In 1974, they were babies in a newborn industry. Twelve people with one client.

They've grown a lot in 35 years. Now, they're known as one of the leading custom research companies in the country. They have a hundred specialists on board and a wide-reaching roster of local and global blue-chip clients on our wall.

They talk to over 200,000 consumers each year, continuously adding to a collective knowledgebase of over 200 years experience.

 

- Account Management / Quantitative Experts

- Qualitative Specialists

- Operations Group (Field and Data Processing)

- Statistical Services

- Information Technology

- Human Resources and Administration

- Finance

- Marketing

 

MARKET STRATEGY

They study people as groups: "consumers," "target markets" or "segments." But to turn people on and give them the products and services they want, they have to go deeper than that. They have to be on intimate terms with them, in tune with their needs, values, beliefs, behavior and aspirations. They continuously strive to know and understand people as this underpins an effective marketing strategy. Consumers and consumer behavior are a lot more complex today. People can't be lumped into homogenous, cookie-cutter masses anymore. They are now more diverse and more individualistic. (In fact, a person's needs and behavior can vary widely in different contexts.) They are now more informed and more sophisticated. And as a result, they are now more demanding of the products and services they choose.

Consumers connect with your company through your brand. And like the popular girl in school, a consumer is wooed and teased by a whole mess of brands and brand activities: new product launches, brand extensions, new categories, new channels, etc. Consumers interact with your brand on different levels: * Brand in the society: the corporate level; issues such as the citizenship of your brand, its ethics, corporate responsibility, transparency

* Brand in the market: understanding the market drivers, and how your brand relates to its competitive environment

* Brand in the portfolio: roles and missions of your different brands in the portfolio

* The Inner brand, with different levels of brand-consumer relationships:

        - Functional descriptors, the fact-driven level of your brand-product

  - Functional benefits, how your products' features turn into consumer benefits

        - Emotional benefits, the in-depth, intimate relationship with your brand

        - Personality, the personification of your brand

        - Brand Essence or Character, your brand's DNA, its ultimate nature.

Great brands take on a life of their own. Great brands endure. Great brands make the bottom line. And greatness comes from combining all these elements into one compelling sell that will successfully connect you to your consumers.