its early years, nor did Facebook. To see the signals of change, look beyond your immediate competition or traditional industry players. Explore the fringes of culture, markets, and technology. The future often looks weird before it goes mainstream—initially awkward, niche, and impractical—until it’s not.  

What are you doing to discover tomorrow’s signals today? 

3. Seek a Catalyst   

Driving disruptive change is tough, especially for established organizations. That’s why you need innovation catalysts—people who have the rare ability to get things moving and drive change. These are the people who can activate ideas by building trust, challenging assumptions, and breaking through organizational inertia. If you have them on your team, nurture and empower them. If not, hire them. Additionally, reevaluate your network. Seek and develop deep partnerships that offer 1+1=3 potential. 

Do you have a catalyst on your roster? Are your partners driving exponential potential? 

4. Practice   

Focus, anticipation, and catalysts alone won’t ensure success. You must also create the time and space to “rehearse the future”. Build experimentation into daily routines and make future discussions a core part of company culture. You still need to run day-to-day operations, but by weaving future preparation into daily practice, you’ll be better prepared when disruption hits. World class innovation companies like 3M, NASA and Nike create space, ring-fence funds and reward risk-taking and experimentation. 

What systems and norms do you have in place to enable learning about your potential futures?

SIVO is Your Future Readiness Co-Pilot 

While tomorrow’s marketplace will look very different from today’s, understanding human needs, beliefs, and behaviors will remain critical. At SIVO, our Custom Research and Growth Framework solutions will highlight tomorrow’s opportunities, and our On Demand Talent network offers “future-ready” experts ready to provide fractional support tailored to your needs.  Additionally, we are “rehearsing the future” by actively using and experimenting with AI tools that support our researchers in uncovering insights and optimizing efficiency.

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVO's Website to hear more about our investigation or to schedule a discovery call.  Let’s embrace the future together!

Through the SIVO, Inc. “Modern Ways of Working” Mini Chat series, we spoke with a strategic consumer insights leader, Helen Kurtz, Chief Marketing Officer. In this conversation with Marilyn Weiss, Helen discusses her experience with SIVO’s On Demand Talent solution.  She has hired SIVO’s fractional Insights talent in two different companies that she has led, with the intention of introducing consumer insights to the organization, working with the marketing team to prove out the value of insights.  Watch this insightful video or read through the transcript below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTSN-vB8jA

Video Transcript: 

DOING MORE WITH FEWER PEOPLE:

I mean, for sure, budgets are getting squeezed and I think it's more and more the case that headcount is getting squeezed and there's a desire to do more with fewer people and to be really smart about what choices we're making on staffing.

BRING IT IN AND PROVE IT OUT:

I left General Mills and went to a sort of billion dollar company, Foster Farms and it was clear to me as I came in as CMO that we needed to absolutely elevate our sort of consumer touch points and I needed to get that consumer insight function established at the company but I didn't have the headcount to do that and so that's where I reached out to you Marilyn and we dreamed up this idea of this fractional support. 

I left the company, I'm now CMO at another company, and very quickly brought Sevo in with me again for the same reason. It wasn't a function that was established in the company, again about a billion dollars in revenue.  And so it was a real opportunity to bring in and prove out the capabilities of consumer insights at the same time knowing I was going to get a fantastic,  no questions asked, I was going to get the best talent at the right time. 

CONCENTRATED EFFORT & TEAM INTEGRATION:

I think what you're getting with this fractional talent, because SIVO is the best at weeding it out. You guys are the experts themselves. It's like you’re going to a great college. You've already been filtered through.  You're picking out the best talent. 

I think there's also a little bit of a mindset of a fractional talent that's really important that who we've brought in doesn't need to be pitching in front of the C -suite.

They can, but they don't need that recognition. They they're not gunning for promotions within. They're really just there to do a job. They integrate really well with my team. But again, there I can have them sort of play in the background or bring them to the forefront. It's just a much lower lift for me and my team.  I would say they're really there to do the job. And in many cases to educate my team on what consumer insights excellence looks like because that was not a function that was in either of the two companies.

So I guess, again, to be more succinct, this combination of excellence and expertise in their field, as well as this ability to work very seamlessly with the team and again, not being in it to win it for promotions. They're really there to do the job. So it's just sort of very concentrated effort. 

CONSUMER-CENTRIC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:  

I think it's just thought leadership first and foremost.  I think most companies are, if not there already, are wising up to consumer-first and consumer-led and that's sort of like in their DNA.  So if you have a declaration like that happening in your company, it's like well, what do I do with that? and who helps me execute that? So I think you know both of the individuals I've worked with have really brought that to the fore helping educate on what that looks like.  How to get close to the consumer, driving education, training, and facilitating.   

Again, it's not just like executing the research, but interrogating:

• Does that research need to be done even?  
• Do we know this?  
• What do we already have on hand?
• How can we be creative or scrappy about thinking differently about getting to the consumer and getting to insight?

THE ECONOMICS ARE FANTASTIC:  

Like just the economics have been really fantastic. I didn't hire a full -time person. I use a fractional person at 30 hours a week.   So like, that's worked out really well. I have no turnover because this person is here and they're very committed to us. I don't have to worry about them leaving.  I've got a great backup from SIVO in that, you know, the resources are there. The thought leadership is there behind my individual. I know that she consults with SIVO on questions that are beyond her scope.

Then, just this sort of seamlessness of having someone who works well with a team. You filter out for people who are really exceptional at what they do and are used to an experience with working on a team.   When you're out there interviewing, you don't really know what you're gonna get. So it's just like, it's almost like a stamp of approval, I think, coming from SIVO.  I have found that through and through.

TALENT CURATION & INSIGHTS EXPERTISE:

I think the biggest compliment to SIVO is that my team doesn't really know about SIVO. Like they just know Jill. They know the person with whom they work. I am the behind the scenes working with SIVO and I've found that to be extraordinarily easy.  I think that the team at SIVO like really listens to what I need. When I start a project or when I moved companies, they were quick to sort of like curate who would be a good match. They get to know me as a client and what my demands are. 

My team would say it's a godsend.  I think my team loves in both places, loves working with this talent, and would sacrifice a lot of other things before they would give up this talent, which happily we didn't have to do.

By Natasha Weith

Market research is often designed to answer specific business questions, such as how a product compares to the competition or what new features consumers desire. While this information helps guide important business decisions, it does not really help brand teams to truly know their consumer target. To connect with consumers on a deeper level, brand teams must move beyond understanding what is in their consumers’ heads (how they think) and delve into what is in their hearts (how they feel and their underlying motivations.)

The Importance of Empathy

Empathy is the key to unlocking this deeper understanding. It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves not only recognizing what someone else is going through but also being able to emotionally connect with their experience, as if you were in their situation. Empathy fosters compassion, support, and meaningful relationships. 

In a business context, it is about going beyond data points or demographic segments to genuinely connect with consumers’ experiences and feelings. By building empathy, marketers and R&D teams can cultivate a more intuitive grasp of consumer needs, enabling them to make decisions that not only meet consumer expectations but anticipate them. 

Building Consumer Empathy  

Most of the time, marketers are not their own target consumers so they must spend time with them to truly understand their lives, values, hopes, challenges, and behaviors. The goal should be to move through the following spectrum to genuinely empathize with your consumer target. 

The Empathy Trek: Walking in Your Consumer’s Shoes 

Building consumer empathy requires more than traditional research methods. It calls for what we like to refer to as "empathy treks." Unlike typical market research, which is focused on specific business objectives, an empathy trek is a more immersive and observational approach focused solely on getting to know the consumer. The goal is not to gather data for immediate business decisions but to develop a profound understanding of the consumer target. 

An empathy trek involves spending time with your consumers in their natural environments. It means observing how they live, understanding what they value, exploring their beliefs, and witnessing their behaviors firsthand. This exercise helps brand teams to “walk in their shoes” and “feel what they feel,” leading to a more holistic understanding of their lives. 

For example, if your target consumers are busy parents, an empathy trek might involve spending time in their homes during the weekday morning rush, observing how they juggle responsibilities, and understanding the emotional pressures they face. This experience can reveal insights that traditional research might miss, such as the stress points that influence purchase decisions or the small moments of joy that a brand could tap into. 

The Value of Empathy in Brand Management 

So, why is building empathy for your consumer target so critical? The benefits are numerous and can transform the way brand teams approach decision-making. 

1. Eliminating Personal Bias: When brand teams rely solely on data, there is a risk of letting personal biases influence the many decisions made each day. Empathy helps to counteract this by grounding decisions in the lived experiences of consumers, ensuring that strategies and everyday decisions are consumer centric.
2. Faster Decisions: Empathy fosters a more intuitive understanding of consumers. This intuition allows marketers to make faster, more accurate decisions that resonate with consumers on an emotional level, leading to stronger brand connection and loyalty.
3. Anticipating Future Needs: By understanding the emotional drivers behind consumer behavior, brand teams can move beyond simply meeting current needs to anticipating future ones. This proactive approach can set a brand apart in a crowded marketplace.
4. Enhanced Marketing and Innovation: Empathy-driven insights can elevate marketing campaigns by making them more relatable and impactful. They can also inspire innovation, leading to new products and services that not only fulfill a functional need but also resonate emotionally with consumers.
5. Exceptional Customer Service: Finally, empathy can unlock new levels of customer service. When Customer Experience teams truly understand what their customers value and what challenges they face, service strategies can be tailored to address these needs more effectively, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Let SIVO Guide your Path to Consumer-Centric Success 

In a world where consumers are increasingly seeking brands that understand and resonate with their values, building empathy is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Brand teams that invest in understanding their consumers at a deeper, more emotional level will be better equipped to create meaningful connections that stand the test of time. 

As an insights partner, it is SIVO’s responsibility to champion empathy with our clients. By advocating for empathy treks and encouraging client teams to walk in the shoes of their consumers, we can help you build brands that not only meet consumer needs but also win their hearts. 

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call and connect to your consumers!

Through the SIVO, Inc. "Modern Ways of Working" Mini Chat series, we spoke with a strategic consumer insights leader, Anna Estlund, Senior Director of Insights and Strategy at Pernod Ricard.

In this conversation with Natasha Weith, Anna discusses how she is working to the ways her team works to drive impact and efficiency.  Examples include building more flexibility into her teams roles, spending more time focused on the front and end stages of projects and hiring on demand talent to extend the bandwidth of her team. All of these things allow Anna and her team to maximize their value and relevance to the organization.  Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhrIyqHooiM

Special thanks to Anna for generously sharing her experience and knowledge with our peers across the Insights industry!

Through SIVO's "Modern Ways of Working" Mini Chat series, we spoke with innovative consumer insights leader, Jackie Waller, Senior Director of Enterprise Research at The Standard about how to meet the needs of the business while also managing the workload of her Insights team.

One of SIVO's leaders, Brent Budke, connected with Jackie to have a "Mini Chat" about the different strategies she employs, including the SIVO, Inc. On Demand Talent fractional staffing solution, to manage workload surges while leading the market research needs of her growing company.  

Check out the entire interview here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz792S-dLW0

Many thanks to Jackie for generously sharing her experience and knowledge with our peers across the Insights industry!

By Natasha Weith and Leslie Turner

Successful market research begins with experts designing, collecting, processing, and analyzing data.  Impactful market research goes a step further. The true power lies in how we translate that data into compelling narratives that drive action and resonate with stakeholders. Storytelling in market research reporting is an art form, one that transforms raw numbers and consumer responses into meaningful insights that can shape business strategies and decisions. Here’s a closer look at what makes effective storytelling in market research and some key components to consider.

What is Storytelling in Market Research Reporting?

Storytelling in the context of market research reporting involves presenting data and insights in a way that is not only informative but also engaging and impactful. It’s about crafting a narrative that resonates with your audience, aligns with their business objectives, and drives actionable outcomes. Effective storytelling ensures that the findings are not just understood but are also memorable and persuasive, facilitating better decision-making. This requires experience and creativity.

Key Components of Effective Storytelling in Market Research

1. Client First: While Market Researchers must be completely dialed into the consumer to gather the learning and identify the insights, a good story puts the client and their business question at the center. It's tailored to land with their business needs and challenges. Understanding the client’s industry, their pain points, and their strategic goals allows you to frame the insights you’ve discovered about consumer perceptions, behaviors, needs, etc., in a context that is relevant and impactful. This client-centric approach ensures that the report is not just a collection of data about their consumers and market but is a valuable tool to guide the client’s business decisions.
   
2. Objective Focused: Every research project starts with specific learning objectives. A good story directly addresses these objectives. This means the report should clearly show how the findings relate to the initial goals of the research, providing answers to the questions posed at the outset. This focus ensures that the report remains relevant and valuable.
   
3. Actionable: Insights are only valuable if they lead to action. Strong, actionable recommendations are crucial. These recommendations should be directly linked to the research results and relevant to the business context. They should provide clear steps or strategies that the client can implement to address the issues or opportunities identified in the research.
   
4. Engaging: A compelling report needs a hook. This is where creativity comes into play.  It should appeal to the senses, be visually interesting, and tap into the emotions of the audience. This involves using compelling consumer stories and narratives to create a sense of empathy and relatability with the consumer learning.  Interesting visuals such as videos, photos, charts and infographics also make the data more accessible and memorable.
   
5. Easily Understood: Clarity is key. The report should be written in a way that is conversational and articulate. Avoid jargon and complex language that might confuse the audience. Instead, aim for simplicity and clarity, making sure that the key points are easily understood by all stakeholders, regardless of their familiarity with the subject matter.
   
6. Succinct: Less is often more. Every part of the report should have a reason for being there. Be concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details that might detract from the main message. A succinct story is easier to digest and more likely to hold the audience’s attention.  A useful tip is to use the appendix to document other facts that are interesting but do not relate to the research objectives.  
   
7. Credible: Trust is fundamental. Ensure that the data and insights are credible and backed by robust research methods. Transparency about the research process and the limitations of the findings adds to credibility and helps build trust with the stakeholders.
   
8. Clear Structure and Flow:  In addition, a good story has a clear structure with narrative flow. This requires experience and creativity because a well-told story is not just heard; it is felt, remembered, and acted upon. It should have:
   • a brief introduction and background to set the stage
   • an executive summary to highlight the key findings and recommendations
   • detailed findings to share relevant data and proof points
   • suggested next steps
     
     This logical flow helps in guiding the audience through the report, making it easier to follow and understand, and ultimately inspire action.

Beyond the Report

While the report is typically a critical deliverable in a market research project, the storytelling doesn’t end with the report. It extends to the presentation, follow-up working sessions, and/or stakeholder meetings. This means thinking about how the insights will be communicated beyond the written report. Engaging presentations, interactive discussions, and follow-up conversations with key stakeholders can enhance the impact of the findings and ensure that the insights are effectively implemented.

Expect a Well-Told Story from SIVO

At  SIVO, Inc., we believe that storytelling in market research reporting is about more than just presenting data; it's about creating a narrative and presenting it in a way that is compelling, memorable and inspires stakeholders to act in service of consumers and the business. This all starts with the SIVO team listening to your needs and designing and reporting in a way that delivers real business value.  

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call!   

By Marilyn Weiss

In the evolving landscape of market research, methods that leverage technology are continually being developed to gain deeper insights into consumer behavior. Mobile Missions are a straightforward approach that has proven successful for SIVO clients. This approach allows researchers to tap into consumers' real-life experiences in a natural and engaging way, collecting meaningful data in the form of open-ended responses, photos and video footage.  

Understanding Mobile Missions

Mobile Mission research is an immersive approach that leverages mobile technology to engage participants on their own schedule and in their natural environments. This involves prompting consumers to complete a series of activities and questions via their mobile devices, capturing their experiences, thoughts, and behaviors in real-time.  

Benefits of Mobile Missions

Mobile Missions offer several advantages over traditional research techniques:

Real-Time Interaction: Participants receive prompts and tasks on their mobile devices, allowing them to respond in real-time as they shop, prepare, or use products.

Natural Environment: The method captures consumer behavior in real-life settings, such as their homes or local stores, ensuring more genuine participation and deeper insights.

Engagement and Comfort: Participants can complete tasks at their own pace, allowing them time to reflect and encouraging more thoughtful and honest responses.

Remote Observation: Researchers can observe and interact with participants remotely, making it easier to conduct research in environments where in-person observation might be challenging or restricted.

Applications for Mobile Missions

Mobile Missions are versatile and can be utilized to achieve various research objectives. Five common applications that we see at SIVO include:

1. Shopper Insights 

• The First Moment of Truth:   Collect data at the moment consumers encounter a product in the retail environment to understand if the product stands out on the shelf and how it communicates branding and benefits via the package design. You can also capture initial reaction to features like size and pricing relative to competitive options.

• The Second Moment of Truth: Gain real-time reaction on how the product meets consumers’ needs, what it replaces in their current routine, the functionality, ease of use, and overall experience during use.

2. Customer Journey Mapping 

• Experience Mapping: Track the entire customer journey from initial product discovery to post-purchase evaluation. This helps in identifying touchpoints and areas where the customer experience can be improved.

• Service Interactions: Capture experiences with customer service or support, providing real-time feedback on service quality and responsiveness.

3. Brand and Promotion Engagement 

• Brand/Advertising Interaction: Gauge how consumers perceive and interact with a brand in various contexts, such as online browsing, social media engagement, or in-store visits.

• Promotion/ Event Feedback Effectiveness: Capture real-time feedback on promotional events, displays, special offers or discounts that may impact purchase decisions.

4. Behavioral Insights 

• Daily Habits, Routines, Lifestyles: Understand consumers' daily routines and how products fit into their lives. This can include topics like morning routines, parenting styles, health and wellness efforts, or fashion preferences.

• Cultural or Regional Context: Conduct research on how cultural or region-specific differences impact product use and perception, tailoring strategies for different regions or demographic groups.

5. Competitive Analysis 

• Comparative Shopping: Compare products from different brands during shopping trips, providing insights into competitive positioning and consumer preferences.

• Switching Behavior: Investigate reasons behind switching from one brand to another by capturing consumers' experiences with both products.

By utilizing Mobile Missions across these diverse areas, companies can gain a holistic understanding of their consumers and their products, leading to more informed decisions and tailored strategies that resonate with their target audience.

Executional Details

The execution of Mobile Missions typically involves the following specifications:

• Pre-recruited: Consumers or customers are pre-recruited to participate in the mobile mission for a specific time commitment

• Sample Size:  Because this is qualitative research technique, a sample size of 6 -10 participants to represent a specific customer segment is sufficient

• Duration: 2 to 7 days of activities, with daily prompts delivered to participants' phones

• Time Commitment: Approximately 30 minutes of activities each day for participants

• A Series of Questions and Tasks: A Discussion and Activities Guide is pre-programmed into the Mobile Mission platform to guide participants through a series of questions and tasks so they can easily provide written responses, video responses, video or photos of their tasks to capture their perceptions, observations and feedback.  

Your Partner for Progressive Solutions and Actionable Insights

At SIVO, Inc., we are on a constant quest to identify innovative solutions that lead to meaningful insights for our clients. We have had great success in utilizing Mobile Mission technology to capture consumer perceptions and behaviors in a natural and engaging manner to achieve your learning objectives.  

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call to discuss your business and market research needs.

 By Julie Rose

As someone who has spent over three decades in the market research industry, I've seen firsthand how technology reshapes our professional lives. The advent of online surveys, the rise of internet scraping and text analytics, opportunities coming from big data mining, and the now the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) all represent significant milestones in the Digital Age intersecting with the Market Research Industry.  

AI isn't just a new tool; it's a game-changer. It's capable of automating repetitive tasks, processing and analyzing vast amounts of data, at speeds previously unimaginable.  It is an exciting time to once again, adopt new ways of working that will advance our mission to understand people and deliver insights that drive business growth.

New Heights in Market Research Analysis

In today's fast-paced world, the volume of data generated daily is staggering. AI excels at sifting through this data, identifying patterns, and providing preliminary insights. This capability is invaluable in market research analytics, where the first step is often labor intensive to comb through a variety of data sources to identify patterns, anomalies, outliers, consistencies and inconsistencies.  

Here are a few examples of where AI analyses can advance market research:

• Survey Analysis: AI can process and analyze survey data quickly, identifying key insights and trends. Automated tools can generate reports and visualizations to present findings effectively. 

• Visual Content Analysis: AI can analyze images and videos to extract relevant information about consumer preferences and trends. This is useful for understanding visual content's impact on consumer behavior. 

• Customer Segmentation: AI can analyze consumer data to create detailed segments and personas, creating the opportunity for unprecedented personalization on a mass scale and ensuring that marketing efforts are precisely targeted. 

• Sentiment Analysis: AI-powered sentiment analysis tools can scan social media, reviews, and forums to gauge public opinion about a brand or product and decipher consumers’ values based on the information. 

• Competitive Analysis: You can use AI to monitor competitors’ activities, including pricing, marketing strategies, and product launches. This can provide valuable insights into market positioning and strategy. 

• Predictive Analytics:  Machine learning models can predict future trends based on historical data, helping businesses make informed decisions about future business endeavors. 

Practical Considerations 

AI takes data processing and analysis to new levels, providing speed and pattern recognition that was unheard of even a few years ago. That said, the storytelling aspect of market research - translating data into a clear and inspiring story with actionable insights that will unlock new growth opportunities - is where human expertise shines.

• Creative Analysis:  AI tools can quickly and easily identify themes and patterns in qualitative transcripts and quantitative data sets.  It provides a great first pass, however, interpreting these findings and crafting a compelling narrative requires human intervention, to ensure creativity and business relevance in the final deliverables.  

• Ethical Considerations:  As we integrate AI into our workflows, maintaining ethical standards in data collection and analysis is crucial. Human oversight ensures that AI applications adhere to ethical guidelines and respect consumer privacy. 

• Bias and Synthetic Data: AI models can sometimes perpetuate existing biases present in the training data, leading to skewed results and insights. Additionally, the use of synthetic data to train AI models can introduce its own set of challenges, as it may not fully capture the complexities and nuances of real-world data. Human oversight is essential to identify, mitigate, and correct these biases, ensuring the analyses remain fair, accurate, and representative of the target population. 

Embracing the Future of AI in Market Research 

As AI technology continues to evolve, so will SIVO’s approaches and techniques. We view AI as a powerful augmentation to our workflows and capabilities and will continue to experiment and adopt new ways of working that drive our effectiveness and efficiency. At the same time, we believe that it is the combination of the AI tools and experienced, empathetic market researchers that skillfully identify the nuances of consumers perceptions and behaviors that leads to actionable, strategic insights. We will continue to invest in both resources – artificial intelligence and human intelligence. 

Join us on this exciting journey

At SIVO, we are committed to blending the best of human expertise and AI innovation to deliver insights that drive your business forward. Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call and explore how we can help you take your market research to new heights!

By Kerry Juhl

Brand positioning is a critical component of a successful marketing strategy. It defines how a brand is perceived in the minds of its consumer target, differentiating it from key competitors. A well-crafted positioning statement serves as the foundation for all marketing efforts and ensures consistent messaging across all channels. 

The SIVO team has spent many years helping brand teams develop and evaluate brand positionings across a variety of industries. While every positioning project is somewhat unique, we have supported our clients with proven frameworks and research approaches, leading to the development of successful brand positionings.  

The Positioning Statement

A positioning statement is a concise description of how a brand wants to “show up” in the world, highlighting the primary (and ideally, unique) benefit it provides, along with the rationale for how it can deliver the benefit. The statement typically includes the following format and elements:

For (consumer target), Brand is the only product type that provides (key benefit), because Brand has (feature/reason to believe), (feature/reason to believe) and (feature/reason to believe).

For example, Volvo’s positioning statement looks something like this:

For safety-conscious families, Volvo premium automobiles offer the safest cars on the road because they have advanced safety features, industry-leading crash test ratings, and innovative safety technologies.

The Brand Benefit Ladder

At the heart of developing a strong brand positioning is a solid understanding of the Brand Benefit Ladder, a strategic tool used early in the positioning development process. It helps brand teams articulate the value proposition by identifying benefits at four levels:

1) What it is 

2) What it does  

3) How it makes you feel 

4) How it can transform your life 

This framework ensures a clear articulation of the brand’s offerings and the emotional and transformational benefits they provide.  Depending on the brand’s maturity and the competitive landscape, positioning can be based on functional benefits (what it is/what it does) or a more emotional/transformational benefits (how it makes me you feel/changes your life).

Positioning Types

There are a variety of positioning types that fit across the Brand Benefit Ladder:

Product Features:

Attribute-Based Positioning centers on specific features that distinguish the product.

Example:  For homeowners, Dyson vacuum cleaners are superior carpet cleaners because they offer superior suction, advanced filtration, and allergen removal.

Value-Based Positioning is linked specifically to the price value of the product.  

Example:  For price-sensitive shoppers, Walmart offers everyday low prices by leveraging its extensive supply chain and scale to provide unbeatable savings on a vast assortment of goods, ensuring customers can save money and live better.

Functional Benefits:

Benefit-based Positioning highlights the key functional benefits or solutions provided by the product.

Example:  For fitness enthusiasts struggling to exercise regularly, Peloton is the exercise bike that keeps you motivated to exercise because it delivers an immersive and interactive experience, world-class instructors, and a supportive fitness community. 

Problem-Solution Positioning focuses on the problems that the product solves for customers.

Example:  For individuals suffering from dandruff, Head & Shoulders provides effective and long-lasting relief from dandruff flakes and itchiness because it has a clinically proven formula that eliminates dandruff, nourishes, and protects the scalp. 

Emotional Benefits:

Lifestyle Positioning aligns the product with a particular emotion or feeling.

Example:  For athletes and active individuals, Nike enhances athletic performance and empowers athletes to reach their full potential through its innovative, cutting-edge sportswear products.  

Cultural Symbolism Positioning uses cultural symbols and references to position the brand within a cultural context.

Example:  For motorcycle enthusiasts seeking an authentic and exhilarating riding experience, Harley-Davidson is the iconic motorcycle brand that delivers powerful, custom-made bikes with a rich American heritage and embodying the spirit of freedom, rebellion and individuality. 

Purpose-Driven Benefits:

Innovation-led Positioning sets the brand up as a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Example:  For environmentally conscious consumers and tech enthusiasts, Tesla is the leading electric vehicle and clean energy company that offers a sustainable environmental solution via their innovative high-performance electric cars and cutting-edge technology. 

Purpose-led Positioning centers on what the brand is doing for the world rather than the product itself.

Example:  For socially conscious consumers, TOMS is the footwear brand that provides stylish and comfortable shoes while also making a positive impact on communities around the world though its One-for-One model, where each purchase directly contributes to improving lives in underdeveloped countries. 

Purpose-Driven Benefits:

Innovation-led Positioning sets the brand up as a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Example:  For environmentally conscious consumers and tech enthusiasts, Tesla is the leading electric vehicle and clean energy company that offers a sustainable environmental solution via their innovative high-performance electric cars and cutting-edge technology. 

Purpose-led Positioning centers on what the brand is doing for the world rather than the product itself.

Example:  For socially conscious consumers, TOMS is the footwear brand that provides stylish and comfortable shoes while also making a positive impact on communities around the world though its One-for-One model, where each purchase directly contributes to improving lives in underdeveloped countries. 

Regardless of the type of positioning and where it fits on the benefit ladder, all positioning statements need to be clear, credible, and differentiated from the competition.  It can then be used to inspire marketing executions across channels, to create consistent communications and connections to the consumer target.

Researching Your Brand Positioning

Developing effective brand positioning requires rigorous research, with the ideal approach being a combination of qualitative and quantitative research.  

1. Qualitative Exploration: This phase uses one-on-one in-depth interviews with current and potential consumers to explore brand perceptions and refine positioning language. It helps the client team explore and understand the nuanced emotional and rational drivers behind brand choice and allows the team to modify and improve the positioning statements in real-time, based on consumer input.

2. Quantitative Survey: Once the positioning statements are refined, quantitative research helps identify the most motivating positioning from a handful of alternatives. Surveys and real-world experiments (e.g., testing via digital ads) can be used to test different positioning statements among a larger sample, assessing the impact on brand perception and purchase interest.

By using a combination of qualitative exploration and quantitative validation, brand teams can ensure their positioning is not only compelling but also grounded in consumer reality. 

Your Source for Expert Consumer Insights

At SIVO, Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients develop brand positionings that are clear, unique, credible, and most importantly, relevant to your consumer target.  We are trusted advisors in supporting your positioning development and will design custom learning plans that generate the insights needed to carve out a unique space in the market and connect with your consumers. This holistic approach will set the foundation for enduring brand success.

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call! 

In the always-evolving landscape of consumer behavior, understanding the perceptions around how people feel about your brand, the reasons why they choose it and the context for how they use it can unlock future growth opportunities. For instance:

• If you find certain demographic segments are not aware of your brand, you now have new consumer targets to consider.  
• If you find that your product is less effective than the competition, you now have fodder for renovation ideas.  
• If you learn that your product works best in certain situations, you now have new marketing inspiration.

A proven consumer research methodology that stands out for gaining this type of foundational learning is the Attitude and Usage (A&U) study.

What is an Attitude and Usage study?

You can think of an Attitude and Usage study as delving deeply into the “who, what, where, why, when” of your brand and category.  More specifically, this is a comprehensive research approach that often combines qualitative and quantitative techniques to uncover perceptions, preferences, motivations, and usage patterns of your (and your competitors’) consumer base.  Because of the breadth it covers, the data collected, and insights gained become a foundational reference for Insights, R&D, and Marketing teams for many months or years afterward.

Attitude and Usage studies answer Key Objectives about:

Category Users: This involves understanding the basic demographic details of the users in your category (age, gender, income, etc.) alongside psychographic factors like values, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.

Consumer attitudes: You can fully understand consumer perceptions about the category, your brand, competitors, and the overall market.  This helps you explain your market share, by gauging your brand’s “share of mind.”  It reveals how your brand stacks up in consumers’ minds on important factors such as product quality, customer service, and other unique benefits, relative to the competition.

Usage Patterns: You can examine how consumers interact with your product or service, including frequency of use, when and where it is used, purchase motivations and delights/pain points.  This context reveals insights that inspire ideas to improve the usage experience.  

Trend Analysis: Although an A&U research study analyzes products or services at a point in time, it can be re-fielded at regular intervals so you can track changes in consumer attitudes and behaviors over time, to identify market shifts or emerging trends in the category.  This is particularly useful in dynamic categories where there are always new competitors entering the market.

Benefits of an A&U for the Marketing and R&D Teams

Focused efforts on the “purchase funnel”:  You will discover the percentage of your consumer target that is aware, has tried, is a repeat purchaser or is already loyal to your brand.  Understanding this, relative to your competition, will help marketers decide where and how to spend their marketing support budget to drive sales effectively and efficiently.  

Innovation and renovation ideas: Insights from A&U studies can fuel product improvements, innovations, and new launches that resonate with consumer desires, address usage pain points, and deliver on unmet needs.

Create a Competitive Advantage:  Knowing where your products and services stand in comparison to the competition allows you to capitalize on your strengths and unique benefits by emphasizing via packaging claims and marketing messages.  Identifying and addressing any shortcomings allows the team to close critical gaps that may be keeping you from gaining market share.  

Long-Term Growth: Ongoing A&U research, in waves at regular intervals (depending on the level of activity in your industry or category) provides a pulse on evolving consumer and competitive trends, ensuring that your team can stay agile and responsive to changing market dynamics.  This helps to foster and maintain growth over time.

Onboarding new employees: A bonus to having a comprehensive picture of the market dynamics and how your brand performs within the market is that it provides a great basis for onboarding new employees into your organization.  It also paints a picture to get all employees aligned on growth strategies that are rooted in foundational market and consumer insights.

Your Partner for Actionable Consumer Insights

At SIVO, Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients develop and utilize Attitude and Usage research to gain actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making and foster meaningful connections with consumers.  By investing in A&U research, you and your team can navigate the complexities of the market with confidence and clarity, ultimately paving the way for long-term growth. 

For more DIY approaches, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how an experienced, fractional Consumer Insights Generalist can be also an asset for your A&U research needs. 

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call!  

By Julie Rose

“CEOs aren’t feeling the need to hoard labor as much as they once did. A quarterly survey of CEO confidence released on February 8, 2024, by The Conference Board, a think tank, shows 23% of CEOs expect to lay off workers in the next 12 months, up from 13% from the previous quarter.” *  

With employee staffing constraints and cutbacks sweeping through many companies, business teams are feeling the pressure. So how does the work get done?

We know that business leaders continue to seek actionable insights to guide their decisions but there are fewer people and often not enough time to get it all done. Many insights teams are turning to fractional talent to fill staffing gaps. This provides the freedom to say “YES” to internal stakeholders, set strategies and take on new projects while not burning out the team or falling short on annual objectives.   

As teams consider their staffing options, here are three easy steps for making the case for adding fractional resources. 

Step 1 – Outline what issue you are solving.

Use information on hand to justify what the “current state” is costing you and the business.

Step 2 – Evaluate and select the right resource for your needs.

Workforce talent continues to evolve and there is no shortage of options, including interns, fractional talent, contract to hire, or permanent hire.  Determining what’s best for you and your organization is key.  When evaluating the right resource for your needs, there are a few key questions.  Short vs. Long term?  Trained vs. Untrained?  Junior vs. Senior Level?  Hours per week?  Budget parameters?

‍

Step 3 – Make the case to your internal stakeholders. 

Finding the right talent with experience and selling the option internally might seem daunting.  With the right solution, it is possible.  Present your case to internal stakeholders by outlining the business need, presenting a tight range of staffing solutions, including the benefits of your recommended choice, and the associated cost and timing.  You may also want to include the bios or resumes of the potential talent you are recommending.   

If your evaluation in Step 2 supports contract or fractional talent as the optimal solution, below are a few additional resources from SIVO that can help. 

• Adopting a fractional mindset 
• Understanding the benefits of fractional talent 
• Preparing for your fractional talent 

Why Choose SIVO On Demand Talent for your Fractional Insights Talent Needs 

SIVO On Demand Talent is here for you, with exceptional insights talent for fill-in roles or finite initiatives. You will experience the uniqueness of SIVO On Demand Talent through our Experience, Service and exceptional Talent! 

• Experience: Our expert SIVO team supports you and our talent throughout the engagement ensuring a successful outcome for all.
• Service: We have been in your shoes, and we know what you need - a quick, personalized, hassle-free approach to ensure the right fit.​
• Talent: Insights professionals with client-side experience who bring passion and confidence to your interim assignment or open role.

Contact SIVO, Inc. at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss how SIVO can help you make the case for fractional talent.  Also, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about the many fractional Insights Professionals  - from Insights Generalists to Research Specialists - that can be an asset to you and your team and help you meet your goals.  

* Noted in a NerdWallet article, Will 2024 Be a Big Year for Layoffs?  February 2024 

By Marilyn Weiss

Did you know that 81% of consumers say they want brands to get to know them and 66% report that they would be willing to share their personal data to receive more personalized experiences?*

While there are many market research techniques for getting to know your consumers, one of the best ways to understand the intricacies of what they think and do is to “walk” side by side with them in a real-world context.  Being with them in the moments that matter, you can discover the underlying linkages to how they make choices about your product or service. This is the essence of ethnographic research; a powerful market research methodology that delves deeply into the lives, habits, and environments of consumers to uncover rich insights that explain their behavior.

What is Ethnographic Research?

Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method that is rooted in anthropology.  In the context of market research, ethnography involves observing and interacting with consumers in their everyday environments, such as homes, workplaces, or community spaces. Skilled Research Strategists will immerse themselves in the lives of participants, seeking to uncover unfiltered insights into their behaviors, motivations, and decision-making processes.

When to User Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research is particularly valuable in scenarios where understanding consumer behavior in context is essential. Here are some situations where ethnography can be highly effective:

New Product Development: Exploring how consumers use existing products or navigate specific tasks or routines can provide invaluable insights for developing new products or improving existing ones.  

SIVO in Action: SIVO has gone deep into the lives of senior citizens and how they communicate and interact with their families, living nearby and a far, to inform the development of health tracking devices for older people and their families.

Improving the Customer Experience: Understanding the customer journey and identifying pain points or opportunities for improvement can inform strategies to enhance the overall customer experience.

SIVO in Action: SIVO has spent quality time alongside farmers and hunters on their properties to help clients better understand their experiences with outdoor utility vehicles.  

Cultural Understanding: When entering new markets or engaging with unique consumer groups ethnography helps businesses gain a deeper understanding of cultural norms, rituals, values, and preferences.  

SIVO in Action: SIVO has explored the lives and rituals of pet owners and how different pet parent styles dictate their dog and cat food buying behavior and preferences.

Gaining Reaction to your Brand: Examining how consumers interact with and perceive brands in their everyday lives can uncover perceptions, attitudes, and emotions that shape brand relationships.

SIVO in Action: SIVO has worked with a national retailer to understand the impact of their new store footprint on shoppers’ overall shopping norms, routines and perceptions of the store brand, as our client developed unique-to-market storefronts.

Best Practices for Conducting Ethnographies with Consumers

1. Establish Rapport: It is critical to build trust and rapport with participants to encourage openness and honesty during observations and interviews. Respect their way of living and cultural sensitivities throughout the research process.

2. Observe without Bias: Approach observations with an open mind, avoiding preconceived notions or biases. Pay attention to subtle cues, behaviors, and non-verbal communication that may reveal underlying motivations or attitudes.  Most insights come from observing what they do and not just listening to what they say.

3. Dig beyond the “what” to get to the “why”: It is easy to capture what is happening in their lives but understanding the reasons why and the associated emotions and values is where the rich insights are found.

4. Use Multiple Data Collection Methods: Combine observation, interviews, photography, video recordings, and artifacts to capture a comprehensive view of participants' lives and experiences.

5. Maintain Confidentiality: Because consumers are opening up their lives and homes to us, we need to respect their space and maintain their privacy, ensuring informed consent and confidentiality for participants throughout the research process.

6. Stay Open and Flexible: Be prepared to adjust research plans and methods based on unexpected discoveries or changes in the environment. Embrace flexibility to capture emerging insights effectively.

7. Gather Diverse Perspectives: Engage with a diverse range of participants to capture a breadth of experiences and perspectives. Consider factors such as age, gender, income, and cultural background, as well as product usage, in your recruitment criteria.

8. Limit the Size of your Team: When visiting consumers’ homes or workplaces, you will want to limit the visiting team to 1 interviewer, 1 videographer and 1 client team member per respondent.  The idea is to keep it casual and as close to reality as possible.  It also helps encourage respondent candor.

9. Bring a Videographer: A high-quality video reel will bring your consumers to life for the stakeholders in your organization. Trust us.  It is absolutely worth the added expense to have a professional behind the video equipment!

10.  Translate Insights into Recommendations:  Finally, give your research partner the time to comb through the notes, video and transcripts to synthesize the data, identify the ethnographic insights and translate the insights into actionable recommendations.  This will always take longer than you think it will!

By using these guidelines to fully embrace a holistic understanding of consumers’ lives, businesses can uncover nuanced insights that help build a relationship with their consumers, inform strategic decisions and drive innovation.

SIVO for your Ethnographic Research

As business teams try to navigate an increasingly complex and dynamic marketplace, SIVO’s skilled and experienced research team can lead you through ethnographic research to make sense of the mysteries of consumer behavior and unlock new opportunities for growth.  Reach out to the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call today! 

For more DIY approaches, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how an experienced, fractional Qualitative Research Strategist/Expert Moderator can be also an asset for your ethnographic research needs.  

Introduction statistics cited from Forbes.com:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/18/why-customer-centricity-is-a-key-to-long-term-success/?sh=60917fb67f64

by Cindy Blackstock

Have you had a conversation with your consumer?

It is an enlightening and humbling experience to really get to know who they are, what they think, how they experience your product or service, and what they need from that experience. It can be very beneficial to be face to face, having conversations with consumers to build your intuition and empathy. However, often it is more valuable to leave the interviewing to expert moderators, allowing you to focus on the answers, rather than how to pose the questions.

Why Use Experts Qualitative Research Moderators 

Expert qualitative research Moderators are skilled at conducting qualitative research to uncover the “why” behind the “what” of consumer behavior and preferences.  Experienced Moderators apply a range of specific research techniques, with nuance and finesse, to get beyond consumers’ top-of-mind thoughts. This allows them to identify the underlying needs and motivations that drive behaviors and choices.   

Specifically, Moderators can help teams across four key learning dimensions: 

1. Discover Feelings & Emotions: Delving deeply into consumer thoughts, feelings, and emotions, going far beyond surface level observations.
2. Understand Motivations: Uncovering the underlying motivations, desires, and needs that drive consumer behavior. 
3. Explore Perceptions: Understanding how consumers perceive brands, products, or services to shape marketing strategies and improve brand positioning. 
4. Gain Context: Gaining conceptual understanding of consumer behavior through exploration of the social, cultural, and environmental factors that influence consumer decision-making. 

Moderation Techniques Enable Insights to Surface

With certifications from organizations such as, RIVA, QRCA, and  the Insights Association, great Moderators have a broad toolkit, employing specific qualitative research techniques to achieve their research objectives.  These research techniques include: 

Open-Ended Questions: Starting with open-ended questions that encourage participants to provide detailed responses. These questions typically begin with phrases like “Can you describe…” or “Tell me about…”  

Comparative Questions: Asking participants to compare or contrast different aspects of their experiences or opinions. For example, “How does this compare to your previous experience in a similar situation?”  

Timeline and Sequencing: Exploring the chronological aspects of experiences by asking participants to recount events in a specific order. This can help create a detailed narrative. 

Sensory Exploration: Encouraging participants to describe sensory aspects of their experiences, such as what they saw, heard, felt, or smelled during a particular event.

Metaphorical or Analogical Questions: Asking participants to describe their experiences using metaphors or analogies. This can help participants express complex concepts more vividly.  For example, “If this brand was a shoe, what kind of shoe would it be and why?”

Projective Techniques: Using projective techniques like storytelling, drawings, or role-playing to access participants’ subconscious thoughts and feelings. 

Whether it is through in-depth interviews, in-context missions, ethnographic research or through online community bulletin boards, great Moderators will employ these techniques to discover underlying insights about the consumer that they could not otherwise articulate through simple conversations.

Trust SIVO with your Qualitative Research 

Contact SIVO, Inc. at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss how SIVO can provide you with the insights you need, via our team of expert Moderators to lead your qualitative research projects.  Also, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how a fractional Qualitative Research Strategist/Expert Moderator can be an asset to you and your team.   

By Kerry Juhl

Growth. Every business in the world wants to grow, wants to live their purpose, follow their mission, serve their customers, and make money from it. But sometimes it is hard to know what to do, where to go, to find that growth. We ask ourselves questions like…

• Should we improve our products and services?  Or offer new ones? 
• Should we follow our competitors’ actions or do something completely different?  
• Should we invest in more marketing to drive awareness? 
• Or maybe we stay the course and focus on driving efficiency?   

Any of these paths could be the right direction for the business but at some point, teams must put a stake in the ground. That said, strategies don’t come out of thin air. It requires an examination of the world in which the business operates.

Teams need to thoroughly examine their:

• CUSTOMERS – what do customers want, need and value and how do they behave 
• MARKET – what are the industry or category dynamics, the competitive actions 
• OWN COMPANY – what structures, processes, groups are working well, or not 

The output of this examination can be organized into a framework that inspires growth strategies.  Growth Frameworks allow teams to reconsider the world in which they operate – literally putting it into a new “Frame” that will help identify issues and unearth opportunities for growth. The opportunities within the framework offer a “where to play” roadmap for teams, allowing them to pick a path forward and define their strategy for growth.

A Proven Process

SIVO has a tried-and-true process for developing growth frameworks that has been refined over the years and across industries. The SIVO team utilizes a specific process, research approach and expert facilitation to lead business teams to a clear and relevant growth framework. The process can be customized to fit the client organization based on factors such as their existing customer knowledge, the team’s availability to participate in the process and team size. Typically, 5 to 10 client team members work collaboratively, guided through five steps, beginning with the discovery of insights that point to future opportunities and ending with an activation plan that will advance the business.  

The 5 Steps

MINE

1. SIVO recommends starting with what clients already know, by mining existing company, customer, category, and industry knowledge.

BUILD

2. We fill knowledge gaps with custom qualitative research with your brand loyalists to explore their needs, motivations, and perceptions, to uncover key insights.
3. We quantify and prioritize the research findings with the appropriate audience.
4. We leverage expert facilitation to develop and refine the growth framework.

APPLY

5. Once the business team has aligned on the framework, we move the team to application by facilitating the development of an activation summary to outline future steps.

The Resulting Growth Framework

The output of this comprehensive process is a framework that provides teams with an inspiring construct that has easily digestible, business-relevant content and a common language for client teams to rally around, so they can clearly see and prioritize a path to growth. These frameworks can take many forms, including:  

• Consumer Jobs Map – Consumer Jobs Maps (a.k.a. Demand Space Maps) help explain why consumers make the choices they make, highlighting opportunities to deliver on unmet needs.
  
• Category Vision Framework – A category vision framework envisions the category of the future.  Although no one can predict the future, SIVO, in collaboration with the client business team, develops a vision for what the future state of the category will be 3 to 5 years from now.
  
• Customer Value Equation – A Customer Value Equation framework provides an understanding of what customers value about the total brand experience by mapping the key drivers of value and the assets that support those drivers.
  
• Competitive SWOT – A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework allows business teams to assess and analyze a current situation from all angles and to formulate future strategies in response to the findings. 

For more definitions and details on each of these frameworks, see SIVO’s Growth Frameworks: A Path to Action & Growth blog.

Applying the Growth Framework

Applying growth frameworks to the business can lead to growth strategies that span across the 4P’s of marketing.  

Product strategies could include Innovation to launch new products that fulfill demand or Renovation to improve existing products to better meet customer needs.

Pricing strategies could include Price Increases that strategically align with consumer preferences or Cost Engineering to improve profit margins by removing attributes that consumers don’t value.

Place strategies (i.e., Distribution strategies) could include retailer and channel distribution strategies or category management negotiations to improve product placement that aligns with customer shopping habits.  

Promotion strategies could include new advertising campaigns that focus on key benefits that align with what consumers need and value or in-store promotions to align promotional activity with how consumers shop the category.

Reach out to SIVO to learn more about Growth Frameworks

SIVO wants to share our proven process for elevating your insights into a growth framework that enables your team to set strategies that put your business on the path to growth. 

Reach out to the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss the approach and growth framework that will be the right strategic fit for your team and your business. 

For many manufacturers and retailers, the holiday season can be a “make or break” time period for generating sales and achieving revenue goals.  For this reason, it is critical to understand your customer’s holiday shopping attitudes, behaviors and motivations.  This is SIVO’s strength.  Through approaches like in-store shop-alongs, mobile missions, online communities and in-depth focus groups, SIVO can dig deep into understanding the mindset and behaviors of your target customers, while immersed in the holiday season.  Now is the time to act!  Let SIVO help you understand your holiday shoppers so you can anticipate their needs and preferences to… Win the Season!

By Kerry Juhl

Our job as Insights Professionals is to not only identify relevant and unique consumer insights but also to apply the information in a way that influences decisions and drives action, resulting in growth. But ensuring that valuable insights are heard, internalized, and acted upon can be a challenge.  Personal opinions, competing priorities or lack of focus can muffle the voice of the consumer, and the insights professionals that are trying to share it.

So how do you ensure that the insights you uncover will land with impact and be an enabler for growth? 

SIVO has an answer… Growth Frameworks.  Along with great storytelling, visually interesting media, and activation workshops, SIVO employs Growth Frameworks to organize insights into an inspiring construct, offering teams easily digestible, business-relevant content and common language for client teams to rally around, so they can clearly see and prioritize a path to growth. 

What is a Growth Framework? 

A growth framework starts with a deep examination of consumers within a market or occasion, to identify relevant insights. Those insights are then organized into a framework that reveals all possible avenues or opportunities for growth.  The opportunities within the framework offer a “where to play” roadmap for teams, allowing them to prioritize opportunities and define their strategy for growth. 

Examples of Growth Frameworks 

Consumer Jobs/Demand Space Map – Consumer Jobs Maps (a.k.a. Demand Space Maps) help explain why consumers make the choices they make. Consumers use products that help them achieve their goals and meet their needs.  In other words, products do “jobs” for consumers. If your product does not effectively do the job, consumers are unlikely to hire it. A Jobs Map becomes a framework to help identify ‘where to play’ and it lives beyond a single initiative. It maps all the jobs that consumers have for a particular occasion.  For example, a Snacking Jobs to be Done (JTBD) Map includes all the jobs that consumers have for the snacking occasion.  A Financial Investment JTBD Map includes all the jobs that customers have for investing their money.  It lives on in your organization as a place to continually go back to for inspiration and focus for innovation, renovation, communication, and brand building efforts. 

Category Vision Framework – A category vision framework envisions the category of the future.  Although no one can predict the future, SIVO, in collaboration with the client team, develops a vision for what the future state of the category will be 3 to 5 years from now.  This involves segmenting the existing and new products within a category based on the primary benefit that the products are providing to consumers. Specific attention is focused on new or emerging product lines within the category, and emerging consumer and market trends that may impact the category to identify “signals” for what the future category may look like. 

Customer Value Equation – A Customer Value Equation framework provides an understanding of what your customers value about your total brand experience by mapping the key drivers of value and the assets that support those drivers. This framework can guide team decisions on where to invest their next $1 to drive more consumer value or where to cut the next $1 in spending on product attributes that customers do not value.  Knowing what drives customer value differentiates and enables companies to stay competitive.  

Competitive SWOT – A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework is a strategic planning tool used by organizations to assess and analyze their current situation and help formulate future strategies. Oftentimes, a SWOT analysis is conducted in reaction to marketplace dynamics, or to proactively prepare for marketplace activities that could happen in the future.  For instance, if a competitor acquires a third player in the category or conversely, goes out of business, organizations can develop a SWOT framework to better understand this new reality, and build strategies to respond in a future-focused way. 

Benefits of a Growth Framework 

1. Consumer or Customer-Centricity: Successful organizations focus on putting their customers and/or consumers at the center of decision-making. Growth frameworks focus on customer understanding and identify opportunities to better meet customer needs. Actions stemming from growth frameworks can ultimately improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
   
2. Clarity of Purpose: Growth frameworks provide teams with one source of truth.  They can highlight several potential opportunities and with evaluation and prioritization, it can stop the churn of asking “what if?” and “what about?” Instead, teams can put a stake in the ground on a way forward, defining their growth strategies. 
   
3. Engagement and Alignment: Growth frameworks are strongest when they are developed by the entire cross-functional team.  Throughout the process of identifying the insights and developing the framework, team members with different perspectives and knowledge can reach a common understanding of the consumer and marketplace, making it easier to align, prioritize, and set a strategy for growth.

Reach out to SIVO to learn more about Growth Frameworks 

SIVO wants to help you and your organization elevate your insights into a growth framework that gives you consumer-centric focus, clarity of purpose and galvanizes your team to put you on the path to growth. 

Reach out to the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss the growth framework that will be the right strategic fit for your team and your business. 

by Julie Rose

I’ve been in the workforce for over 30 years (GASP!). I’ve witnessed and been part of a lot of change. Changing technology is a mainstay in the Age of Information, which is centered on accessing information and knowledge easily and quickly. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning is another advancement in getting that knowledge even faster and more quickly.  

With each advancement or new tool, there is the inevitable talk of our jobs going away because the latest advancement is expected to replace us.  In many cases, with advancement in technology, there are shifts that do render obsolescence. From my experience, it is the past technologies, not people, that have become obsolete. As people, we adjust, we leverage, we apply critical thinking, we learn, and take advantage of technological advancements to be more effective and efficient but we typically are not replaced.      

Experience with Workplace Technological Advances 

Early in my career, I was on the Email Task Force when email was just being introduced in the workplace. We grappled with tough topics, like were we going to allow employees to send personal emails. Yes, this is a true story! Email technology has made information flow much faster and easier.  In fact, I don’t remember the last time I faxed something to someone. Email improved the way I work, but it didn’t replace me or make my job obsolete. 

I also remember leading a team that was evaluating social media listening techniques and tools as we were trying to glean insights from the vast number of online conversations and content. People wondered if we would ever need to conduct primary market research again. People wondered if they would be replaced with Do-It-Yourself Digital scraping tools. It didn’t happen. I’m still here providing custom insights by leveraging the best market research tools to meet my clients’ business objectives.  

The Soup-Starter, Not the Soup 

The latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence have impacted every industry, and we are all evaluating it to figure out how to safely leverage it and integrate it into our current best practices. My reflection on the many changes I’ve personally experienced has helped me to formulate my thoughts on it. I’ve been asked quite a lot recently by friends, colleagues, and clients what do I think about AI, machine learning, and specifically natural language AI like ChatGPT or Google’s BERT. My latest answer . . . It’s the Soup-Starter, but it’s not the Soup (or the Chef!). 

New tools like, ChatGPT, are an excellent way to access information and knowledge quickly and to easily get started on a topic or approach. It starts the soup, but it doesn’t finish the meal. Just like soup needs a chef, research needs a researcher, and insights require an Insights Professional. It takes discernment, creativity, experience, and nuanced choices to make a delicious, complex, flavorful pot of soup and the same goes for a custom market research study.  Just like the chef might consider certain stocks and spices to start the soup, a researcher can start with ChatGPT to contemplate potential objectives, methodologies or questions before designing a custom market research project that fully meets the needs of the business. 

Using ChatGPT in Market Research 

When it comes to market research, we at SIVO have found ChatGPT and other AI tools to be a useful starting point in the following ways:

1. Defining your business objective: Understanding and defining the business problem and the customer problem to be solved.
2. Collecting background information: Collecting what is already known on the topic in the research design phase.
3. Exploring research options: Exploring research approaches or methodologies before arriving at the final research design.
4. Beginning survey development: Exploring research question types, projective activities and techniques to consider for discussion guide and online survey development.
5. Identifying themes during analysis: Using only secure AI tools (and not open-source options), for organizing data and synthesizing transcripts and video footage to assist with the analysis and creative storytelling for the research report and presentation.

Evolve toward the Future 

As AI technology evolves, we will evolve with it.  We will leverage it to improve how we operate.  For now, it becomes our new “soup starter” but we still own the recipe and must make the soup.  All of us need to experiment and decide how AI can improve our ways of working but we will continue to apply our craftsmanship, critical thinking, and intuition to finish the job.  

At SIVO, we are dedicated to understanding your business challenges and questions and will then use our expertise, resources, and access to technology to recommend a learning plan and approach that considers all variables and delivers on your needs. Contact us  at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or go to SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call and connect! 

By Julie Rose

As your fiscal year is coming to a close, new questions and challenges can arise as you finalize spending on this year’s budget:

• Wondering how you’ll accomplish your annual goals?
• More workload and pipeline of projects than your team can execute?
• Questioning how to keep saying “Yes” to internal stakeholders? 
• Not enough time or resources to meet multiple requests for actionable insights from leadership, product development, marketing, or strategy? 

SIVO Insights On Demand Talent™ Can Help 

SIVO’s On Demand Talent is a great solution for Insights Professionals and Teams facing the year-end crunch – with more initiatives than bandwidth to get it all done. We leverage our extensive pool of fractional Insights Talent, with years of experience and expertise, to help you achieve your business objectives. 

We recommend three key steps for evaluating and making the case internally for hiring contract Insights talent.

As workforce talent continues to evolve, there is no shortage of options, including interns, short or long-term contractors, contract-to-hire, or direct hire. Below, we highlight the advantages of On Demand Contract Talent vs. a Full-Time Hire:

Prove the Need for Incremental Resources

Some of our clients have struggled to make the case to their leaders for permanent incremental headcount. Instead, they started with SIVO’s On Demand Talent to show value to the business. This step helped them demonstrate the benefit of having additional resources.  Let SIVO help you get the additional headcount you need in 2024.

Get Expert Consumer Insights with SIVO

We have started ODT engagements in as fast as one week. To discuss your needs and how we can match the talent with the best expertise for quick solutions in your organization, visit SIVO On Demand Talent or email Contact@SIVOInsights.com.

By Ashton Walz

Are you new to Market Research? Or do you know someone who is new to market research? Many of us came out of business school with no more than one market research class under our belts so that means we had to learn the art and science of market research while on the job. But learning our craft while doing the job can be tricky because you're often "trying to safely fly the airplane while building it."  With this in mind, the SIVO team thought it would be great to share the basics of quantitative online survey design with the next generation of market researchers out there.  To our experienced clients and friends, please feel free to pass these nuggets on to someone new to our industry!

The Art of the Market Research Survey

An online survey for quantitative market research can be the key to gaining critical insight into your market, consumer, brand, product, or competition. Collecting this valuable data will lead to a better understanding of the market you operate in and your consumers’ preferences, opinions, behaviors, and needs. Leveraging the data and insights gathered from surveys, business teams can make informed decisions, shape their strategies, and refine their products or services. 

But collecting this data can be tricky.  If the survey is not designed well, organizations can be misled by inaccurate data.  Market researchers have a phrase for this…“Garbage in, garbage out.” No one wants to make bad decisions from bad information so here are 10 tips for writing a great market research survey. 

10 Tips for Great Online Surveys

Survey development requires both rigor and creativity. It takes experience and practice to get it right but there are some basic rules that will help you garner more accurate results:

1. Define Your Objectives

Clearly establish the purpose and objectives of your survey. Identify the specific information you want to gather and the decisions or actions that will be influenced by the survey results. This should be done first to give your survey questions purpose and direction. A best practice is to categorize your survey questions under each business objective so that when the data is collected, you know that you’ll have the answers you need.

2. Include an Introduction and Instructions

Provide a clear introduction at the beginning of the survey, explaining the purpose, importance, and estimated time for completion. Include instructions for navigating the survey and answering the questions.

3. Ensure Anonymity and Confidentiality

Assure respondents that their answers will remain confidential and anonymous. Avoid collecting personally identifiable information unless necessary for specific research purposes. Be transparent about how you will handle, store and share out the data. This allows the respondent to be comfortable and candid in their responses, which improves accuracy and depth of insight.

4. Avoid Leading or Biased Questions

Frame questions in a neutral manner to avoid biasing the respondents' answers. Use balanced language and avoid leading statements that could influence the respondents' opinions. A survey created with biased questions will ultimately be thrown out as the respondent’s answers are not representative of how they actually feel. An example of a leading question is, “Which product features do you find most useful?” This question assumes that consumers find the product useful when they might not find it useful at all.

5. Provide Response Options

Offer a variety of response options that cover the range of possible answers. Include options like "don't know" or "prefer not to answer" to account for respondents who may not have a specific answer or may be uncomfortable sharing certain information. In doing so, it becomes a lot easier to avoid bad data and get an accurate look at your consumer target’s preferences. 

6. Use Logical Flow and Organization

Organize your survey in a logical and coherent order. Start with easy, less intimidating questions to engage respondents and progressively move towards more specific or sensitive topics. By using this ‘funnel’ technique it helps prime the respondent to think more critically when the in-depth questions come up. This organization can also help the researcher to weed out any respondents that would not provide accurate or helpful information for the study. (e.g., if someone doesn’t buy carbonated water, don’t ask them what their favorite flavor is.)

7. Avoid Double-barreled questions

To ensure that your data is clear and insightful, be sure to avoid asking about two topics in a single question as it creates ambiguity in the data and leaves the analyst wondering how to interpret it. For instance, the question, “Please rate how well you like the lighting and atmosphere of this store?” leaves the analyst wondering if the respondent considered the lighting, the atmosphere or both when providing a rating.

8. Make it Interesting

A well-designed market research survey aims to uncover crucial information while simultaneously engaging with the target audience, to cultivate a sense of involvement. A mix of closed and open-ended question types can create a more interactive and enjoyable survey. Not only does it provide for an immersive experience but generally leaves the respondent feeling like they are being heard as they can freely express themselves through various types of questions.

9. Keep Survey Length under 15 minutes

In the same vein as making the survey interesting, survey length should be no longer than 15 minutes and ideally, 12 minutes or less. When respondents get fatigued, it can negatively impact their attention and diligence which impacts data accuracy. Long lengths also lead to incomplete surveys as respondents drop off.

10. Test Your Survey

Before launching the survey, conduct a pilot test with a small group of respondents to identify any confusing or problematic questions. Adjust based on their feedback to ensure clarity and relevance. This can prove to be extremely useful as there could be some things the survey designer didn’t catch that a respondent will.

Your Source for Expert Consumer Insights 

At SIVO, Inc., we dedicate ourselves to creating engaging and accurate quantitative market research surveys that help you better understand your market and consumers. We are experts in developing the appropriate questions and applying the right analytic techniques to deliver insights that meet your business objectives.  

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call!  

by Kerry Juhl

Consumer Personas are a great tool for bringing your consumer target to life for your organization, to inspire growth ideas, new brand experiences and product innovation.  It is a representation of your target segment based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data.  It summarizes your consumers’ lifestyle, values, needs, challenges, and preferences, so that it can be easily shared and digested across the organization.

At a high level, here is SIVO’s guide on how to build consumer personas: 

• Collect quantitative data via consumer segmentation: Start by identifying the market your product plays in and divide this universe into consumer groups that have similar characteristics, such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioral patterns.
  
• Identify patterns within the segment: Analyze the segments to identify common patterns, trends, and preferences among the different groups. Look for insights that can help you understand their interests, pain points, and buying behaviors. At this point, teams can narrow their focus by choosing one or a few consumer segments that are most likely to need and have the potential means to purchase the product or service that you offer.
  
• Dig deeper with qualitative research: Once the consumer segments have been identified, conduct qualitative research, to delve deeper into the consumer mindset and better understand what makes them unique and relevant to the business. Using techniques such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, in-store shop-alongs, or in-home ethnographic research, you can uncover the underlying motivations, emotions and values that drive consumer behaviors and purchase decisions. This deepens the teams’ empathy and intuition about the consumer segments.
  
• Create consumer personas: Develop distinct personas that represent key segments that are important and relevant to your business. The personas should not portray one specific consumer but should be a semi-fictional representation of an ideal customer within a segment.  Overall, the persona should include a name, age, job, hobbies, mindset, goals, challenges, and a brief back story.  Note: Psychographics, goals and purchase motivations are most important in understanding what problems the persona has that your company can solve.  
  

Building your Consumer Personas 

Key information that should be considered when building consumer personas includes:   

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, marital status, education, income 
• Psychographics: Interests, values, attitudes, lifestyle, personality traits
• Goals and Motivations: What they aim to achieve, what drives their decision-making 
• Pain Points and Challenges: Obstacles they face, problems they want to solve that are related to your market
• Buying Behavior: Where and how they shop, preferred channels, factors influencing purchase decisions, in relation to your industry or category
• Media preferences: Preferred media channels, social media usage, favorite websites, online communities

Check out these other SIVO blogs on consumer targets and  consumer segmentation, to better understand the inputs and context for consumer personas. 

Making Consumer Personas Interesting

The goal is to bring the consumer to life in an interesting and inspirational way. This information needs to be interesting and easy to read so that it gets internalized by the organization. Here are a few tips: 

Keep it Brief:  A good persona should be 1 to 3 pages in length.  Ideally, there would be a 1-page summary and if needed, 1 to 2 follow-up pages with actionable details and insights. 

Use Visuals: A persona should be visually interesting.  Use photos, graphics, or infographics to bring the consumer persona to life and make them feel more tangible and relatable to your team. 

Use Narratives and Quotes: Storytelling is an important part of building your persona. Use the data to create a short 1-paragraph narrative that describes the consumer persona – who they are, what they need, and their underlying motivations.

Include a Key Consumer Insight: It is important to include a one-sentence insight that describes the underlying motivation that would make them potentially interested in buying your product or service.

With the data summarized and visualized into clear and succinct personas, it is easy to understand and empathize with your consumer target, i.e., the segment of consumers that will inspire your growth ideas, marketing communications, promotions, distribution plans and new product innovation. Your team can now tailor brand messaging, content, and product offerings to align with the needs and preferences of key consumer targets. It is also easy to socialize the learning across the organization and agency partners in an efficient and effective way. 

Maintaining Relevance of Consumer Personas

Consumer personas are foundational marketing and insights deliverables that will inspire your teams’ growth ideas and guide your agency partners for years. For this reason, you need to invest in ongoing maintenance to ensure continued relevance to your organization. Depending on the volatility and competitive dynamics within your market, you will want to: 

The success of your consumer persona profiles depends on the quality of your research, the depth of your understanding and getting it to land within your organization and with agency partners. Regularly leveraging the personas while also iterating and improving upon them will help you stay in tune with your consumers and maintain a competitive advantage in the market.  

Your Source for Expert Customer Insights 

At SIVO Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients understand their consumer targets by designing and executing consumer segmentations, following up with qualitative research and building consumer personas. We can then facilitate activation sessions with your team to develop action plans and strategies that leverage these insights.  

Reach out to us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or go to SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call and connect! 

What is a Consumer Target 

At the foundation of all great marketing initiatives is a complete and deep understanding of the consumer target. The consumer target is a specific and detailed description of the type of person who has needs or desires that you believe can be served or helped with your products or services. Truly identifying and understanding the consumer target can inspire creative and innovative thinking to help grow your brand through new products, marketing campaigns, or promotions that fulfill their needs and wants. 

Segmenting the Market to Identify Your Consumer Target 

Teams must be focused and clear about who their consumer target is and is not. This consumer does not represent everyone that purchases your product or service.  

A typical first step to identifying your consumer target is to segment the market you operate in. Market or consumer segmentation is a market research approach that allows you to divide the universe of potential consumers into smaller groups or segments based on their characteristics. The segments are composed of consumers who will respond similarly to marketing strategies because they have shared demographics, needs, interests, values and/or locations. Once the market has been segmented, an assessment is required to understand which segment of consumers offer the most potential for growth, i.e., which group is most likely to find value and be motivated by your business proposition and respond to your initiatives, across the 4Ps of product, placement, pricing, and promotion. 

Building Knowledge About Your Consumer Target 

While segmentation is a great first step in identifying your consumer target, it is only the beginning. Every day you will be faced with making business decisions based on what you know about your consumer target and how you think they will respond to your actions. You should have basic knowledge covering five key areas: 

1. What are their basic demographics? 
2. How do they live their lives? 
3. What do they care about? 
4. How and where do they shop? 
5. How do they interact with media?

Answering these questions requires a combination of sales data analyses, quantitative assessments such as, attitude and usage studies plus, qualitative, or observational techniques such as, in-depth interviews, in-store shop-alongs, and in-home ethnographic research to fully immerse in how your consumer target thinks, lives and shops. Oftentimes, this is referred to as developing the consumer target persona.

Building Consumer Empathy 

The ultimate goal is to build empathy for and intuition about your consumer target. You need knowledge to understand what is in their head (how they think) and empathy to understand what is in their hearts (how they feel and their underlying motivations). Most of the time, you yourself are not the target consumers so you must spend time with them to truly understand their lives, values, beliefs, and behaviors. The goal should be to move through the following spectrum to be able to genuinely empathize with your consumer target.

How to Get to Empathy for Your Consumer Target 

Building empathy is different from conducting a typical market research study. Market research is designed to answer specific business questions by getting feedback and perspective from consumers. For instance, you might conduct market research to understand how your product compares to the competition or what product varieties you should launch next. 

An empathy trek is solely designed to gain better understanding of who your consumer target is. It is a listening and observation exercise, designed to help you “walk in their shoes” and “feel what they feel.” In an empathy trek, you’ll explore how your consumer target lives, what they value, believe and how they behave. By building consumer empathy, you will build your intuition about them, and are able to make business decisions on their behalf. 

The Value of Truly Knowing Your Consumer Target 

The value of building empathy for your consumer target is tremendous. Specifically, it can:  

• Eliminate personal bias from business decisions and keep the team focused on consumer-centric decision making 
• Create informed intuition that enables better, faster decisions  
• Take you beyond just understanding to actually anticipating consumer needs  
• Improve the quality of marketing communications, product innovation and renovation efforts 
• Unlock exceptional customer service 

Your Source for Expert Consumer Insights   

As you and your team learn more about your consumer, your marketing and innovation ideas will get more targeted at serving their needs, which will in turn, make them more successful. Ideally, you will be able to reach them at key moments of truth, physically or digitally with personalized content that improves the brand experience and loyalty. 

At SIVO, we are dedicated to helping our clients identify and understand their consumer target’s perceptions, needs, beliefs, and behaviors. We create learning plans that will help you gain valuable insights by applying the right approaches to identify your market segments, consumer target persona and to build consumer empathy for you and your team.

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call! 

As your company is developing and promoting their products and services, it is critical to understand your consumers’ attitudes and behavior to grow the business. 

Understanding your consumers require specialized professionals who have the proven market researchtools and best practices. They use a combination of art and scientific methods to gather data regarding consumers’ attitudes, needs, desires and behaviors.  So, how do they gather this relevant and meaningful information about the individuals they are seeking to reach and understand more deeply? The answer is Market Research.

Why Does Market Research Matter?

Connecting with your consumers and understanding their opinions, needs byutilizing a market research-driven approach can make all the difference in identifying opportunities to build a successful business. 

According to Forbes, “Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is just a fancy term for making intelligent decisions based on what your data is telling you. Modern market research combines DDDM with advanced technology to uncover even more granular data, which can be used to personalize market messaging and find potential areas for growth. Traditionally, market research encompasses four major disciplines: primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative.”

Types of Market Research and Their Benefits

Primary research gathers first-hand data from consumers. It gives brand teams direct feedback on their services or products from those who are familiar with it or use it. The results are considered conclusive when the data is collected from a representative sample of consumers. Secondary research is when your sources of feedback come from other researchers or second-hand information. This type of market research provides consumer insights by studying trade journal articles, social media conversations, government agency data and published market studies and applying the information to inform business decisions and guide strategies. Together, primary and secondary research can provide more comprehensive and meaningful consumer insights.

Primary research is comprised of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research, which is often exploratory in nature.  It captures the in-depth nuances of what consumers say, do, and think by collecting non-numerical data. This could be done through ethnographies, in-depth interviews, focus groups, shopper intercepts, and mobile missions to gather insights that help solve a problem or help you understand your consumers better. Qualitative methodologies focus on obtaining smaller sample sizes so more time can be spent with each consumer. It focuses on the “why” behind consumer opinions, beliefs and behaviors.

Quantitative research is centered on identifying, benchmarking, prioritizing, validating, and translating data into insights that reveal opportunities. Typically, data is collected via online surveys. Quantitative methodologies focus on obtaining larger sample sizes that allow for a higher degree of statistical reliability. This type of research deals with applying statistical analytics to numerical datasets for many business objectives, such as building consumer segmentations, assessing product appeal, understanding the attitude toward and usage of products and services, and mapping consumers’ path-to-purchase journeys.

Both of these research approaches can provide excellent results. It is important to choose the approach that best addresses the business objectives, while taking timing, cost and level of business risk into account.  

How Modern Research Methods Drive Better Data

While primary research provides useful feedback on consumer attitudes and behaviors that can be utilized for developing marketing strategies, there are additional research methods that businesses can leverage to offer teams a holistic view of the consumer.   

• Brand Sentiment Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Customer Segmentation

Brand Sentiment Analysis

Knowing how your brand is perceived by consumers and potential consumers can help you understand the impact of your marketing efforts. .  A few factors to look at are consumer awareness, loyalty, advocacy, and value, . Social media monitoring tools are great assets when it comes to measuring consumer sentiment. Studying social media conversations and metrics allow team to identify insights and translate them into actionable strategies. This is a great way to gather unfiltered consumer feedback on your brand. 

Understanding your brand sentiment also means knowing how your brand is perceived versus key competitors. It requires selecting the right web conversations to track consumer sentiment for your brand and the competitive brands, to understand strengths, weaknesses, potential threats and opportunities to better compete.    

Competitive Intelligence

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 

“Competitive analysis helps you learn from businesses competing for your potential customers. This is key to defining a competitive edge that creates sustainable revenue. Your competitive analysis should identify your competition by product line or service and market segment.”

Competitive intelligence can support your brand in creating or optimizing marketing campaigns and strategies such as advertising, pricing, and product development and placement. Consider gathering competitive intelligence to get clear on your level of competition and proactively develop relevant actions to compete effectively.  

Customer Segmentation

Consumer segmentation is an excellent way to classify customers into specific groups based on their shared characteristics. From here, you can refine your messaging, sales tactics, voice, and tone to connect with these segments of people who are most likely to respond positively to your strategies. This effective approach involves categorizing consumers into different segments, based on their demographics, geographics, behaviors, and psychographics. 

The benefit of this market research analytic technique is that consumer segmentation helps businesses devise comprehensive strategies that can help brands attract new customers, retain existing ones, and create brand loyalty across the consumer base.

How Your Business Can Stay Competitive

With technology rapidly increasing and new products and services entering the market daily, it can feel like an uphill battle to stay ahead of the competition. This is why utilizing SIVO’s consumer insight and market intelligence solutions are some of the best decisions you can make for your business. At SIVO, we help you better understand your customers, differentiate from the competition, and develop consistent, consumer-centric products and services by providing your team with actionable insights. 

We do this by analyzing market research data that reveals consumer attitudes and behaviors.. This information is turned into actionable insights that result in satisfied consumers, thus higher salesand incremental growth. SIVO will: 

• Discover gaps and opportunities so you can constantly evolve, innovate, and improve the consumer experience.
• Deliver actionable insights into consumer attitudes, needs, desires, and behaviors.
• Provide a combination of thought leadership with full service, custom market research and learning and recommendations.

SIVO has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to understand their most essential needs. We then design and execute best-in-class custom market research aligned with your business objectives.

Trust SIVO to Help You Better Understand Your Consumer’s Behavior

SIVO will help you drive your business forward with consumer insights,  organizational intelligence, market and competitive intelligence, or on demand talent solutions.  
Contact SIVO today to schedule your discovery call.

In your brand's early development stages, you likely gave much thought to the idea of a buyer persona.

You researched who you expected to purchase your products, how they would interact with your brand, and which factors would influence them to choose your brand over a competitor's. You painted a picture of what their needs are, what they do, and how their key motivators would align with your offerings. 

Now, it's time to see that journey in action. 

The path to purchase describes the journey that your target buyers take from the moment they first discover your product or service until they ultimately decide to buy it. The better you understand this journey, the easier it is to connect with them at key milestones and decision points to convert them from awareness to consideration to purchase, and then to repeat purchases.

Today, we're sharing how to conduct this research effectively and what to do with the results you uncover. 

What Is the Path to Purchase?

Put simply, the path to purchase encompasses all of the steps that your users take as they convert from a prospect into a paying customer. This can include multiple different channels, touchpoints, and platforms. 

While each person's brand experience will be nuanced and unique, most leads take a few central steps as they travel along this journey. These include:

• Becoming aware of the offering
• Reviewing the offering and considering possible alternatives
• Making a first purchase decision
• Making a repeat purchase decision

Also known as a customer journey or buyer journey, the path to purchase can be a valuable part of your audience analysis. It allows you to climb inside the mind of your prospective buyers, and current buyers and understand why and how they're engaging with your brand. 

Let's break these stages down a little, explaining the important aspects to research and analyze. 

The Awareness Stage

The first step in the path to purchase is awareness. This is the moment that your prospective customers first learn about your brand, and it sets the tone and the stage for the rest of your interactions together. 

Years ago, mass marketing campaigns were more effective than they were today. Modern buyers want customization and personalization at every turn, and 80% are more likely to purchase from a brand that offers tailored experiences. This means that gone are the days when you could send out one e-mail blast or a generic postcard to your leads and expect them to convert. 

Now, the most effective ways to reach your target audience include: 

• Online advertising
• Social media advertising
• E-mail advertising
• Organic search results
• Direct mail marketing
• Word of mouth and customer referrals

Not only should these outreach measures be personalized, but they should also include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages users to take that next step. Do you want them to check out your website, sign up for your e-newsletter, contact you to set up a consultation? Remember to make the CTA clear, actionable, and easy to follow.

How to Gather Research

Once you've initiated the path to purchase, you can track your marketing efforts, e.g., engagement and response rate, to understand how effective your chosen tactics were. For instance, with inbound marketing campaigns, most website analytics platforms, such as Google Analytics, or CRM systems, such as, HubSpot, allow you to easily monitor the traffic going to your website, the number of views each blog gets, or the success rate of your paid online ads.

Regularly review these numbers to understand which channels are the most successful. Then, fine-tune the most profitable ones and look for ways to eliminate or phase out the ones that aren't as fruitful. 

For larger brands with national distribution, you can also conduct advertising and brand awareness tracking research to understand the percentage of consumers who are aware of your advertising and brand, pre vs. post the execution of your marketing campaign or in regular intervals such as, one or two times per year. 

Key questions to ask at this stage include:

• How are target buyers becoming aware of your brand?
• What channels are they using most frequently to learn about your brand
• How long do they spend reviewing your advertising and outreach materials? 
• What percentage of viewers respond to our CTA?

The Review and Consideration Stage

Piquing the interest of your target buyer is only the first part of the path to purchase. Next, the prospect will consider all of the features that your company or product offers, comparing them against others in your same space. They're looking for differentiators that set your brand apart, such as price point, quality, speed of delivery, product features, and more. 

To perform this competitive analysis, they may perform the following steps:

• Read online reviews
• Ask for feedback on social media
• Review product specification sheets
• Check out peer referrals
• Watch webinars and videos
• Speak with different retailers, distributors and dealers

At the core of this step is the buyer's need for information and insights. If you can provide this intelligence about your solution better than anyone else can, then you're more likely to move them from this phase of the buyer journey to the next. 

How to Gather Research

In this step, you'll need to research and manage your online presence and reputation. Do you know what your target buyers will see when they search for your brand name online?

There are reputation management tools that can help you uncover and respond to your company reviews. In addition to the reviews on your website or Google Business Profile, remember to also check common and industry-specific third-party review sites. 

Another area to research is how well you've explained and demonstrated your product or service. If a prospective customer wanted to learn more about how your solution works, are there online descriptions, manuals, sheets, videos, or in-store signage that make this step simple? The more transparent you can be, the easier it is to compare your solution against another. 

Key questions to ask at this stage include:

• Where do our target buyers go to find and compare offerings? 
• What information do we need to provide to stand out in our competitive market?
• What are the critical deal-breakers for our buyers? 
• How do our buyers weigh different pros and cons for each solution?
• Is this stage a delightful experience or a pain point for buyers?

The Purchasing Stage

After a lead discovers and researches your brand, they may decide to take that next step and make a purchase. To help them get there, you'll need to provide information that reveals why your company or offering is the best fit for their needs. 

Depending on the solution you offer, this could require the buyer to make a significant investment. They'll want to review all of their options and compare top features to make sure they're making a wise decision. 

How to Gather Research

This final stage of the path to purchase is all about sealing the deal. Research your company's current methods for engaging prospects and moving them along the sales funnel. 

Some companies with “Business to Business” (B2B) offerings might use this time to perform presentations, pitches, and demos to share how their products work. Others with “Business to Consumer” (B2C) offerings might use advertising, on-package claims, third-party endorsements and in-store signage to demonstrate their benefits to prospective buyers. . The nature of your business and the type of audience you serve will dictate the exact strategy you deploy. 

Key questions to ask at this stage include:

• What are the most important criteria in our buyers' decision-making process?
• Where do they make the purchase?
• Who is involved in the buyer's decision?
• Do buyers need to test our products before they buy?
• What questions will our buyers have about buying and implementing our offering?
• How does the purchase make the buyer feel?

How to Gather Customer Insights Effectively

At each stage of the consumer path to purchase, you'll have the opportunity to gather insights into buyer behaviors. As you do, it's important to know what metrics to track, when to dive in, and who to involve. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the data you obtain. 

Combine Qualitative and Quantitative Data

As brands seek to improve their buyers’ path to purchase experience, most are focused primarily on hard numbers, aka quantitative data, about the purchase, including volume, amount and frequency of sales, who and where purchased, percent of repeat purchases, etc. While this type of behavioral data is extremely important -, but don't underestimate the value of qualitative insights about the buying journey. 

The ultimate goal of each phase is to understand the mindset of your buyers, and you can't get there with quantitative measurements alone. You need to understand the emotions that your prospective buyers are feeling, as well as what's behind their concerns, hesitancies, and excitement. 

A few of the ways you can capture qualitative feedback include:

• In-Depth Interviews
• Focus groups
• Mobile Missions
• Observational studies, such as ethnography studies
• Expert opinions

Not only are these insights helpful in directing your current and future campaigns, but they can also motivate your internal stakeholders. If you can share direct quotes and client feedback with your C-suite and marketing teams, it's easier for them to understand the human side of their work, in addition to the technical and economical side. 

Consider All Parties Involved

For some B2C companies, there is a primary shopper involved in each brand interaction. However, most B2B transactions involve other, behind-the-scenes decision-makers and influencers. 

As such, resist the temptation to consider the path to purchase as strictly linear and one-dimensional in nature. In reality, it's more multi-faceted and complex.

Try to learn about the key stakeholders involved in buying decisions, as well as their specific roles. It also helps to understand how they interact with one another, as well as when each one enters and leaves the buyer journey. While some will be involved from start to finish, others may join and leave at different times. 

Start Earlier Than Expected

To get the fullest view of your path to purchase, don't start your research at the first time the buyer and seller interact. Instead, go back even further to the pre-shopping stage. Increasingly, this means analyzing how buyers live, work, and how they find and compare offerings to meet their needs. 

Today, most buyers are hopping online to discover new brands. In fact, in the B2B sphere, the average customer performs 12 different searches before deciding to engage with a specific brand. While it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly when a buyer first discovers your brand, spend time exploring different purchasing triggers to understand how to optimize these interactions. 

Your Source for Expert Customer Insights 

As you research and learn more about your customerpath to purchase, you can customize and fine-tune your offerings and marketing communications to appeal precisely to those who are interested in them the most. 

At SIVO, we're dedicated to helping our clients understand their buyers' needs, beliefs, and behaviors. We can help you gain visibility and address challenges by asking the right questions directly to your target audiences. Then, we'll work with you to turn those insights into actionable steps that can drive conversions, improve engagement, and build brand reputation. Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or go to SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call and connect!

Spoiler alert! It’s people who drive success, not machines.

By Julie Rose

Don’t get us wrong, SIVO is pro-technology! We are all for technology that enables efficiency and effectiveness. Within the insights industry, online surveys, advances in virtual reality, neuroscience, and even webcams (to name a few) have changed how we collect data. Artificial intelligence applications have transformed data analytics, for example, turning massive data sets into insights frameworks, personalized performance tracking dashboards and real-time, micro-targeted digital marketing campaigns. Technology has literally changed how we connect with consumers, identify insights, view the marketplace and essentially, how we manage our business.

And yet, these technologies still require human talent—possessing the sensitivities and critical thinking of the human brain—to use these powerful, innovative tech tools to identify the insights, apply the learning back to the business, drive decision-making and ultimately, help teams achieve sustainable growth.  

Let’s consider why talent eclipses tech:

Creativity: Thinking outside the box, coming up with innovative solutions, and understanding nuances give creative thinkers a competitive advantage. While technology can automate and save loads of time, it's limited by what it's been programmed to do.

Emotional Intelligence: Humans are empathetic beings and can be tuned into the emotional nuances of others, such as body language, facial expressions, and culture-specific interpersonal behaviors. While machines can be designed to recognize emotions, they can miss deeper level connections and cannot develop the same strong relationships.

Adaptability: Being flexible and adjusting quickly is necessary in today's changing business environment. Great talent learns new skills quickly, pivots when necessary and is overall more agile than AI, especially when things like emotions, unwritten rules, biases and company politics and culture are part of the equation.

Leadership: While machines provide a plethora of data and insights, it’s the true leaders who synthesize the information, across multiple sources and vantage points, to meet the needs of their organization. They inspire, motivate, and guide their team in ways that are consistent with the company culture, toward success and making the right business decisions.

It is the talent that will leverage technology to take calculated risks, explore the possibilities, identify the insights, and develop the opportunities to move your business forward that would be impossible to do with technology alone. So, start with the right talent, select the right tech tools to support them, and then build a culture of excellence that is difficult for competitors to replicate.

SIVO Fractional Research Capabilities 

SIVO On Demand Talent team includes an extensive pool of Fractional Insights Professionals with years of experience and expertise across an array of industries such as CPG, healthcare, finance, technology, apparel and retail. You can rely on SIVO’s team of experts to leverage technology to collect high-quality data, provide an accurate interpretation of that data, and offer guidance on how to best utilize the insights learned. From managing a portion of a research project to full-service research design through insight application, SIVO helps clients make data-driven decisions and identify opportunities for growth.

Please email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or request a discovery call from our website at SIVOInsights.com.

By Julie Rose

Whether in need of C-Suite leadership, mid-level managers or junior-level analysts, many companies are turning to fractional talent to fill temporarily open roles, expand their team bandwidth or bring new or specialized skillsets to meet business needs. SIVO, Inc. has worked with many companies to place fractional Consumer Insights Professionals (fCIPs) across all levels of the Insights function. Through this work, we have established a few guidelines for a positive outcome to make your outsourcing experiences successful.

To prepare for the fCIP to join your team and set everyone up for success, you should: 

1. Clearly outline your talent needs 

2. Interview contractor candidates 

3. Set up regular updates 

4. Provide timely feedback 

5. Show appreciation

Clearly Outline Your Fractional Talent Needs

It is important to be clear on the work that requires the expertise of fractional insights professionals. We’ve helped our best clients with this critical first step and it has had a huge impact on their ability to get the help they need.

Each quarter, I outline the prioritized initiatives for my team and in that process, I identify the critical work for my SIVO On Demand Talent resource. This practice provides both clear direction for the fractional talent and it also helps me estimate the hours needed and budget appropriately. Continually getting clear on priorities has led to a successful outcome for both Perdue and SIVO.  

     – Tara Campbell, Sr. Director, Insights, Analytics & Sensory, Perdue Farms

For one week, you should log all the work that you wish you had someone available to delegate to. When something comes up that you think, “wow, if only I had a resource to help,” write down the task and the skills you believe are needed. At the end of the week, you are well-equipped for a scope of work plan that can be short-term, long-term, for a fill-in role or a finite project. Your log of the work that needs to get done will help you identify a fCIP with the appropriate skillset to accomplish the work effectively and efficiently.

Interview Candidates

Once you are clear on what you are looking for in terms of skills, expertise, and know-how, it is a good idea to interview 2 to 3 candidates for the temporary role. It may seem like “overkill” when the role is temporary but in the end, finding a person that fits your team will make your work-life a lot easier. This is an opportunity to evaluate organizational fit, establish rapport and set expectations. During the interview, you will ask about previous experience the candidates will bring to the role, what expectations the candidates have, and gauge how the candidates will approach your specific role.

We looked at resumes for a few candidates for the role we had on our team.  On paper, all three looked equally suited to the role however after interviewing the candidates we realized the best cultural fit with our team and organization. I appreciated the opportunity SIVO provided to meet with more than one candidate for the role.

     – Marnie Pfeifer, VP Customer Experience Leader

Set Up Regular Updates

Once you’ve chosen the fCIP for your role, it’s important to establish a clear work plan and a good working relationship. Through regular check-ins and updates, you will be able to align on objectives, stay informed on progress, and understand any barriers that might need to be addressed. Regular updates allow the insights professional to meet smaller deadlines throughout the project while keeping the overall timeline and success metrics front and center. 

Provide Timely Feedback

The regular updates will also facilitate the ability to provide timely feedback throughout the project. It is critical to invest some of your time to monitor progress and be actively engaged in the work of your new resource. This professional comes with experience and expertise, but may need guidance to navigate the organization, such as recognizing unwritten rules or norms that are tied to the organizational culture. There might be a need to provide constructive feedback, that if given early, will set the fCIP up for success. Feedback will provide clarity and optimize the experience for both parties – you and your contract talent. 

Show Appreciation

Once you’ve built a good working relationship with your fCIP, you will likely want to tap into this resource again in the future, when the need arises. Providing positive feedback and showing appreciation for the contributions this person is making to your organization will increase satisfaction in doing the current role and increase the likelihood of taking on future assignments. Appreciation can be shown with a simple thank you or by recommending this talent to others in the industry who may also need this type of resource. 

Following these steps will help you find the right fCIP and make the entire process easier for you and your team.  

For fractional Consumer Insights Professionals, you can lean on SIVO’s On Demand Talent team to walk you through the process and provide you with the support you need to get the right talent working on your behalf. We are passionate about matching our clients’ needs with our fCIP’s experience and skills. 

Reach out today to learn more about SIVO On Demand Talent. Contact@SIVOInsights.com  

To Make Your Workload Manageable

By Marilyn Weiss

In these inflationary times, companies are cutting operational costs, including their workforce budgets. In 2022, there were at least 154,000 layoffs from more than 1,000 tech companies and so far in 2023, the trend continues with 55,000 layoffs to date. (USAToday.com & Layoffs.fyi, Jan. 2023)

Not only is this devastating for employees that have been laid off, but it is also difficult for those who remain. Post layoffs, organizations become leaner and the scope of work for each employee gets stretched wider. Employees are asked to stabilize the organization and drive future growth with fewer resources.

On the bright side, this increase in individual scope of work can create opportunities to gain new experiences and demonstrate leadership. However, the broader scope can also leave employees feeling overworked, stressed, and unable to manage the expanded workload.  When it feels like there is just too much work and not enough hours in the day to get it done, the best way to manage through it, is to adopt a “Fractional Mindset.”

What is a Fractional Mindset?

A fractional mindset is a new way of thinking. It’s breaking down a system into smaller fractional pieces.  When you are faced with a problem, adopting a fractional mindset makes the problem smaller.  A fractional mindset, when applied to your assigned workload, allows you to approach your role and responsibilities by dividing them up into smaller, fractional tasks. This gives you freedom to take a step back to strategize and prioritize the best way to complete them.  

Prioritize the Workload

The first step requires some analysis. You will need to prioritize your list of tasks and/or objectives based on what will add the most value or make the most positive impact on the business. A best practice is to sort the completed list by those items that make the most positive impact on the business or drive business growth.

Delegate the Workload

The next step requires some self-reflection. You will need to consider which tasks/objectives YOU should personally complete and which ones are best to delegate to ANOTHER to complete for you. Ask yourself some questions to determine if YOU or a delegated resource under your direction is best:

• Which tasks require me to apply my specific business knowledge or leverage my internal relationships?   
• Do my passion, skills and abilities make these best for me to complete? 

If the answer to these questions is, “No”, consider the possibility of others doing these tasks on your behalf, under your supervision. This allows you to manageably “stretch your bandwidth” across your workload, without becoming overwhelmed and stressed by trying to do it all yourself.

Delegation Resources to Consider:

• Internal peers or direct reports: Can you divide your workload up among your team members?  
• External Agencies: Can you assign agency partners to manage and execute stand-alone, finite projects or parts of projects, on your behalf?
• Fractional Staff: Can you hire temporary staff in the form of experienced specialists that have the skillset you need to step in and complete tasks that you don’t have the time, energy, or skillset for?

The pros and cons of each resource are captured below:  

When to Utilize your Resources

Internal peers or direct reports are a great option when the team has capacity to take on your assigned workload. If your teammates do not have capacity, delegating to your external agency partners to manage finite projects is a great option.

Sometimes, however, you just need to essentially “clone yourself” or bring in an expert with a skillset that differs from your own. In these instances, you can bring in fractional professionals that, with a little onboarding, can hit the ground running. Delegating to your fractional resources can help you work through your increased workload and objectives in a manageable way.

How SIVO can Help

For insights teams, SIVO offers full-service custom research design, management, and execution to help you with custom market research projects. SIVO On Demand Talent solution also has 100+ fractional Consumer Insights Professionals with a range of skillsets to help you meet your business objectives on your timeline, reducing your stress while allowing you to make a positive impact on your business.

Adopting a fractional mindset will help you approach your role and your workload with confidence, efficiency, and effectiveness. And when the time comes, let SIVO be the agency that you delegate to!  Contact@SIVOInsights.com

How listening to customers can benefit the bottom line

By Kerry Juhl

42% of companies don’t listen to their customers (Hubspot)
85% of products fail when companies don’t talk to consumers (Forbes)
Up to 73% of company data goes unused for analytics (Inc.)

Do you see a pattern here? When companies don’t take the time to understand people and what drives their behavior, they miss out on the very thing that could fuel business growth and innovation. According to Rob Holland, CEO of research technology platform Feedback Loop, companies are not speaking with consumers regularly enough because “they don’t have researchers or they don’t have resources to gather and speak with a group of targeted consumers quickly.” The solution to this problem can be found in three words: Fractional Insights Professionals.

What are Fractional Insights Professionals?

A fractional employee is part of an emerging employment model where an individual offers a niche or advanced experience to an employer and is hired for a fraction of the work week, month or year. Fractional Insights Professionals are temporary employees that specialize in designing and executing market research and identifying and applying consumer/customer insights to guide business decisions and identify opportunities for growth. 

Knowledge is Power

When companies neglect to take time to understand the wants and needs of their customers, it is like driving a car with a blindfold on. It can be challenging to stay on course, and you can easily swerve in the wrong direction. The art and science of obtaining consumer insights can provide businesses with an in-depth look at how consumers think, feel, behave, and make choices. Having this valuable knowledge can steer companies on how to improve their businesses, better engage with customers and stay ahead of the competition. According to Microsoft, organizations that leverage their customer behaviors to generate insights outperform their competitors by 85% in sales growth.  

Fractional Insights Professionals to the Rescue

When departments do not have market researchers on staff or when employees do not have the time or expertise to execute market research projects and apply the learning to the business, fractional insights professionals can be the solution to ensure your business is not driving blind.  

SIVO Fractional Research Capabilities

SIVO On Demand Talent team includes an extensive pool of Fractional Insights Professionals with years of experience and expertise across an array of industries such as CPG, healthcare, finance, technology, apparel and retail. You can rely on SIVO’s team of experts to collect high-quality data, provide an accurate interpretation of that data, and offer guidance on how to best utilize the insights learned. From managing a portion of a research project to full-service research design through insight application, SIVO helps clients make data-driven decisions and identify opportunities for growth.

We’d love to talk to you about how partnering with SIVO can eliminate guesswork and help your company drive positive results. Please contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or request a discovery call from our website at SIVOInsights.com.

The great resignation took a major toll on businesses across industries in the last few years. Businesses that prided themselves in workplace culture, flexibility, and benefits saw long-time employees step down from their roles. At the same time, more and more companies face transformative restructuring, like acquisitions and mergers. Following such major changes in the world at large and within organizations, the opinions and beliefs held by workers changed tremendously, and even the most forward-thinking businesses have suffered the consequences. 

With that, many businesses are looking for a path toward improving performance and commitment in the workplace. How can they avoid employee attrition in the future? How can they improve their processes to boost efficiency and support employees? How can they redirect leadership to provide the support those employees need? At the end of the day, organizational intelligence gets data-driven insights to answer all these questions, and much more. 

What is Organizational Behavior?

First thing’s first, what is organizational behavior? Organizational behavior is how individuals interact and behave in groups. It’s especially relevant when looking at the workplace. Forward-thinking businesses take their organizational behavior seriously, because it greatly impacts employee satisfaction and engagement, leadership performance, and overall workplace efficiency and effectiveness. If organizations do not understand their employee behavior, perceptions and opinions, they miss out on insights that could holistically improve their business. The best way to get those opinions, and translate them into a strategic action plan is to leverage organizational intelligence solutions.

Leveraging Organizational Intelligence Experts: Gather Unbiased Data

Who should gather organizational behavior data? Your team is full of subject matter experts on your business and your industry, but when it comes to gathering information on organizational behavior, they may not be the right facilitators. Internal teams will have natural bias and may have subconscious results in mind, and could therefore not ask appropriate, unbiased questions. Plus, when it comes to listening to your employees, you want to get thoughts from a wide range of  team members. That means allocating the task to an outside expert, to increase cooperation by maintaining employee confidentiality. Ultimately, this gives every employee the opportunity to provide their opinions, maintaining employee anonymity while removing all potential bias from the initiative.

Keys to Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace

So, what are the keys to improving performance and commitment in the workplace? Understanding what motivates your team members is key to educating and empowering leadership to create a path toward a better future for your company. Get a breakdown on employee insights, leadership development, and strategic planning facilitation below:

• Employee Insights
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Planning Facilitation

Employee Insights

What are the honest opinions of your employees when it comes to your business culture and processes? When leadership asks them directly, they will likely get a much different answer than an unbiased facilitator. However, there are many ways to gather this information from your team. An organizational intelligence expert can identify a custom learning plan based on your business, and implement solutions designed to get the most valuable feedback from employees. According to the Harvard Business Review,

“High-OQ (organizational intelligence) leaders foster an understanding, or ethos, of “who we are.” When leaders move from managing individuals or small groups to leading entire organizations, they need to create a shared understanding of what’s important and what the organization stands for — in other words, an ethos.”

What kind of exercises result in the best employee insights? This varies depending on the organization, but typically it comes down to both qualitative and quantitative research. Some examples of qualitative research include one-on-one interviews, small group employee discussions, and stakeholder interviews. Meanwhile quantitative research looks more like customized online employee engagement surveys targeted to specific employee teams, departments, functions, and regions. Often, employee engagement surveys are administered with regular frequency, e.g., annually or bi-annually, to measure positive or negative changes in employee satisfaction and engagement over time.

Leadership Development

Your industry is constantly changing, your business is growing, and workplace expectations are ever-evolving. Is your leadership adapting to accommodate? Modern businesses must create an expectation for agility in leadership to keep employees engaged and motivated. That means regular leadership training, coaching, and development. Organizational intelligence experts can handle the task and provide tailored, relevant coaching that meets the needs of your leaders. It begins with one-on-one introductory sessions, a 360 degree leadership assessment and follow-up analysis, development planning and coaching sessions with leaders at all levels of the organization - executives, high-potential leaders, and new managers.  This results in more effective leadership and impactful business management that can exceed the expectations of their teams. 

What solutions are involved in leadership development? First, there is leader coaching and education, which can include leadership assessments, feedback, and career planning directly with leaders. This can take place individually or in group/cohort sessions.  There is also team effectiveness training, which helps teams define their purpose, processes, roles and responsibilities, as well as individual contributions. This is especially important for businesses facing restructuring, where new teams are being formed and leadership responsibilities are changing.

Strategic Planning Facilitation

You have so many initiatives in the works – strategic planning can feel like one of those tasks that could easily get pushed down the line. However, strategic planning is the high-level exercise that impacts every other element of your organization. Outsourcing guarantees timely and effective execution, especially when you pick the right partner for the job. Market research firms like SIVO offer comprehensive workshops to ensure your team develops a sound strategic plan that will successfully lead the company into the future.  

These facilitated workshops are especially beneficial to newer businesses or businesses facing large changes, like acquisitions, mergers or a challenging external environment. Knowing how to bring teams together, leveraging critical and inspirational inputs is no small task. That’s why it’s beneficial to have experienced strategic planning facilitators on your side, to plan and facilitate the workshop so that you leave the session with a clearly defined vision, mission, values, plans and ownership assignments. Sessions may also focus on other topics, such as communications planning, insight activation sessions, special-interest group planning, and even competitive SWOT analysis. Regardless of the focus, each strategic planning session will help leaders develop and align on clear strategies for the future, to drive business success.  

Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace

No matter the business, every employee wants to be heard. Creating a place for employees to provide their thoughts can only benefit your business. From an employee perspective, these people-focused exercises prove that leadership cares about their opinions and wants to make steps to improve their workplace experience. The same goes for dedicated strategic planning exercises and leadership development. These initiatives create a stronger, people-first organization positioned to succeed. When leaders are effective, employees are motivated, and business strategy is in place, it all adds up to improved performance and commitment in the workplace – and more success in the market. 

Support Your Business with Organizational Intelligence Services

Organizational intelligence services result in game-changing insights that can transform your business for the better – and position you for even more growth down the line. Your team members have the deep knowledge about the company and industry, and often, their perspectives can unlock opportunities that leadership would have never otherwise considered. Once those insights are relayed to leaders with actionable recommendations, you can accomplish so much more within your organization. 

Are you ready to gain insights on your organizational behavior? Get information on every aspect of your organizational behavior with SIVO. Our team of organizational intelligence experts can help you lead your team through any major transition. We work with organizations across industries, and build custom insight solutions that holistically improve performance and commitment in the workplace. 

Contact SIVO today to discuss your business needs and get support. 

Wondering how to facilitate a strategic planning session? Strategic planning facilitation allows you to gain valuable insights from your organization, create a plan, and build strategies to achieve your goals. These exercises are a vital part of any organization's success, and with SIVO Organizational Intelligence, it has never been easier to create a strong foundation for your business. Explore the benefits of holding a strategic planning session within your team below.

What is Strategic Planning?

First thing’s first, what is strategic planning? Strategic planning is a process used by organizations to set their short or long-term goals, determine their strengths and weaknesses, and create a blueprint to achieve those goals. It is an opportunity for leadership teams to align their vision, mission, and values and build the company's future plans and strategies. Strategic planning facilitation is the engine to the car that drives plans and strategies.

Why is Strategic Planning Facilitation Important?

A strategic plan helps determine an organization's future, ensuring that all employees are working towards the same goals. It helps to prioritize resources and allocate them to areas that will bring the most value to the company. Additionally, it helps organizations identify areas for improvement, stay ahead of the competition, and make data-driven decisions.

The Value of an Third-Party Facilitator

So, we know what strategic planning is and we know why it matters -- but what is the best way to implement it? A best practice to gather and leverage insights is to have a third-party facilitator manage and facilitate your your strategic planning. This allows teams  to participate in the planning discussion, rather than preparing for and guiding the discussion. Facilitators can also document the discussion as it happens, to focus teams on the topic and guide the discussion toward valuable outcomes.

Benefits of Strategic Planning Facilitation

Diving into this process is no small task. Luckily, with the help of a facilitator it becomes much more manageable because you have someone to handle the preparation, session facilitation, documentation and recap of the plan and outcomes.  With an expert facilitator as your guide, you will leave your session with a Strategic Plan that will: 

• Align Leaders in the Organization
• Increase Effectiveness and Efficiency
• Prioritize Resources
• Improve Leader Decision-Making
• Create Competitiveness
• Enhance Employee Engagement
• Write a Roadmap for the Future

Align Leaders in the Organization

This is your opportunity to bring key leaders in the organization together to discuss the company's future. It helps to align everyone's goals and objectives, so everyone is working towards the same vision.  Often, individual team members bring a unique perspective to the planning session. That’s why it’s important to discuss their expectations, the current and potential challenges and opportunities that each leader faces, as well as external market forces that may impact the strategic plan.  Discussing these inputs during the session allows the team to address key issues and avoid pitfalls as the plan is being developed.

Increase Effectiveness and Efficiency

Strategic planning helps organizations identify areas for improvement and opportunities that will bring the most value to the company. These process-driven decisions can fall to the wayside without a dedicated space to identify internal and external opportunities and build plans to achieve them. . The planning process leads to increased effectiveness, efficiency and a better return on investment.

Prioritize Resources

Strategic planning allows organizations to prioritize their resources, ensuring they are used in the most effective way possible, to achieve the company goals. Expert-led planning exercises can uncover redundancies and slowdowns within current processes. The strategic plan can help to increase efficiency by reprioritizing resources to align with key opportunities.

Improve Leader Decision-Making

By having a clear roadmap for the future, leaders can make data-driven decisions that are in line with their goals and objectives. The strategic plan provides focus and clarity and it helps to reduce the risk of making poor decisions that could harm the organization in the long run.

Create Competitiveness

Remaining competitive in your industry requires consistent reevaluation and reimagination. From identifying issues in current workflows, to hearing ideas from team members, to researching emerging trends in your industry and related industries -- there are so many opportunities to enhance your organization and get ahead. This information is used as inputs into the planning session, to help you build a strategic plan that addresses key issues and capitalizes on the best opportunities to grow the business and gain market share.

Enhance Employee Engagement

When employees understand the company's plans and strategies, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to contribute to the organization's success. Chances are, they also have valuable thoughts on areas for opportunity and improvement. That’s why it can be very valuable to include employee insights in the strategic planning process. It can unlock game-changing opportunities that company leaders may have overlooked. Plus, gathering employee feedback can improve company culture and create a positive work environment by improving employee morale.

Write a Roadmap for the Future

Strategic planning provides a roadmap for the future, ensuring that everyone in the organization is working towards the same goals. This helps to ensure that the organization remains on track and empowered to achieve its long-term objectives. SIVO’s Organizational Intelligence provides the tools to create a rock-solid plan for your business, so you can execute, and get ahead.

SIVO Organizational Intelligence: Your Partner for Strategic Planning

SIVO Organizational Intelligence is a trusted partner for organizations looking to leverage strategic planning. In our strategic planning sessions, SIVO's expert facilitators listen and probe to understand your organization’s needs and goals. Then, we help you develop a comprehensive plan with strategies to grow your business and win in the marketplace.

Leverage Our Expertise in Strategic Planning Facilitation

By working with SIVO, your team can leverage experts with 20 years of experience, across industries and company sizes, in organizational development and strategic planning facilitation. Our strategy and market research firm creates custom solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients.

Could your business benefit from our insights and expertise? Get in touch with our Organizational Intelligence team to schedule a discovery call. SIVO will develop a custom Organizational Intelligence solution that aligns with your needs so you can get ahead.

SIVO Interview with Mary McIlrath, Children and Family Market Research Expert

By Kerry Juhl

Recently, SIVO, Inc. was lucky enough to have Mary McIlrath join our expanding team.  Mary has amassed a wealth of experience in Children and Family market research.  She is a recognized expert in the generations space, having established a successful Generation Z and Generation Alpha research practice in her past role. She has taught MBA courses in Qualitative Research at the University of Wisconsin and Quantitative Research at the University of Illinois and lectured at Northwestern University. 

I recently sat down with Mary to discuss her experience with studying families and generational differences.   

Question: Mary, you have been studying families and generational differences for most of your career.  How did you become a subject matter expert on this topic?

Mary: I have always been fascinated by understanding generational differences and family dynamics.  I come from both industry and academic perspectives—it’s common for former academics to work in industry, but it’s rare birds like me who keep a foot in both disciplines over a career.  I’ve been able to harvest the best of both worlds.  For example, my academic experience instilled a mindset that respondents should benefit as much or more than the researcher.  This is particularly important when working with children and adolescents. Their needs come first; when they are met, the client also benefits. Industry experience has helped me be effective and efficient in conducting research. My dual expertise gives me a deep toolbox of constructs and methods to help my clients achieve their business objectives, with the well-being of the family at center stage. 

Question:  Mary, what does a typical U.S. family look like today?

Mary: It’s something in continuous flux. Sometimes it’s single-parent households. Sometimes it’s families with two dads. Sometimes it’s blended homes containing multiple generations.  What has gradually become less common is the Norman Rockwellian image of two opposite-gender people raising a gaggle of kids with traditional gender roles. For instance, in 1968, 85% of children under 18 yrs. old lived with two parents (regardless of marital status) but that number has dropped to 70% in 2020. About 25% of children live with a single parent in the household.* 

Question: How are manufacturers and marketers responding to the needs of today’s children and families? 

Mary: It’s a sea change from how brands thought about families in the early days of youth research in the 1980s and 1990s. Those who used to make simple toys, TV shows, or food and beverages for kids are now thinking of how to stay relevant with their offerings and communication in the Metaverse. They are thinking about what is to come in Augmented Reality (AR) since Pokemon Go flipped the script. They are brainstorming what Virtual Reality (VR) will look like. That’s no small task, especially since children’s sense of balance and depth are still developing and putting them outside 3D spaces risks hampering their natural brain development.  

Question: What is the latest regulatory environment for marketing and advertising to youth and families?

Mary: If you work on kid brands, it is critical to understand global ethics around marketing and advertising to children and families. Countries around the world have differing laws about when it is acceptable to advertise to young people. Those in the U.S. are the least restrictive because of industry self-established watchdogs like CARU (Children’s Advertising Review Unit). This organization does regular and thorough audits of marketing campaigns to children and calls out/suggests changes to anything that seems unfair.  

Question: How does this impact conducting market research with kids and families?

Mary:  In the U.S. it’s allowable to do research directly with children with a parent’s consent. It’s “cleaner” data coming straight from children rather than filtered through parents who mistakenly think they know what their kids truly want.  

Question: What are a few of your best practices for conducting market research with kids and families?

Mary: Here are a few tips from my experience:  

• Design: Online qualitative research is flourishing now with kids. Sending a “top secret” envelope of concepts or a box of items to unwrap in sequence during an interview, a.k.a., “unboxing”, keeps kids and parents engaged and sharpens their thinking about the items in front of them. Post-pandemic families are used to having Zoom calls, giving virtual room tours, and even running out of the room to gather “show and tell” of their own. Plus, we often get “bonus sibling” insights.
  
• Screening/Recruiting:   Use a battery of questions to set the child up for success for the given method—every child is a consumer and their opinions matter, but every tool doesn’t make them feel good or accomplished about the process when it’s over.
  
• The Guide/Questionnaire: Be visual in qualitative and quantitative research.  And, with in-person qualitative, use kinesthetics exercises to gather their opinions and perceptions (e.g., full-body voting, stretch breaks).
  
• Seating: Make sure you get assent from the child, even if it’s a simple verbal “yes” that they want to proceed. If they say no, gently excuse them. Everyone has a bad day sometimes or finds the environment scary!
  
• Analysis: Kids have a positivity bias. They want to please and say what they think the researcher wants to hear. Filter what they say through a lens of reality.  Sometimes friend-pairs can help get to the truth.

SIVO is excited for Mary to join our team and strengthen our Children and Family market research capabilities. To learn about how kids and families interact with and think about your brand, please reach out to us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com. 

*source: 2020 Census Bureau's Current Population Survey 

Across industries, brands attempt to access and leverage data to unlock stronger sales and business growth. Your team can bring a wealth of experience and expertise to initiatives, but getting feedback from the people who engage with the product produces better outcomes. Below, we’ll answer the questions: what are consumer insights? Why are consumer insights important? And What is the best way to get consumer insights for my business?

What Are Consumer Insights?

First thing’s first, what are consumer insights? Consumer insights are the underlying motivations or needs that make a consumer behave a certain way.  Insights professionals work to understand consumer attitudes, requirements, desires and behaviors to uncover insights that can then guide brand building, portfolio and marketing communications efforts. Many organizations gather data from their consumers, but the real depth of insight comes in asking the right questions and getting the full picture from consumers. Insights gleaned from studying and connecting with your consumers can inform nearly every aspect of your business’ path to growth.

How to Get Consumer Insights

So, how do you get consumer insights? Businesses can get consumer insights in several ways. The correct method for your team depends largely the business question, as well as the industry and market you serve. For example, organizations may capture qualitative data via focus groups, in-depth interviews, and user immersions to identify the nuances in consumer values and opinions.

Meanwhile, quantitative data like path-to-purchase, product testing, and volumetric forecasting can help teams validate consumer interest and behaviors and build confidence in decision-making and actions. Consumer insights experts can gather this information in a number of ways. See some of the most effective consumer insight solutions and techniques below:

Qualitative Consumer Insights‍

Ethnographies
In-Depth Interviews
Focus Groups
Shopalongs
Shopper Intercepts
Mobile Missions
Online Bulletin Boards
Fishbowls
Agile Sprints
Rapid Refinement
Communication Checks
User Immersions
In-Home Usage
Interactive User Experience
Jobs to Be Done

‍
Quantitative Consumer Insights
Segmentation
Attitude and Usage
Path-to-Purchase
Tracking Testing / Screening
Brand Positioning
Brand Architecture
Product Testing
Creative Testing
Opinion Polling

Why is Consumer Insight Important?

Now that we know what they are, why are consumer insights important? Essentially, consumer insights remove some of the speculation from your business decisions and actions. It provides actionable answers to what consumers think about your brand, your category, and your products or services. Once you receive those insights, you can take it and run. It’s the fuel that ignites new product or service innovation and optimization, brand experiences and communications. At a higher level, it gives your business access to an entirely new perspective within your consumer market. Consumer insights give you a more holistic understanding of the consumer target audience you want to connect with, allowing you to gain a competitive edge within your industry.

Why Business Should Get Consumer Insights

So, why is consumer insight important? There are several reasons growing brands invest in these solutions to drive growth and gain a competitive edge. See why more and more businesses focus on obtaining consumer insights for their strategies below:

• Business and Brand Strategy
• Enhance Portfolio
• Build Loyalty
• Optimize Campaigns
• Improve Engagements

Business and Brand Strategy

The best business strategies have data-backed insights behind them. Consumer insights allow you to identify a “why” to inform and support your business initiatives. The same goes for your brand.

Understanding what people truly believe about your brand can transform marketing strategies. Today, it is important to know who your customers are, what they do, what they value, and why it matters. The best way to answer those questions is to identify your consumers and start a dialogue to better understand them. This dialogue and the insights that come from it allows your business to bring more value to the people you serve. It all leads to better customer experiences and a stronger return on investment.

Enhance Portfolio

Every product or service has areas for improvement. Who are the best people to provide that feedback? The individuals who purchase and use them. Getting honest opinions on your current portfolio helps you identify the best places for optimization. You can spot holes in the market and create solutions that fill consumers' unmet needs. Some of the best product ideas and business innovation can come straight from your customers.

Build Loyalty

It all starts with empathy. Providing enhanced, consumer-focused products and services can only benefit brand loyalty. Brands need to continuously check in with their customers to ensure they have positive brand experiences and identify new ways to delight them. As mentioned above, your products/services can consistently improve to meet the needs of your customer base. Ultimately, this all works toward a stronger relationship with your audience to gain ongoing loyalty. That goes a long way when they are choosing between brands.

Optimize Campaigns

How can consumer insights fuel your marketing campaign? Speaking directly to your target audience members creates more nuance and specificity in your consumer-first marketing campaigns. Every engagement in your advertising and beyond should prioritize your consumer. Understanding their values and preferences deeply allows you to speak to them more directly and effectively. If you’re on the journey of building your brand or audience-based marketing (AMB) strategy, these insights provide a path toward successful campaigns that move the needle and influence consumer behavior.

Improve Engagements

What is your customer’s experience with your brand? Are there features that they like or dislike? Sometimes small things go unseen by marketers, but small details can leave a lasting impression on consumers. Whether it’s digital user journeys, messaging, or customer service conversations, it’s invaluable to hear, understand and react to what people think when they engage with your brand, products, and representatives.

How to Get Consumer Insights

If your organization is wondering how to get consumer insights, the best path is through a specialized consumer insights company. SIVO is a global insights and strategy firm specializing in understanding people and their needs and beliefs that drive behavior. We partner with brands to answer key questions that guide strategies and fuel growth. First, we schedule a discovery meeting, where we ask your stakeholders and subject matter experts key questions about your business and needs. Then, we design a custom research approach that aligns with those requirements. From the data gathered, we identify key insights that inform your decisions and drive business growth. Our experts act as your ongoing partner, helping you access your consumers and interpret the research every step of the way.

Let SIVO Transform Your Strategy with Valuable Consumer Insights

Ready to get meaningful consumer insights to unlock your next business and brand strategy? SIVO provides full-service custom consumer research and experiences for business across industries. Whether you need consumer insights, organizational intelligence, market and competitive intelligence, or on-demand talent, we empower organizations to get the most of their business, marketing, and brand building efforts to better achieve their goals. Contact SIVO today to get started.

By Cindy Blackstock, CEO and Founder

Customer experience—say it and everyone’s ears perk up. CX is influencing and intersecting with consumer insights across most business sectors: CPG, Retail, Automotive, Financial and Healthcare, to name a few. 

The X Factor

Despite it being a buzz worthy term, there doesn’t seem to be a singular, agreed-upon, industry-wide definition for the term customer experience, affectionately referred to as CX.  Definitions and approaches to CX vary but most just want to know what that “X” factor means for categories, brand, and products.

Here at SIVO, we have our own perspective: 

Customer experience is the customer’s behaviors, perceptions, and feelings about their interactions with an organization, brand, product, or service.

In truth, we have been working to reveal the customer experience all along.  For us, it’s not an intimidating or nebulous concept, because we are quantitative and qualitative research experts who are skilled at understanding people to reveal their truths. Through the optimal combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, we get to the “what” by collecting customer experience data, identifying the touchpoints along the customer journey. Then, we get to the “why” behind the customer experience data—the stories, emotions, pain points and delights—and translate it into actionable ideas that businesses can use. The two research approaches go hand in hand with the discipline of CX. 

Data + Stories = A Winning Formula

Many market research vendors try to capture the customer experience primarily through quantitative research techniques. Survey data is essential for quantifying the various paths and touchpoints along the customer journey. It plays an important role in validating the experience, so teams can also measure change over time. But the process can’t stop there. Survey data is necessary but is not a comprehensive measure of the customer’s voice. 

SIVO believes clients need a better blend of data and stories to get the complete picture. It is the human component, in a truly “experiential” in-context setting, that brings the customer experience to life. To make a business impact, organizations need that qualitative, intimate understanding of the experience, to find out what is truly happening during each touch point. In other words, we believe that quantitative research helps identify what to improve, and qualitative research helps identify how to improve the customer experience. 

The Steps to Insights

Your customers are on a journey. There may be many individual stops on the route that make up the overall experience. For example, access may be acceptable, customer service may be satisfying, but there may be positive and negative aspects of the product experience for the user. All these individual touchpoints may net to an acceptable customer experience but may not reveal the nuanced opportunity areas that could lead to an improved experience. Brand teams need to talk to customers and ask, “How are you doing?” instead of, “How are we (the company) doing?” These questions reveal the crucial and detailed human element of CX.

SIVO stiches together a map, an outline of the touchpoints that make up the journey of the entire customer experience. SIVO’s typical approach is 4 Steps: 

With preliminary insights that build team intuition, quantitative survey data to build and validate the journey, followed by qualitative deep dives to uncover the nuanced details, the true customer experience can be revealed. Teams can map customers’ interaction with the brand across each touchpoint, identify opportunity areas to act on and then track the customer experience annually, to ensure the quality of the experience remains positive or improves over time. 

With the journey maps in hand, SIVO’s best practice is to facilitate an Activation Session so that client teams can immerse themselves in the journey and the voices of the customer. A few group discussions and exercises help teams to digest the learning, translate and prioritize into an action plan that can be shared with key stakeholders across the organization.   

To discuss your customer experience research needs with experts from SIVO, please reach out to our team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com. 

By Kerry Juhl

Fast changing marketplace dynamics and consumer behavior tied to the recessionary economy are putting businesses at a crossroads. Teams need to quickly assess their priorities and pivot to new revenue and profit growth strategies. But in times of upheaval, the activities of teams can take over and they run the risk of confusing activity for progress. The alignment gained by pausing and reflecting as a team can keep the momentum going on key priorities while letting go of the rest. 

An important step amidst a consumer learning initiative is to reflect, assess, and decide on next steps. It can happen in-person or virtually and can take as little as 60-90 minutes of the team’s valuable time.  For this critical step in the journey, an outside, unbiased facilitator can be your most powerful tool.

There is no better time than now to consider these top 5 benefits of engaging a professional facilitator: 

1. Unbiased Professional

A trained facilitator brings the valuable benefit of being an objective leader who can listen to all points of view, not vested in a particular position or outcome. This creates the conditions for a more open dialogue and opportunity to see possibilities that otherwise may be missed.

2. Participate in the Discussion

Ask yourself where you can add the most value. Should you try to participate and facilitate or focus 100% on participating with your team? Engaging a trained facilitator does a couple of things. It sends a message that this work is important. It also allows you, the owner, to invest your energy into the discussion while allowing an expert facilitator to customize the process and tools around your needs and objectives.

3. Full Engagement

Critical to success is hearing from everyone in the group. This can be tricky, particularly if there are strong (or silent) opinions and voices, and now you are not in the same room! Facilitators are skilled at navigating the group dynamics and engaging all participants into the discussion to ensure each voice is heard. They also know how to keep the ideas flowing when the group might get stuck. 

4. Stretch Thinking

One of the most valuable benefits of a trained facilitator is the ability to stretch the group’s thinking. They are experts at quickly capturing ideas, summarizing, asking the right questions to build on ideas, connecting the dots between ideas, and pushing participants to think outside the box.

5. Drive to Solutions

With a process designed to meet the objective, the facilitator continually uses techniques to ensure a successful outcome with clear next steps, accountability and buy-in from the group.

Through the stages of Immersion, Interaction and Ideation, we help our clients gain empathy and develop the strategies and alignment needed to boost momentum and forward progress toward the team’s goal. Please contact Kerry.Juhl@SIVOInsights.com to learn how we can customize an approach with the right professional facilitator to meet your needs. We have a team of seasoned professionals who are passionate about working with like-minded clients and would love to talk to you! 

By Kerry Juhl

The Responsibility & Privilege of Serving Customers

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”​

– Mahatma Gandhi, 1890 

This quote is more than 100-years old, but it is still true today.  The opportunity to serve customers is a privilege.  The responsibility of that privilege is ensuring the customer’s voice is heard and understood.  Brand teams need to know what their customers need and what they value, as decisions about products and services are made on the customers’ behalf.​

Defining Customer Value

Understanding customer value can be a differentiator for companies in today’s challenging market.  Simplistically, if a brand team has $1 to invest – or needs to cut $1 in spending – knowledge about what customers’ value must guide these business decisions to stay competitive. 

So let’s talk about customer value…In everyday conversations, value has many meanings including price, worth, or even benefits. It is imperative for organizations to operate with a common understanding of customer value.  From a marketing and branding perspective, it helps to think about customer value as an equation:
Customer Value equals Benefits minus Cost (CV=B-C)​. 

Benefits include the advantages of quality, service, image, brand, experience, and the functionality one gets or emotions one feels when using the product or service.  Cost is not only price – which we think of as cash, credit, interest, even service fees - but it can also include non-price terms such as time, effort, energy, and convenience.* 

When teams define their Customer Value Equation, they can clearly identify growth opportunities by emphasizing or improving aspects of an offering that customers value (where to invest) and they can identify cost savings by eliminating aspects of the offering that customers do not value (where to cut).

Developing the Customer Value Equation

SIVO employs a 5-Step Process to develop your Customer Value Equation.  In partnership with our client teams, we Mine, Explore and Quantify the customer value drivers leveraging Functional, Emotional, Life-Changing and Social Impact values. Note that the Quantify Step can be qualitative consumer learning, a quantitative survey or ideally, a combination of both.  The design of this step is dependent on how much past learning that the team already has in hand.

Four Categories of Customer Value

We then partner with teams to Develop & Refine the Customer Value Equation. Lastly, we help teams Apply their equation by assessing where their products/services are over/under-delivering and facilitate them through the generation of ideas to improve the customer experience.

The result of our process is rich with discoveries. These insights provide a unifying understanding of the target customers’ purchase drivers, must-haves and nice-to-haves regarding a product or service – giving teams confidence and clarity on what to do with $1 more or $1 less. 

Our Offer to You

SIVO is interested in sharing our Customer Value Equation experience and case studies with you and your insights team!  Our “CVE Download” can easily be part of an in-person or virtual “Lunch & Learn” or your next team meeting.

If you can answer “yes” to at least one of the following three questions, please reach out to SIVO.  

1. Do you want to better understand what your customers value? 

2. Do you want to improve how you serve your customers? 

3. Are you interested in improving: 

• Your products and services, 
• Customer loyalty​, 
• Market share, and 
• Revenue and profit growth?

To learn more, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com.

*Referenced article by Gautam Mahajan https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2394964320903557

by Brent Budke

In today’s economy and remote working environment, there is much discussion about the need for a fractional workforce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that fractional hiring began in the academic world but then expanded to small start-up businesses that were looking to fill skill gaps. Now it has become just as important in larger companies that can’t afford the loss in business momentum that often coincides with open positions. 

What is a fractional employee?

Fractional employees (or what we refer to as SIVO On Demand Talent) are typically Professionals or Specialists with unique or advanced skillsets, that only work for a set number of hours per week and/or for a finite timeframe. This can be beneficial for the employer as the company only pays an hourly rate for the agreed-upon time per week that the Professional works. Engagements can be 10 to 40 hours per week for a specific timeframe, such as, 2 months, 6 months, or a year. 

This type of engagement can also benefit the fractional professionals who prefer to only commit to working shorter time frames or prefer to divide their time across multiple employers. For instance, a fractional employee might work 2 days a week at one company and 2 days a week at another non-competing company to enjoy a 4-day workweek. Having specialized skills or valuable work experience tends to make fractional professionals attractive to employers who might not need or can’t afford a full time, permanent employee. 

Today’s work environment makes this scenario even more attractive as companies have learned to function with employees working remotely, which gives them a broader pool of fractional professionals to choose from.     

‍

THREE KEY BENEFITS OF FRACTIONAL EMPLOYEES:

1. Maintain momentum without burning out current employees 

We’ve all experienced the pain of doing your own job and covering for another team member who is taking a needed leave-of-absence or has left the company. It often creates a surge in workload for supervisors or for teammates when the business cannot afford to slow down or pause critical business initiatives.  Open roles can cause remaining team members to be overworked or overwhelmed, leading to mistakes and eventual burn-out. Fractional or temporary employees can be a great solution to keep the business running, to cover temporary openings and to allow the normal hiring process to play out.   

SIVO Note: Hiring fractional insights professionals is even easier if SIVO is already on your company’s “approved vendor” list.  Our first step would be to meet with you to understand your business, key needs, and focus areas.  From there, the SIVO On Demand Talent team will create a personalized approach to match the optimal talent to the business needs to ensure success.

2. Gain immediate expertise - No training necessary 

It can take months to find, hire and train the talent you need to fill open roles.  Hiring fractional employees can help you move forward quickly and right-size your talent, getting a person in place within a week or two vs the months needed for a typical hiring process. Additionally, the beauty of fractional on demand talent is that they have already been vetted and assessed for certain skill sets and expertise, so no training is needed.   Lastly, experienced fractional professionals can bring a fresh perspective and new approaches to your team and projects. 

SIVO Note: SIVO On Demand Talent team leverages our extensive pool of fractional insights professionals with years of experience and expertise across an array of industries such as, CPG, Healthcare, Financial, Technology, Apparel, and Retail.  Whether you need an Insights Associate to execute research projects or an Insights Director to help teams develop strategy and design learning plans, we can match the right talent to your unique needs.

3. Save the company money by focusing on specific business needs 

Because fractional employees are typically classified as contractors for the purposes of payroll and taxes, employers don’t have to deal with costs associated with the hiring process nor the costs of typical benefits, such as health insurance or 401k contributions. That saves the company time and money while still staffing teams with highly qualified professionals. Below is a high-level comparison for fractional Insights Talent vs Full-time Insights employees: 

SIVO Note: The advantage of working with SIVO for fractional insights professionals is that our team has access to a full-service consumer insights agency for ad-hoc resources, tools, and consultation.    

We’d love to talk to you about your needs and how we can match the right talent to quickly make an impact in your business. Please contact us at OnDemandTalent@SIVOInsights.com or visit our website at SIVOInsights.com.

by Jennifer Dilley

What is a consumer insight?  How do you know when you have found one?  What does it look like?

These are questions that every marketer or consumer insights professional gets asked at some point.  And while it might be useful to rattle off a definition in an elevator conversation, it is more important to internalize the definition so that when you are conducting consumer research you have a clear understanding of what you are looking for. 

Definition of a Consumer Insight

So, what are we looking for?  A consumer insight is an underlying motivation or need that explains why a consumer makes a certain decision or behaves in a certain way.  But that is not all.  When the underlying motivation is uncovered, it is only a consumer insight if it can be applied to a brand in an ownable way to unlock brand growth. 

A consumer insight identifies consumers’ beliefs and values that drive their behavior. It provides a deeper understanding of why consumers purchase certain products and dismiss others.   

Consumer Insights vs Facts

Be careful to distinguish an insight from a fact. There is a difference. A consumer fact is just a statement about a consumer behavior or the marketplace. Here are examples of facts: 

• Luxury cars account for 17.7% of all vehicle sales in the United States. 
• Luxury cars are often equipped with the latest safety features, technology integrations, and performance components. 
• The average transaction price for an entry-level luxury car is about $40,000. The average price for a flagship luxury sedan is closer to $100,000.

These facts are interesting and might be relevant to a brand, but they don’t explain why people behave the way they do. 

Consumer Insights Highlight Pain Points and Opportunities

Consumer Insights shed light on pain points for consumers and uncover potential opportunities for brands.  As an example, an insight from the findings above could be articulated as, “People want a luxury car to signal their lifestyle and financial success.” This is an insight because it taps into consumers’ underlying motivation (often more emotional that functional) and a pain point, resulting in an opportunity.   

• Motivation: People that have achieved financial success want to feel that sense of achievement and pride in their everyday lives.
• Pain Point: The initial cost and maintenance fees for a luxury car are expensive and often cost prohibitive, even for those who have achieved some level of affluence.
• Opportunity: Brand X should build car models that fall between luxury and mid-size car classes to accommodate varying levels of affluence.

Consumer Insights Must be Ownable

A consumer insight is only valuable if it is relevant and can be applied back to a brand in an ownable way.  If competitive brands are already addressing a specific consumer need and motivation, then the insight is true but not necessarily ownable for a brand. A good insight will inspire ideas and communications that allow the brand team to communicate brand benefits in a unique way.   

Note that an insight might link to a category benefit, but it can still be ownable by a brand, if it has not been adopted by the competition.

Consumer Insights Unlock Growth

The job of a consumer insight is to highlight the possibility for an emotional connection between a product/service and the consumer.  It provides brand teams with the context that explains how the product can be relevant in consumers lives.  Understanding the emotional connection between consumers motivations/needs and the brand benefits can fuel creative marketing ideas that will capture the attention and convert consumers along the marketing purchase funnel. 

Consumer Insights May Not be Overtly Articulated by Consumers

Note that consumer insights are deeper motivations that are quite often subconscious. In fact, a good consumer insight is often described as an “Aha moment.” Good insights tend to be simple human truths that we don’t discuss, but are still there, right under our noses. Because of this, specialized consumer learning techniques are needed. Ethnography, in-context observation, consumer diaries, and projective techniques like mood boards and semiotics, are required to dig beneath the surface of what consumers say to uncover their actual motivations. This may also require us to look beyond consumers values and lifestyle to macro trends – demographic, economic, pop culture, health, and technology trends that are also influencing consumer behavior. 

Tying back to the luxury car example, consumer perceptions are also influenced by economic and geo-political fluctuations such as, inflation, higher gas prices, climate change and the transition to electric vehicles. This can subconsciously change consumer beliefs and behaviors, leading to new consumer insights. 

Consumer Insights Summary

The best consumer insights: 

✔ Explain WHY? By identifying and articulating an underlying motivation, need or belief that is driving consumer behavior 

✔ Address a pain point or point of tension  

✔ Are ownable when applied to a brand/product/service 

✔ Unlock opportunities, inspiring creative marketing ideas that fuel business growth 

To discuss consumer insights with experts from SIVO, please reach out to our team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com

by Kerry Juhl and Julie Rose

SIVO’s Organizational Intelligence (OI) solution offers leader development and coaching to our clients.  Our OI team has many years of experience with one-on-one coaching engagements and group development sessions.  We are also skilled at identifying employee insights, both through quantitative engagement surveys and in-depth employee discussions.  As we have looked at leadership from both perspectives, we see 5 leadership traits that employees are looking for.   

The Authentic Communicator

This trait is displayed in a leader who communicates well in one-on-one situations because they: 

• Listen to understand - communication is a two-way dialogue

• Are empathetic - can put themselves in their employees’ shoes 

• Share truth responsibly – even hard truths are delivered in a courageous and respectful way 

• Are direct – messages are clear and concise to maximize understanding 

This is also true for group communication because the communication is transparent, honest, and the leader can read the audience.  Authentic communication can be delivered in multiple ways – written, verbal, in video, newsletters, etc. 

The Learner Mindset

Everyone will make a mistake or fall short of a goal and when a leader reframes to a learner mindset from a failure mindset, employees gain confidence to take some risks, learn and grow. A leader with this trait might also choose to share a personal experience of failure and how there is growth from making mistakes. Through this humble approach, the leader is helping the team develop grit – that combination of taking measured risks, perseverance and resilience. 

The Big Picture Thinker

Leaders who keep a greater purpose in mind, for themselves as well as for the company, and cultivate a sense of purpose on their team tend to have a more positive culture and better results.  Employees need to understand how their work fits into the “bigger picture” so that all are making decisions with the same end goals in mind.  Vision and purpose also give employees a sense that the work they do matters and that is critical in cultivating their engagement and enthusiasm.   

The Reflector

Some of us have worked for a manager that is scattered and acts like everything is a fire drill.  It’s exhausting!  However, leaders that take even a quick pause to reflect on a project, on a day, or even a fiscal quarter are better equipped to provide thoughtful feedback and then tackle the next challenge.  Gathering the necessary data, consulting with key stakeholders and team members before rushing off to the next thing can demonstrate a willingness to grow and learn from the past.  It can also instill confidence in the team, knowing that all angles have been considered before taking the next step.  Leading a team through an exercise of assessing what went well and what did not go well, and considering the potential for future obstacles can also be a particularly effective way to advance the team forward.  

The Goal Setter

Leaders who continually set short-term and mid-term goals toward achieving the longer vision are much more effective leaders.  Employees are seeking clear direction from their leader and while having a long-term vision is inspiring, without short-term goals, teams often find themselves churning with indecision, not knowing what their immediate next step should be.  A great leadership tool is the SMART goal setting framework.  Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-oriented. Having SMART goals also makes it possible to pause and celebrate when the team achieves the goals as it happens! 

Do you possess these 5 traits?  As it turns out, all leaders are working to achieve excellence in leadership and in business impact.  Shoring up your skills and taking action to develop these 5 traits will make you a more effective leader on both fronts.   

To talk more about leadership development, leader coaching engagements, or employee insights, please contact the SIVO Organizational Intelligence team at LeaderInsights@SIVOInsights.com 

Bringing you innovative performance marketing and
real-time digital shopper insights.

SIVO strives to be on the forefront of new technology and innovations in the insights industry. That is how we discovered Pear Commerce, a brilliant technology company that is on-pace to be the largest provider of shoppable media by the end of 2022! 

In 2018, Pear Commerce was founded by two talented serial tech entrepreneurs, Eric Martell and Alex Wyler, bringing their tech expertise to the world of retail.   

What is Shoppable Media? 

Shoppable media in retail means connecting any media (e.g. free and paid social, digital display, content, influencer, email, owned webpages, etc) to retailers with add-to-cart (ATC) functionality that is just “a click away”.

What are the benefits to Consumers?

Pear provides an industry-leading technology making shoppers online path to purchase frictionless which has been a leading reservation for consumers to shop online. Whether through a digital ad or your brand’s website, Pear uniquely gives consumers a “where to buy” choice, based on real time stock inventory checks and connects them to over 2,000 retail chains across the U.S. That is a clear point of difference.

What are the benefits to Marketing Teams?

A unique way-in to performance marketing. This revolution of advanced technology provides more data and less work for brand teams with real results. At the foundation, Pear provides full funnel click-to-conversion data which improves digital marketing performance while campaigns are in-market. They help marketers with: 

• Real-Time dashboard access for in-flight media optimizations 
• Retargeting & lookalike audiences built and pushed to ad networks; made from each step of the conversion funnel (page loads, add-to-cart, purchase) 
• Solving for distribution issues: Covid shifts, inventory/supply chain, availability, etc. by optimizing for retailer out-of-stocks across retailer locations 

What are the benefits to Insights Teams?

At this point you might be thinking, “That’s great, but isn’t SIVO an insights company?”  The answer is, “Yes!”  SIVO is all about understanding people and in this case, Pear’s technology helps SIVO and our clients better understand consumer preferences and consumers’ digital shopping behavior through real-time, in-market experimentation, such as: 

• Digital ad effectiveness via A/B testing of multiple campaign variables  
• Early new product post-launch feedback 
• Product attribute preferences, such as, flavors, pack sizes, package forms  
• Retailer and regional product sales strengths and gaps 
• Digital shopper path to purchase mapping, from ad engagement to add-to-cart, to sale 

As an example, Pear was able to help a CPG client create a data-driven approach to managing their digital marketing campaigns while also helping them to understand and optimize the plan based on shopper and retailer behavior.

The results were fantastic!  Pear created custom audiences for the brand using the client’s own 1^st party conversion data and saw 5x add-to-cart (ATC) rates compared to 3^rd party audiences and 20x ATC rates compared to the client’s website visitor audience. During the process, Pear scanned over 2,000 retailer’s digital shelves for real-time inventory to help shoppers purchase at their retailer of choice while also helping them avoid hitting out-of-stocks. The client also received valuable digital path to purchase insights and A/B testing results on different creative options to help optimize their digital campaign along the way. 

Through our partnership with Pear Commerce, SIVO can now help you achieve strong digital marketing results and new insights via performance marketing and real-time digital experimentation. To learn more about Pear Commerce and SIVO Market Intelligence solutions, please contact our SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com.   

by Cindy Blackstock 

At SIVO, our team of insights experts have honed their skills over many years of market research and the lessons gained along the way now prove to be invaluable.  We have learned that insights are just useless facts unless they can be applied to the business in a way that drives action among our client teams and growth on their businesses.  So, in the spirit of sharing useful content and a bit of our “secret sauce” with our valued clients and partners, here are 5 Keys for Turning Consumer Insights into Action.  

Start with the End in Mind 

As market researchers in search of consumer insights, the SIVO team must understand how the results will possibly be used, what actions will be taken by our clients and how our clients intend to influence and have impact in their organization using our research. When we are equipped with the business objective and the actions that might stem from the results, we become clear on the research objectives and design.  We all know that best consumer insights experts can envision how the research results need to come to life before starting the research.  When we do this, we avoid two big pitfalls in research – first, the fatal one, missing a key question and second, the sloppy one, asking questions that don’t need to be answered or are already known. 

Conduct a “Get Smart” Session  

By facilitating a “Get Smart” Session with the client team, SIVO can mine existing information and surface institutional knowledge. There are 3 key reasons for the session:  

• To provide context and grounding to the SIVO experts as they design the learning plan 
• To uncover client team knowledge gaps, a.k.a., figure out what is known and what the client team still needs to learn 
• Level everyone up – the entire client team has the same in-going perspective 

Plan for Quality Input to Get Quality Output 

It has been said that the quality of the output is only as good as the quality of the input.  This is very true when designing market research.  SIVO experts start with detailed learning plans to outline how the business objectives translate to the learning objectives and market research approach.  This is where we align with the client team by defining things like sample composition and size, key measures, and of course, the action standards.  Action standards outline the “if/then” scenarios for research outcomes and the follow-up actions.  For example, if the results indicate X, then the action to be taken is Y. Documenting the action standards, before the research is executed, forces both the SIVO and client teams to think through the possible actions for each hypothesized outcome. 

Report the Key Findings (and, all the rest too!) 

Some client teams want an at-a-glance Executive Summary of results that they can quickly act upon, and others want all the details for a more thorough understanding before taking action.  SIVO provides both, either in one report or in two separate deliverables. We must be clear on the delivery of the topline summary versus the full report with the detailed findings (supporting data, quotes, video clips, images, etc.) for future reference. 

Make Clear Recommendations

It’s critical to turn data into insights and insights into actions. Too often professionals in the insights industry are hesitant to make bold recommendations on potential actions to take. However, client teams are looking for more than data and insights.  They need courageous recommendations that inform their decisions.  To drive action, SIVO puts a stake in the ground!  It is, however, important to point out that recommendations are an educated opinion or point-of-view, based on the insights and findings of the research.  Clients will then use research recommendations, in conjunction with other external factors, to guide or inform their actions and decisions.  The best way to be confident about the recommendations is to circle back to Step 1!  Start with the end in mind! 

Contact the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or reach out to me directly at Cindy.Blackstock@SIVOInsights.com to help you uncover insights that inform your future decisions and actions! 

by Cindy Blackstock

Being part of a custom market research firm with global clients, we are often a go-to partner on international research—both qualitative and quantitative. And while all global market research has some challenges, global qualitative research has some unique ones.

From years of designing consumer research approaches, we’ve identified a list of questions we ask our clients to customize research for their needs. But whether you are researching with SIVO, another supplier, or leading research internally for your own organization; here are 5 watchouts when planning global, qualitative research. These apply for both in-person and virtual approaches. 

Everything takes longer than domestic-only market research.  Most global market research consists of multiple countries and languages.  This requires added time to translate all materials such as recruitment screeners, discussion guides, and transcripts. For example, domestically you may receive a recruiting update every 1-2 days. But with the additional time needed to translate the recruiting progress, your updates may occur every 3 days with non-English speaking countries.  And with transcripts needing translation time too, that delays the analysis and delivery of your final report.

SIVO Tip! When planning your research, build in extra time to account for translation needs on both the front and back ends of your research.  This could easily add an additional 2-weeks to a simple qualitative design such as webcam focus groups. 

Expect cultural differences in business norms.  Corporate cultures differ around the world. When working with partners and consumers in other countries you need to expect, respect, and allow for cultural differences. One basic example of this is with interview start-times. As an example, our Thailand local moderator and consumers were consistently in-place and talking well before the official interview start time (making our client feel like they were late to observe the conversation); whereas in Brazil we had many consumers (and even a local moderator for one interview) who joined late. 

SIVO tip! As a client who may be inviting other co-workers or organizational leaders to attend your research, prepare your team that some behaviors—from professionals and consumers—will be different.  You can even remind your team these differences are likely one of the key reasons why you are conducting global research. Embrace it!

Know in advance if you want to adapt stimulus in real time. Particularly when researching marketing messages or communication, a client may learn from a few consumers and want to adapt the stimulus. This could be as simple as learning a word or phrase translated in your stim might be academically correct but needs to be modified to a more culturally relevant word – or it could be re-writing paragraphs of copy.  In either example, you need a translator readily available to adjust the stimulus before the next interview. 

SIVO Tip! Decide in advance if you will want or need to adjust your stimulus in real time.  And if yes, identify the tactical steps and talent needed to achieve this. 

Transcribe every word of the interview. Sometimes for efficiency (budget and time), a translator may only transcribe parts of the interview directly relevant to the brand, product and / or research objectives. But there is a lot of rich learning in the commentary! For example, consumer references to local politics can provide valuable context to their reactions to your product solution or marketing messages.

SIVO Tip! Confirm in advance that your translator understands your expectation that all words will be translated. And if efficiency is a concern, you can always limit the translation to only the ‘best’ interviews.  This can condense your timeline and save costs.

Consider a collective discussion with all moderators and translators. If fielding research in multiple countries and/or markets to inform a global strategy (not a market specific plan); consider scheduling a collective debrief will all moderators and translators.  This allows for discussion on what learning is consistent vs. the differentiated needs by country. 

SIVO Tip! Such a discussion impacts your project timeline and costs and should be included as an expectation at the start of your project.  A good research partner should be able to flex and add this to the close of your project but be aware of the implications to time and budget.

These 5 watchouts when planning global, qualitative research (in conjunction with a qualified and experienced Consumer Insights agency partner) will help ensure that you have a successful project resulting in global consumer insights to inform your business decisions.  

To discuss these tips and any other questions about international or domestic consumer research, please feel free to contact the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com for a consultation call.

by Julie Rose

Did somebody say recession? Unfortunately, recessions are a normal part of the business cycle. There are periods of economic growth and periods of economic slowdown. During a recession, the economy slows, companies struggle with sales, people lose their jobs, and the stock market suffers. The point where the economy officially falls into a recession depends on multiple factors, but many experts indicate that two consecutive quarters of decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a sign of recession. The recession in 2020 occurred when the pandemic impacted our economy. The Great Recession in 2008 was caused by the collapse of the housing market. We are seeing signs for the next recession too, with some experts predicting late 2022 or early 2023. According to the Washington Post, the economy contracted in the first three months of 2022, by shrinking at a 1.4 percent pace.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/05/19/recession-economy-markets/

One common result of recession is that unemployment rises. Companies sometimes employ “hiring freezes” to maintain profits, while they wait for the economy to stabilize.  This puts stress on the rest of the workforce so companies must look for ways to protect their current employees from burnout while also ensuring the most critical work gets done.

It’s common for businesses today to look for creative ways to expand their bandwidth to continue to achieve short and long-term goals. For companies that don’t want to make the long-term commitment of hiring full-time employees or are trying to conserve budgets, hiring temporary or “on demand” professionals is a low-risk, cost-effective option.  

Recession-Proof Insights Talent from SIVO On Demand Talent

SIVO On Demand Talent can help with skilled Consumer Insight and Market Research Professionals that ease your team’s workload and help you achieve your business goals while also relieving you of the financial risk that is common during a recession. 

We offer flexible solutions, like short or long-term assignments for fill-in roles or finite projects. Additionally, we can serve as an extension of your internal Consumer Insights Team, what we like to call your “back-pocket” consultants. For some clients, our talent serves as the virtual CI team, supporting initiatives in a cost-effective way while also ensuring high quality insights. 

SIVO On Demand Talent offers far more flexibility than full-time employee expansion. Plus, you don’t have to spend your valuable time searching for, hiring, and training talent. We take care of it all for you, freeing you from the burden of a lengthy process.

Let SIVO help you manage through the ‘hiring freeze” by temporarily meeting your Insights, Analytics or Market Research talent needs.

Reach out to ondemandtalent@sivoinsights.com for a consultation. 

by Cindy Blackstock

In Part 1 of our Jobs Theory series, we described how uncovering the underlying needs and motivations of consumer decisions leads to new opportunities for product innovation, renovation and positioning/messaging. Now let’s dig into the keys to success for Consumer Job Mapping.

Product Evaluation Services: Mapping it Out

“Jobs to Be Done” mapping works for all industries and any products or service to create a competitive advantage for your company or brand. There are a few points to consider when embarking on jobs discovery:

1. Optimal Approach 

There are multiple ways to understand your consumer: in-home observation, longitudinal diaries, one-on-one interviews, in-context intercepts, etc. The optimal approach should be customized for your objectives and your consumers.

2. Experienced Researchers

Enlist an experienced researcher to listen and interpret your consumers’ words and behaviours to identify the Job. For example, consumers cannot answer the question “What job are you hiring this face cream for?” Asking the right questions in the right way is key to uncovering hidden motivations.

3. Job Structure

A jobs map will be comprised of multiple jobs ranging from functional to emotional. Ensure each job has been defined – or structured – with context, motivation, and desired outcome. For example, a consumer statement such as “When (the situation) … I want / need (the motivation) … so I can (outcome).

4. Translate & Activate

Go beyond just identifying the job. Use activation sessions to translate the Jobs to address your team’s business goals. For example, mapping competitors against your jobs map identifies “white space” opportunities for new product innovation.

Can Jobs Mapping really work?

At SIVO, we have successfully helped our clients identify opportunities with Job Mapping including white space and positioning opportunities to win in the market place. Here are a few examples to bring it to life.

Innovate in an existing category

OPPORTUNITY: A food manufacturer wanting to find white space in the hot snack category to grow sales and earn a bigger share of consumers’ wallets.

SIVO APPROACH: We used a multi-phased approach to get a comprehensive view into the lives of their consumers. This included mobile journals, in-home ethnographies, in-store intercepts and product user immersion.

RESULT: With the Jobs Map framework, the client was easily able to identify and prioritize jobs signalling white space opportunities, and that led to the launch of a new and unique product to the hot snacks category.

Communicate with your target

OPPORTUNITY: An apparel supplier needed to more fully understand a new consumer target to develop effective messaging.

SIVO APPROACH: We dug deep with both consumers and the sales team to uncover hidden motivations for apparel purchases. We designed an approach that used online boards to capture longitudinal learning (multiple days of apparel choice) followed with webcam focus groups to dig deeper on what was uncovered during the online board.

RESULT: We learned how the target consumer “hired” her apparel and accessories to convey her personal style. This discovery was then reflected in our client’s Facebook and Instagram posts with a focus on the finer details and accessories that are unique to this apparel brand.

Position your new product

OPPORTUNITY: A tech start-up had developed a training app for athletes and were preparing for their next wave of fundraising. They needed to demonstrate they knew their target consumer and how to communicate with them. The company had a hypothesis around what their target consumer was looking for but needed to be sure.

SIVO APPROACH: We needed to capture the First Moment of Truth when exposed to the app and the Second Moment of Truth after using the app. We combined one on one interviews capturing the immediate reaction to the app, followed by a 2-week diary using the app, then one-on-one interviews to learn about the experience.

RESULT: SIVO uncovered an new consumer job, “I want to train like a pro” which was more compelling than the client’s original positioning for the App. The client shifted the messaging, in their introductory video, to focus on this job.

Are you ready to uncover, activate and deliver on your consumers’ jobs through data-driven product evaluation services? Please reach out to SIVO and we will help you build a Consumer Job Map that is full of opportunities to grow your business! 

Schedule a Discovery Call Today

by Heather Niemczycki

Some changes in the market are obvious, such as, inflation, changing employment rates, and the macro effects of the pandemic.  But what about those subtle, not-so-obvious changes that can also have a lasting impact on your brand?  Tapping into market intelligence can help you to anticipate changing consumer behaviors, before they impact the health of your brand.

Initiating consumer research is a typical starting point for understanding changing consumer attitudes and behavior.  However, you can actually super-charge your research with an informed view of market dynamics before you engage with consumers!

SIVO utilizes advanced cultural context analysis tools that combine data collection from the public web (news, blogs, social media, reviews, etc.) with statistical modeling, to uncover insights into existing market dynamics.

Keep reading to understand it in practice…

Example Output Using SIVO’s Web Analytics Tools:
Inflation Impacts + Grocery Shopping = Changing Consumer Sentiment and Values

Gaining market intelligence like this, BEFORE deep dives into qualitative or quantitative research drives better inquiry and ultimately, adds depth to the research results by delivering consumer insights in the context of the broader marketplace dynamics.  

To Super-Charge your consumer research with SIVO’s Market Intelligence toolkit, contact us today at contact@SIVOinsights.com.

In partnership with METAMETRIX, SIVO Insights leverages the METAMETRIX advantage to guide clients in finding better insights, exploring bigger opportunities, and making business decisions that drive greater change by connecting them to broader consumer trends.​

METAMETRIX is the first and only platform to analyze any unstructured text data in real-time, revealing the motivating values and emotions buried in the data.​

Is your organization hungry for strategic intent?

We are living and working in an environment that is full of volatility and change.  Many organizations are hungry for strategic intent, a term used to describe the intended direction, purpose, and plans that leaders put in place to achieve their organization’s vision.

Setting and Communicating StrongStrategic Intent Pays Off in Many Ways:

• Drives alignment across the organization
• Illuminates new opportunities for growth
• Creates excitement and engagement 
• Builds onto existing brand equity

SIVO Insights helps organizations set their strategic intent, by leading and facilitating the strategic planning process. This strategic planning  process can be summarized into three steps. Leaders must: 

1. Assess, 

2. Align 

3. Articulate

STEP 1:  ASSESS

Leaders must gather and assess relevant trends, consumer insights, market intelligence and institutional knowledge to answer critical questions across the 5C’s Assessment Framework.

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STEP 2:  ALIGN

With this knowledge in hand, leaders participate in a facilitated strategic planning session to review their assessment of the 5C’s, to ideate, prioritize and most importantly, to align on the mission, vision, and values that will carry the organization into the future.

STEP 3:  ARTICULATE

Lastly, leaders need to articulate their strategic intent—the vision, mission and values as well as the plan—to employees, collaborators, stakeholders, and in some cases to consumers and customers. This communication needs to happen repeatedly, in multiple forums, in-person or virtually, in internal documentation, as well as, in external communication. Strategic Intent can’t be communicated enough to ensure it is internalized by all parties.

Strategic Intent Consulting: Get Transformational Insights

In this time of continuous change, with a refreshed grounding in foundational insights and market intelligence, combined with solid strategic planning (i.e., Assess, Align and Articulate), you can give your organization and your stakeholders what they are hungering for . . . strong strategic intent. Let SIVO help with strategic intent consulting!

 Schedule a Discovery with SIVO Today

Schedule a discovery with SIVO to learn how you and your leadership team can create or re-establish your organization’s strategic intent.

By Kerry Juhl

Managing a business is non-stop, full-time leadership. Typically, 90% of a leader's workday is focused on the daily needs of employees, customers, supply chain, marketing, sales, financials... and the list goes on.  However, it is also a leader's job to present their team with a vision for the future, a "north star" that provides direction and goals for the organization, allowing them to compete effectively and transform opportunities into growth.

Category Vision: Assessing Your Market and Consumer

A great step in looking toward the future is to take stock of the landscape that you operate within, especially when there are changing dynamics in the external environment. The future growth of your business requires you to have a point of view on how your business will be impacted by changing consumer behaviors and preferences, the actions of your competitive set and external partners, and possibly the impact of new technologies. In other words, you need to have a vision of what your category/industry will look like in 5+ years to remain relevant in that future state and capitalize on future growth opportunities.

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Our team at SIVO has experience with helping clients build their category vision of the future.  In fact, we have developed a step-by-step process that results in a defined Future-State Category Map to inform the Category Vision and Key Strategies for growth.  A Category Vision not only demonstrates category leadership and anticipates the future, but it allows clients to take control and literally create their own destiny…a future where the business can thrive.

The High-Level Process for Developing a Category Vision:

• Define Current State
• Incorporate Data/Trends Signaling Future State 
• Articulate Future State
• Create a Vision & Strategies to Build Future State

Define Current State: 

Clients need to define the space that they currently play in.  For some it might be narrow, for example, Skin Care.  For others it might be broad, for example, Beauty Products.  (There are pros and cons for how narrow or broad your category definition is and SIVO can guide your team to get to a definition that is relevant and actionable through our consumer insights solutions).

Incorporate Data/Trends Signaling Future State 

This step requires the gathering of category, competitive and consumer intelligence from a variety of sources, to answer questions, like:

• What is happening in the industry or category that my business competes in?
• What segments are growing or declining?
• What are the signs or hints of new segments emerging?
• Are there new consumer behaviors that signal the need to operate differently in the future to remain competitive in this category/industry?

Articulate Future State:

SIVO facilitates the client team through a small series of assignments and working sessions to envision the Future State of the category and to prioritize where to “place bets” within the category to maximize growth.

Create a Vision & Strategies to build Future State:

With the future state of the category defined, SIVO facilitates client teams through the creation of a Category Vision that serves as the "North Star", and Growth Strategies that the organization can put into action to drive category and brand growth for years to come.

Schedule a Discovery Call Today for Strategic Category Vision Consulting

A solid process with proven success. Are you ready to help your business create a category vision for the future?  Schedule a discovery call today or reach out at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to develop strategies and plans that not only anticipate the future but create it!

To Know Thyself is the Beginning of All Wisdom [Aristotle]… and as it turns out, it’s also the beginning of your Brand Strategy

At SIVO Insights, we spend a lot of time helping our clients understand who their consumers are, what they need and why.  It is just as important to help our clients understand the competitive context within which they operate, to understand where and how their brands can differentiate and create an ownable competitive advantage.

We work with our clients using a three-pronged approach to set a solid brand strategy:

BIG BOX, LITTLE BOX

A simple exercise that teams can use to consider and articulate the market that their brand best competes in, is the “Big Box, Little Box” Model. 

In this model, teams define the market, or “Little Box” that they believe their brand currently operates in, and what benefits they distinctly deliver to that market.  Next, the team considers a broader market definition, the “Big Box”, to understand who is in the brand’s expanded list of competitors and what benefits their product could distinctly deliver in that broader context.  By doing this exercise, the team broadens their view of who they are truly competing with and where they can source volume.  This helps teams reframe how they present their brand and its ownable benefits to the world. i.e., the brand positioning, which in turn, impacts future renovation, innovation, and communication efforts.

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CONSIDER THIS EXAMPLE

A team that manages a coffee brand might define their “Little Box” as the Coffee category.  In that competitive context, the team will likely focus on functional coffee benefits such as richest flavor or best price, to compete with other coffee brands.  But when they broadened their view of the competitive context to the “Big Box”, they might find that they are competing with the broader ‘caffeinated beverage’ market.  In this context, the key benefits that the team may focus on to differentiate and compete with caffeinated sodas and energy drinks would be things like “warmth, comfort, and enabling your morning ritual.”

INFORM YOUR STRATEGY

The big box, little box model allows teams to…

Discover who they are truly competing with

Reframe their brand strengths within the broader, and likely more accurate, competitive context

Identify which brand benefits are most ownable and distinctive vs. the competitive set

Reconsider who their target consumer is and how to position the brand to meet the needs of this larger consumer target group

SIVO INSIGHTS ACTION PLAN

Our experts can…

Facilitate a Big Box/Little Box exercise with your team

Execute a qualitative exploration to understand where your brand truly competes

Execute an Attitude and Usage (A&U) study to quantify which competitive products/categories are true competitors

Facilitate a workshop, using the learning above, to rethink and redefine brand strategy

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com for more information and next steps.

Before we experienced a worldwide pandemic and the Great Resignation, employers knew how to keep and retain talent. The focus was on providing work-life balance, exciting roles, improved technology, and better onboarding and training. In this new age, people are requesting flexible work schedules and locations. A report by the Future Forum, a group within Slack Technologies Inc, found that “95% of employees want flexible schedules and 78% want flexible locations.” 

While not having to stick to a fixed 9-5 schedule and the ability to work from anywhere can be helpful to workers, employers need to dig deeper to understand how this will play out. These new ways of working come with drawbacks that can sneak up and drag down employee satisfaction and morale.

Our Employee Experience Insights Revealed 3 Major Challenges for Remote Workforces:

1. Work Time is Seeping into Personal Time 

Because the boundaries aren’t as firm as they once were. We used to have a built-in transition with the commute to and from work. Many of us no longer have that physical and mental transition that ends work time and starts home time.

2. Virtual Fatigue 

comes from being online all day, in virtual meetings, without truly interacting or collaborating with people face-to-face. Gone are the spontaneous “water cooler chats” and the conference room banter that happens before and after meetings.

3. Isolation / Loneliness 

If you find yourself talking to your dog or cat throughout the day, you are not alone. Working from home can create feelings of loneliness and isolation, as people find themselves rarely needing to leave their home/work office. This can be especially true if you started a job during the pandemic and you have never met your co-workers or manager in-person.

How can employers help their workforce strike the balance?

Many companies are incorporating new approaches to support employees in adjusting to flexible schedules and locations, such as:

• Incorporating consistent one-on-one meetings for personal connection

• Creating virtual team-building activities, such as cooking classes or happy hours

• Offering online mental health services

• Moving to a 4-day work week 

If you haven’t listened to your employees recently, now is the time. We can help you and your organization understand what employees REALLY want, and how to help them achieve the balance they crave in this new world we are navigating.

Let's Find Balance Together

With SIVO’s Organizational Intelligence Solution, we dig deep via employee interviews and group discussions to understand the challenges and engagement of the workforce. We facilitate leaders in the development of strategies and solutions to help employees cope with the “side effects” that come with flexible work schedules and remote work environments. 

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Every business has customers, but how well they know their customers is another question. In a recent Harvard Business Review blog, Peter Merholz explains that many large companies lose that vital interaction with their customers as their business begins to grow.

“Business cannot exist without customers, so it’s sadly ironic that many, if not most, businesses, actually understand so little about them,” says Merholz. “In order to become customer experience-driven, you need to go beyond who your customers are, and understand what they do.”

While it may feel tempting to place your customers into simple, definable categories, Merholz urges companies to dig deeper and understand their customers as real people living in a messy, complicated world.  What does that mean for your company? It means going beyond the high-level data and seeking to understand and appreciate your customer’s behavior and true motivation.

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Do customers want to ‘hire’ your product?

Through SIVO On Demand Talent or with SIVO custom qualitative research, our clients uncover the underlying motivations behind their customer’s unique behavior. With SIVO On Demand Talent, we have storytellers who mine existing research to bring our clients’ customers to life. And, we ensure the next phase of research fills a customer knowledge gap, extending our clients’ research budgets. With SIVO custom research, our clients tap into valuable customer insights through approaches like In-Store Intercepts, Shop-Alongs, and Ethnographic research,  to gain clear, in-depth analysis of their customer in the context of their daily lives.

How well do you know your customer? Maybe it’s time to take a deeper look…

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com for more information and next steps.

When you read the news these days, regarding women leaving the workforce, the outlook and reality seem bleak. According to the Wall Street Journal,

“Due to challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis, more than 1-in-4 women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely.”

The White House Fact Sheet, April 21, 2021 also reported,

“There are now 3.7 million fewer women working than there were in February 2020, in large part because of the pandemic, eroding more than 30 years of progress in women’s labor force participation.”

Not only are these the facts, but this has been my reality. I have spent the last decade and a half building a business career in a traditional corporate setting, across Consumer-Packaged Goods companies that span from cereal to mascara. I’ve built a rich network of connections, and grown my skillset to span across sales, marketing, research, and innovation. I’ve invested in my career, but COVID-19 made me re-evaluate where my investment was most needed.

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Maintaining a Work-Life Balance During Lockdown

When the lockdown hit in March of 2020, I added an entire workstream to my day job: manage childcare and distance learning for my two young children. I also lost my part-time nanny, my relief and respite, due to the pandemic. I did not know how I would stay afloat, deliver against my job’s requirements, while also ensuring that my kids got what they needed.

COVID realities created both unreliable childcare and unreliable school days. One exposure could turn any sense of schedule or order upside down. Some of those months went by in a blur. I recognized something had to give. I had to give. I had to make a change for myself and my family. I chose to leave my corporate job to explore something more sustainable for my life.

Fast forward to early spring 2021 and some of the facts and realities haven’t changed all that much. While the nation is becoming hopeful with relaxing Covid restrictions and rise in vaccinations, women have not as readily returned to the workforce. This year, I shifted to the gig economy and started a new career as a Research Strategy Consultant with SIVO’s On-Demand Talent team, a local women-owned agency that really understands what it looks like to do the work you love while also being present for your family.

Working for a Women-Owned Agency and Getting Support

For me SIVO has been a beacon, offering me a way to continue investing in my career without compromising my family, especially during a pandemic. SIVO is a woman owned and operated business founded on the belief that the world needs more people doing what they love. SIVO recognized 12 years ago there was an overflow of great talent that wanted to work but NEEDED flexibility, especially parents juggling family and childcare demands.

I’ve learned that part of making it ‘work’ as a working mom is to find the type of work that meets your needs. Workplace norms have pivoted to meet marketplace realities. My advice to women is to consider something that fits YOUR lifestyle priorities instead of the other way around.
I love being a part of an organization like SIVO, a company committed to redefining what work looks like. SIVO is helping companies work differently through their On Demand Talent (ODT) practice, which helps fill in resource gaps for short or longer-term engagements. Sometimes a company just needs an extra perspective on a special project, or someone to fill in during a parental leave.

On-Demand Talent with SIVO

SIVO’s ODT can provide the right talent – at the right time – so that companies can keep moving forward without disrupting workflows or putting additional strain on existing staff. I am currently on an ODT assignment and am loving the opportunity to work on unique business problems while, not only continuing to nurture my professional career, but also be the kind of mom I want to be for my family.

 Schedule a Discovery Call Today

Are you curious what working differently looks like? – just ask. SIVO Insights can help you figure out the best path forward for you or your company to get the resources – and talent – you need. Schedule a discovery call today to get started.

We can all probably agree that we are living through one of the most disruptive events of our generation. With our worlds turned upside down, it comes as no surprise that the way people work in America has also vastly changed.

Just as news stories cropped up about 2021 being the year of the Great Resignation, other stories followed asking the question ‘where have all the workers gone?’ I’ve pondered this question as well, seeing the ‘short staffed’ signs everywhere I go and hearing from countless businesses about their struggle to retain talent. 

The answer to what is causing the Great Resignation might lie in the reframing of the phenomenon. A smart colleague of mine, Vina Klein, astutely calls it the “Great Values Reset.” I really like that. It gives more insight to what is happening. People seem more attuned to their values when choosing how to live and how to work. At the start of the pandemic, we were sent home and we slowed down, we took stock, and we re-evaluated our lives. That experience impacted our choices in 2021 and beyond.

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Now enter the gig economy. The gig economy has always been around, but something interesting happened as a result of Covid-19. Gig workers represented around 35 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2020, up from between 14 and 20 percent in 2014. The number of companies that fully operate on gig work has increased by 85% since 2014. That growth has only accelerated as a result of Covid-19. As workers reset values and put more focus on having some control over their lives, employees are leaving the confines of a 9-5 and corporate bureaucracy. The gig economy is where they land, and SIVO Insights has the perfect launchpad for these workers. 

I’m very fortunate to lead SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent. I’m passionate about helping my consumer insights consultants find fulfilling roles that match their skills and talent. I’m also very much “in the zone” when I’m able to help our clients fill a specific need on their team or find the right talent for a project. Matching our clients’ needs with SIVO’s On-Demand Talent experience and skills is the best part of my job.

SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent allows people to choose how they want to work. It provides the flexibility and work-life balance that comes with the gig economy. For companies, On Demand Talent delivers flexibility, too. Whether an organization is struggling to find and retain talent or is  not in a position to commit to a full-time hire, tapping into SIVO On Demand Talent is a win-win! 

Are you facing these challenges?

More workload and pipeline projects than your team can execute

Questioning how to keep saying “Yes” to internal stakeholders

Not enough time or resources to meet multiple requests for actionable insights from leadership, product development, marketing, or strategy

How Can we Help?

SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent™ is a solution for Insights talent needs for teams just like yours. We leverage our extensive pool of Insights professionals, with years of experience and expertise, to help you achieve your business objectives.

We recommend three key steps for evaluating and making the case internally for hiring contract Insights talent.

As workforce talent continues to evolve, there is no shortage of options, including interns, short or long-term contractors, contract-to-hire, or direct hire. Below, we highlight the advantages of Contract Talent vs. Full Time Hire:

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Get Expert Consumer Insights with SIVO

We have started engagements in as quickly as one week. To discuss your needs and how we can match the talent with the best expertise for quick solutions in your organization, visit SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent or email Brent.Budke@SIVOInsights.com.

Innovation requires seamless collaboration, agility, and the ability to pivot wisely and effectively. Timelines are tight and the right talent is critical to successfully manage the Insights process. SIVO’s  On Demand Talent™ team recently provided a Consumer Insights Innovation Lead for Betsy Frost, Chief Revenue Officer at DRY Soda Company.

Right Talent for Right Impact: Beverage Consumer Insights

DRY Soda needed a Consumer Insights expert to manage the First Moment of Truth (FMOT) consumer learning for a new product launch, DRY Botanical Bitters & Soda, a ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktail with zero sugar.

Our Seasoned Consumer Insights Expert:

• Developed an agile learning plan aligned to objectives
• Pivoted effectively as marketplace dynamics shifted
• Coordinated hands-on research logistics and findings
• Served as key resource for the SIVO moderator
• Communicated seamlessly with cross-functional team

Getting Support for Beverage Industry Research

“…it felt like SIVO was a member of our team.”

From the get-go, the SIVO’s talent creatively leveraged DRY Soda’s internal assets and owned social media to recruit the right consumers for quick-turnaround learning. Timelines and budgets were priorities, with no room for missteps. When supply chain complexities forced an immediate change in launch plans, the team worked smartly and effectively to pivot from cans to bottles in a record 15 days. Navigating a plethora of moving parts, including new package design, messaging, team alignment, and consumer feedback demanded an experienced team to pull it off successfully!

Streamlining the Insight Gathering and Implementation Process

During Consumer Research, Frost was thrilled to listen, participate and ultimately make the right real-time decisions from an outside vantage point rather than having to lead and facilitate herself.

Frost said, “You made it super easy and streamlined for me…it felt like SIVO was a member of our team.”

To learn more about the DRY Soda story and line of products available, visit drinkdry. Check out this new product: DRY Botanical Bitters & Soda!

You can Shop Now or click the ‘Find Dry’ link to leverage the unique geo-locator. It allows you to buy online or from the store front retailer of your choice. This shoppable platform is powered by Pear Commerce technology.

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SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent provides the right talent for your business needs; it is NOT a one size fits all model. What talent do you need to immediately impact YOUR business? Email Brent Budke to successfully match the right talent.

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Today I am sharing useful tips for successfully executing virtual consumer conversations. They center around being human: acting in a genuine, respectful way and establishing trust.

Tip #1: Recruit with a Tech Mindset and Participant’s Needs in Mind

Include criteria for having a stable Wi-Fi connection and familiarity with the tech platform being used.  If the platform is new to participants, ensure you build in time for set up and practice before the interview to increase their comfort level. 

If your study involves thoughtful writing exercise(s), make sure recruiting criteria have a written articulation component so they are not surprised by the type of communication that is expected of them.  

Tip #2: Set Clear Expectations So There are No Surprises

The more participants know ahead of time, the more comfortable they will feel entering the discussion and the more open they tend to be.  In addition to the basics, make sure:

Participants Know What Will Happen During the Interview

Participants know what will happen during the interview. For example, is it a one-on-one conversation, or will others observe?  Will you be sitting stationary in front of the camera or taking a ‘field trip’ to their pantry or garage?  

Details are Addressed 

What should they wear? (most ask…encourage comfort unless it is part of the research). Should their phone be on silent? (yes). Is it ok to have water or coffee? (yes, you want them to be comfortable), but please no meals unless it is an eating experience! Do they need to make arrangements for kids and pets so they are not distracted? (yes, unless they are part of the conversation). For mobile missions, no driving while participating (yes, this has happened!).

Participants Test the Tech

For online consumer behavior research to be most effective, participants are advised to log on five minutes before the scheduled interview time, so no time is wasted in setting up.

Participants are in a Comfortable Setting

People are able to have a quiet place to conduct the interview to avoid potential inside or outside distractions.

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Tip #3: Establish Credibility and Rapport to Increase Comfort Level

When part of an online consumer research panel, it's important to “introduce” yourself via email and provide a picture so participants know whom to expect on the other end of the screen. Communicate how excited you are for the conversation, so they feel their input is valued before you even begin.

Log in early so you are there before the participant, smiling and welcoming as they enter the interview.

Minimize your own distractions such as only having exactly what you need for the conversation open on your laptop (the worst is hearing the constant email ‘ding’ as you are leading a conversation…trust me). 

Have and communicate a back-up plan should tech issues arise (they will) so the interview isn’t a bust.

Energy! The last interview of the day should feel like the first one.  Build in enough mental breaks and move from behind your screen to get some fresh air. Coffee helps too.

Tip #4: Roll With It

Life happens. Allow for tech issues, dogs barking, doorbells ringing and kids interrupting because these things WILL happen. Be forgiving and empathetic.  Explain it happens to the best of us and that you will be patient while they figure it out.

If it becomes too much or too long of a distraction, ask if participants need to reschedule for a time that may be better for them. A stressed person is not an open or insightful person. 

Tip #5: Observe as Much as Listen 

Observing is still just as important as listening in producing those insightful golden nuggets.  I recently led a one-on-one video interview with a man wearing an “Own the Moment” t-shirt.  I thought it was relevant to our topic and used it as a way into the discussion. It led to some really insightful personal truths and informed the learning in a way that might not have if it wasn’t pursued.

Online Consumer Behavior Research

Like every research method, there are benefits and trade-offs, but I am really enjoying and finding great success with virtual research, applying familiar principles with a human-inspired tech-twist.  Please contact the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss your research needs and if virtual may be the right approach for your needs! 

Get Expert Level Online Consumer Research with SIVO

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SIVO collaborates with you to understand your most critical needs, then designs and executes best-in-class custom market research using modern research capabilities. We provide actionable consumer insights that align with your business goals.

SIVO also specializes in Organizational Intelligence, Market Intelligence, and  On Demand Talent. Individually and collectively, we use our qualitative, quantitative, and facilitation capabilities to deliver actionable learning.

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By Cindy Blackstock

We’ve all hired someone to complete a task or a job for us.  For example, if your lawn needs to be mowed – you can hire someone to mow it. Seems simple, doesn’t it? But have you ever asked that question about the products or services you work with?  Do you know what “job” your customers need done, that is causing them to “hire” your product or service?

Customer needs are often less clear than ‘your lawn needs to be mowed.’ Identifying customer needs or “jobs to be done” is an intentional exercise where we must listen, observe and expertly question customers to uncover.

Jobs Theory

Jobs Theory reframes our relationship with customers, making them the center of our focus. While conventional marketing tends to focus on brand and product benefits, Jobs Theory doesn't look internally at products and services but instead, looks externally, to expose the functional, social, and emotional jobs that explain why customers make the choices they do.

People don’t simply buy products or services; they bring them into their lives to fulfill a need. We call this need the ‘job’ they are trying to get done. When we discover why customers want to ‘hire’ products or services, we develop a customer-centric view, allowing brand teams to become empathetic to their customers' needs and wants. 

Trending for SIVO: What Does a Remote Workforce Really Want? You Need to Dig Deeper to Find Out

Identifying Customer Needs with a “Jobs to be Done Map”

A good Jobs to be Done Map becomes a framework that helps marketers figure out how to improve their products or innovate by developing new products and services in their industry or category, i.e., ‘where to play.’ It can be leveraged beyond a single initiative. It maps all the jobs that customers have for a particular occasion.  For example, a Snacking JTBD Map includes all the jobs that customers have for the snacking occasion.  A Financial Investment JTBD Map, includes all the jobs that customers have for investing their money.  It lives on in your organization as a place to continually go back to for inspiration and focus. It provides:

Inspiration and guardrails for brand positioning, marketing messages, product innovation and renovation 

A framework for capturing, defining, categorizing, and prioritizing customer needs

A common language and focus for the cross-functional team

Factors That Influence Customer Behavior

There are several factors that influence customer behavior, including:

1. Customer Needs and Goals - Customers use products that help them achieve their goals and meet their needs. If your product does not effectively address these needs and goals, customers are unlikely to hire it.

2. Product Features and Benefits - The features and benefits of your product can also influence customer buying behavior. Customers are more likely to buy products that offer the features and benefits that they are looking for.

3. Brand Reputation - The reputation of your brand can also influence customer behavior. Customers are more likely to buy products from brands that they trust and that have a positive reputation.

4. Customer Experience - Customer experience can also impact purchasing behavior. Customers are more likely to purchase products that offer a positive and seamless experience, from purchase to use.

5. Competitor Offerings - Competitor offerings can also influence customer buying behavior. If your competitors offer products that better meet customer needs and preferences, customers may choose to “hire” those products instead of yours.

Partner with SIVO to Identify Customer Needs for Your Business

At SIVO, we help our clients uncover their customers’ jobs for a wide range of application opportunities. We design customized research that leads to a fully developed Jobs to be Done Map. Our approach focuses on uncovering the subconscious drivers of customer decision-making by understanding the underlying needs and true motivations.

In Part 2 of our Jobs series, we will share the keys to success for Jobs to be Done mapping along with some examples of how it comes to life. Until then, please reach out to discuss how we can help you to get your brand, product, or service hired. 

Reach out to the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss how we can develop a Jobs to be Done Map for your organization.

Here at SIVO, one of our targeted solutions to your business challenges is ethnographic research. But what exactly is ethnography research? And why do you need it? Let’s take a closer look.

What is Ethnography?

Ethnography is a flexible, qualitative research method that can be adapted to fit different audiences, markets, learning objectives, and environments.

Ethnographers immerse themselves in the natural environment of their research participants (home/office), and then observe their behavior. They also conduct an intimate one-on-one interview (usually lasting around 2 hours in length) with the respondent, where they learn about the life, values, beliefs, and attitudes of the consumer. When you need to develop a deep understanding of your audience by hearing their stories and truly learning about their lives, an ethnography consultancy may be the right fit for your consumer research and insights needs.

Related Trending Ethnography Research:

Do customers want to ‘hire’ your product?

What are The Benefits of Ethnography?

Because ethnography research is conducted in the comfort of the consumer’s home or workspace, valuable insight is shared in a more truthful and open manner as compared to focus group research settings.

This up close and personal observation is critical because ethnographers can both witness and understand what consumers actually do on a daily basis, versus what they say they do.

There is also an opportunity to interact with the family and friends of the participant, to gain a more complete picture of his/her life. Engagement on such a personal level creates the foundation for intimate and empathetic consumer learning, which could prove valuable to a brand for years to come.

In addition, videographers can capture the ethnographic interviews and key moments with research participants, such as pantry tours, product interactions, and family meals. This video footage can then be translated into a powerful highlight reel to share with your marketing, design, or sales teams; to build empathy and gain a better understanding of your consumers.

What Key Questions Can Consumer Ethnography Answer?

Ethnography research is the perfect research tool to help you understand your audience, their mindset, their daily experiences, and their relationship with your product/service.

If you want to know how to frame your brand message in order to connect effectively with consumers, an ethnography consultancy will help provide the insights you need to craft a clear message.

You can also recognize ways to improve your product/service, while spotting potential product innovation opportunities. Additionally, ethnography can help you answer questions about your competitor and their core audience, as well as reveal opportunities for differentiating your brand.

How SIVO Can Help Your Business

Ethnography provides a unique, crucial perspective on how your brand fits into the actual lives of your consumers. So, if you’re ready to tackle your business challenges and discover powerful insights that will help move your business forward, ethnography might just be the missing research tool you’ve been looking for.

We specialize in providing businesses with valuable insights through ethnographic research. Our team of experienced researchers has the skills and knowledge needed to conduct in-depth studies of your customers' behavior and preferences.

We use a variety of ethnographic research methods and our researchers are skilled at interpreting the data gathered through these methods and can provide you with actionable insights that you can use to improve your business.

We work closely with our clients to ensure that our research is tailored to their specific needs. Whether you are looking to develop a new product or service, improve your marketing strategies, or gain a deeper understanding of your customers, we can help.

Contact us today to learn more

Contact SIVO today to learn about our ethnographic research services and discover what ethnography can do for you.