Ideation Insights: Why Market Research Should Always Drive Your Strategy

Here at GDC, we’ve completed vast amounts of research during our 20 years in the industry. We believe that insightful and actionable data is imperative to developing  comprehensive and successful marketing campaigns. We’ve done research for Fortune 100 companies, learned how to better sell water in the desert, and developed insight on political campaigns ranging from the school board office to the Oval Office.

Humanalysis™ and Certitude™ are two of our proprietary research methodologies that we use to gather useful data for our clients. On top of traditional research methods like focus groups and surveys, we also participate in the lives of our subjects in order to develop a holistic, accurate understanding of their thoughts, actions and behaviors. These profoundly thorough methods include follow and shop alongs, in-depth interviews, product and service testing, social media and mobile interfacing and behavioral mapping, to name a few.

The data we uncover through these methods provides unique and actionable insight that becomes the groundwork for strategic campaigns and messaging platforms alike. After we develop messaging, however, how can we be sure that we’re executing the message in the most persuasive way possible? That’s where we turn to Certitude™, a powerful quantitative tool that gives us the ability to test the messages we’ve developed to decipher which ones are popular, and which ones are persuasive. This can be used to test messages before they enter the marketplace, or to test public perceptions of live marketing messaging.

Here are a few examples of research projects we’ve completed for our clients:

TxDOT College and Young Adult Impaired Driving Research

Before developing the DWI Hangovers Don’t Go Away campaign for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), we conducted ground-level research on the perceptions of drinking and driving among the college and young adult target audience. The key take away from this research was clear—the messages that most resonated among this demographic dealt with the long-term consequences that come with getting a DWI. A DWI “Hangover” can have a serious and damaging impact on an individual’s bank account, family, education, career and future. Not only can a DWI cause headaches far worse than a hangover, drinking and driving can also be deadly. With this valuable insight into the minds of our target audience, and a clear view of what messages affected them, personally and emotionally, we were able to implement our targeted and specialized marketing approach.

Mi Pueblo Perception and Awareness Study

This year, Mi Pueblo, a California Bay Area Hispanic grocery chain, asked us to test awareness and perception of their brand, as well as gauge awareness and effectiveness of specific forms of advertising among their customers. We learned that the perception of Mi Pueblo within their markets was positive, and we also indentified a few key areas in which improvements were possible. The research results helped us refine messaging and promotional plans. Overall, our study provided several valuable insights that confirmed or justified the need for adjusted strategies and tactics.

Interested in our extensive research capabilities and how they can be applied to your business? Contact our Cultural Anthropologist and Chief Research Officer Dr. Tim Craig. He’ll try not to study you during your exchange, but we can’t make any promises.