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Research
But what sort of research is best? At Essence, our philosophy on Research is that it must assist in guiding future decision making. Too often research is just a rear vision mirror – it tells us what has already happened in the market and explains how you got to where you are. Which is valuable, and good to know. But all too often, researchers are too timid to make the most valuable recommendation of all. That is, on the basis of where you’ve been and where you want to go, this is what you should do. It isn’t easy. The best research comes from asking the right people the right questions, listening to what they tell you (not just what they say), interpreting the objectives with sound marketing knowledge and experience married with a good dose of intuition. And then, most importantly, giving clients what they really want – answers to questions and sound advice about their future direction.
"Following our brand audit workshop in June 2006, Penny Burke and Essence Communication designed and conducted a research program on our major brands to gauge overall impressions from our customers and to understand any gaps that exist between the expectations we have set for our brands and the reality of what we are delivering. The research program was an important part of ensuring we are on track with our brand strategy and best marketing practice" At Essence we also strongly believe in research taking place in a creative yet conducive atmosphere for the best results to occur. Generally this is not in a conventional group room format, with its two way mirrors and bags of potato chips, but in a location that’s more comfortable to respondents or better still, close to the real point of product usage.
"Penny was instrumental in analysing the research material that Defence had commissioned and in identifying the need for separate research to support the review. This research proved to be pivotal in the report’s recommendations. In the many focus groups we conducted on bases, she demonstrated her skills in very quickly developing a good rapport with the participants and eliciting useful information from sometimes cautious individuals. Her written work was excellent: concise and to the point" We’ve looked in pantries, school lunchboxes and wardrobes. We’ve taken teenage girls shopping at major shopping centres to understand their views about retail, discussed the role of religion in churches, shared with Lotto players their dreams of living the high life when they win, and researched Melbourne Cup Day at the races. We’ve conducted phone interviews across the nation for the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and talked to customers in supermarkets for Uncle Tobys. And through it all, we have maintained our focus on asking the right questions of the right people and then giving clients a clear recommendation on what to do next.
"Penny's input to our market research project was invaluable. She gave it structure and focus, creating a knowledge bank of community attitudes that we had been trying to establish for some time. We were also really impressed with Penny's facilitation style - she ‘sold’ the project and its outcomes to our senior stakeholders and achieved a level of commitment to research that the department had not seen before. And, she was a joy to work with!"
If you’re not sure what type of research would be best, then complete the Essence on-line questionnaire to help isolate your key questions and concerns. For more information, take our Research Help Audit.
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Someone famous once said you can never know too much about your customer. That’s certainly true, and good customer based research is generally always helpful.
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