MURMUR IS A DEDICATED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AGENCY DELIVERING RESEARCH INSIGHT AND FORESIGHT TO HELP AGENCIES AND CLIENTS CRACK PROBLEMS
At a time when the world is spinning off its axis, AI is eating into traditional research methods and quantitative research in particular isn’t getting under the skin of how people really feel, Murmur’s deep and robust qualitative research, which taps into traditional and more leftfield methods, continues to provide stimulating and provocative inputs into client and agency creativity
We are getting under the skin of sectors and even countries, utilising a judicious mix of ethnographic immersion and extended in situ interviews
We are helping brands and agencies formulate everything from new products to fresh campaigns, on the back of workshop ideation
We are tapping into the help of experts and savvy consumers to refine enhanced strategic insights and propositions
We’re using focus groups that we can recruit in a couple of days to enhance strategic and creative thinking in a pitch context, as well as bring potential consumers to vivid life
We’re using film, music and sound to express everything from emotions to environments, in a bold step away from the tyranny of PowerPoint
And we’re using AI to short circuit the contextual research process, to be faster, cheaper and more agile – it’s not replacing f2f interviews where nuance is important, or where respondents need to explain contradictory impulses, or where they may struggle to articulate themselves
MURMUR IS A DEDICATED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AGENCY DELIVERING RESEARCH INSIGHT AND FORESIGHT TO HELP AGENCIES AND CLIENTS CRACK PROBLEMS
At a time when the world is spinning off its axis, AI is eating into traditional research methods and quantitative research in particular isn’t getting under the skin of how people really feel, Murmur’s deep and robust qualitative research, which taps into traditional and more leftfield methods, continues to provide stimulating and provocative inputs into client and agency creativity
We are getting under the skin of sectors and even countries, utilising a judicious mix of ethnographic immersion and extended in situ interviews
We are helping brands and agencies formulate everything from new products to fresh campaigns, on the back of workshop ideation
We are tapping into the help of experts and savvy consumers to refine enhanced strategic insights and propositions
We’re using focus groups that we can recruit in a couple of days to enhance strategic and creative thinking in a pitch context, as well as bring potential consumers to vivid life
We’re using film, music and sound to express everything from emotions to environments, in a bold step away from the tyranny of PowerPoint
And we’re using AI to short circuit the contextual research process, to be faster, cheaper and more agile – it’s not replacing f2f interviews where nuance is important, or where respondents need to explain contradictory impulses, or where they may struggle to articulate themselves
And we won’t use AI to generate decks or recruit from panels – qualitative research often rests on the quality of recruitment and that’s something we undertake inhouse, still. And we can smell an AI generated document from miles off
DIVING DEEPER AND MOVING THINKING FORWARD
DIVING DEEPER AND MOVING THINKING FORWARD
ABOUT US
PROBLEM SOLVING
Our experience has been profound, global and progressive. We solve problems, we do not deliver mere reportage
APPROACH
We have a reputation for utilising innovative research and analytical methods – which means we avoid assembly line approaches and reject the process orientation of the biggest research agencies
FUTURE FOCUSED
We believe that research which delivers foresight as well as insight offers brands and agencies the opportunity to squeeze much more value out of the research process
ABOUT US
PROBLEM SOLVING
Our experience has been profound, global and progressive. We solve problems, we do not deliver mere reportage
APPROACH
We have a reputation for utilising innovative research and analytical methods – which means we avoid assembly line approaches and reject the process orientation of the biggest research agencies
FUTURE FOCUSED
We believe that research which delivers foresight as well as insight offers brands and agencies the opportunity to squeeze much more value out of the research process
WE …
…APPLY INNOVATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
to solve marketing dilemmas and help direct long range thinking.
...USE IMMERSIVE METHODS
Such as ethnography, supported by follow up depth interviews, expert sessions and focus groups, to really get under the skin of sectors, ranging from supermarkets, via financial services, to alcohol… and even, for Durex, sex.
...RUN THE BEST RECRUITED AND MODERATED INTERVIEWS
Whether they be depths or focus groups, that clients such as Samsung, Mercedes and Nestle claim to have seen.
...FORMULATE AND REFINE STRATEGIES
By utilising expert and savvy consumer input, to help brands and agencies uncover fresh insights about what they do and extrapolate from this to help planners and marketeers plan for the future.
...HELP AGENCIES TO WIN PITCHES
From Saatchi & Direct Line and Marie Curie, to Havas & Huawei, by squeezing more value out of the pitch research process. We burrow deeper and uncover emotional insights that drive distinctive and motivating ideas.
...GET THE JOB DONE
whether the timeline is 2 months, or 2 days
AND WE DO ALL OF THE ABOVE SWIFTLY, AT GREAT RATES
WE …
…APPLY INNOVATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
to solve marketing dilemmas and help direct long range thinking.
...USE IMMERSIVE METHODS
Such as ethnography, supported by follow up depth interviews, expert sessions and focus groups, to really get under the skin of sectors, ranging from supermarkets, via financial services, to alcohol… and even, for Durex, sex.
...RUN THE BEST RECRUITED AND MODERATED INTERVIEWS
Whether they be depths or focus groups, that clients such as Samsung, Mercedes and Nestle claim to have seen.
...FORMULATE AND REFINE STRATEGIES
By utilising expert and savvy consumer input, to help brands and agencies uncover fresh insights about what they do and extrapolate from this to help planners and marketeers plan for the future.
...HELP AGENCIES TO WIN PITCHES
From Saatchi & Direct Line and Marie Curie, to Havas & Huawei, by squeezing more value out of the pitch research process. We burrow deeper and uncover emotional insights that drive distinctive and motivating ideas.
...GET THE JOB DONE
whether the timeline is 2 months, or 2 days
AND WE DO ALL OF THE ABOVE SWIFTLY, AT GREAT RATES
OUR CLIENTS
OUR CLIENTS
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
I have worked with Murmur research in three continents over the last twenty years. Our business gets tougher and tougher, more platforms, more segments and yet the methodology of finding the insights that feed them all have hardly changed in the last thirty years. Mark and his team are amongst the very few who look at a problem and come up with a new and interesting way of finding a deeper and more meaningful context which helps us develop a stronger and more edgy solution for our clients. Without giving away too much , we recently employed Murmur to help us go beyond the typical understanding of our targets in one of our core growth markets. The result has been a body of work that has served to better our briefs, given us a stronger and more respected opinion for our clients and has led to numerous new business meetings, I sincerely hope he does not share this methodology with any of you:-) In short if you want some research which tells you what you already think you know and what your clients almost certainly do know, well don’t hire Mark. If you want thought provoking, ideas before their time, stimulus for real creative thinking then Murmur is your team..
Poran MalaniPresident Ogilvy & Mather
…From quickly getting to grips with the brief and research objectives, recruiting the right people – demographically and attitudinally on-brief, articulate and vocal – writing discussion guides that work to unearth new consumer and or category insights, considering and implementing the best qualitative methodologies, exploring socio-cultural contexts prior to and post fieldwork, to presenting to clients, creative’s and various stakeholders with an easy aplomb and professional integrity. Mark possesses a fundamental empathy for what we do and how we do it; he’s always been my partner along the strategic and creative development process rather than just a supplier. During our many creative development projects he’s demonstrated a brilliant cultural and creative literacy that both facilitates a sensitive but thorough exploration of an ideas merit and optimise its potential to engage with and get noticed by consumers…
Damian McKeown Planning Director Droga 5
Mark ran a global consumer insight research project for me, at Timberland. Mark was a great partner who brought tremendous passion, enthusiasm and insight to the project. He was able to anticipate and get in deep to understand and provide fresh insight. The research was critical to our consumer understanding and positioning for Timberland, bringing rich insight that continues to inform strategy and communications. I’d highly recommend Mark and the Murmur team, and hope to have the opportunity to work with them again.
Tracey StokesMarketing Director Timberland
Mark is unquestionably one of the greatest researchers and thinkers in the advertising and communication business. In my 20 years of knowing and working with Mark he has made me and the business I have worked on infinitely better. Marks greatest asset is his ability to understand people and culture and knowing how to interpret that understanding in a way that not only benefits the brands he works on, but more importantly benefits the people the very insight came from. But above all else Mark is just one of those people you love spending time with. If you can get time in his incredibly busy life then you and / or your brand will be better for it.
Andy BellassPartner and CSO Splendid Communications
Mark and his team at Murmur have given us two of the biggest strategic breakthroughs of the last year in planning. The most notable was on our recent £60 million Dulux global account win. In a world of qual researchers that seem unwilling to get stuck into the meaty strategic stuff, Mark is total refreshment.
Rebecca MoodyPlanning Director Mother
Other researchers pale into insignificance compared to Mark. I have always felt confident introducing him to new clients as I know he will not let me down. He has a God-given talent for seeing things that others miss and because of his history with creatives and agencies his work is always useful. I have known clients to use his debrief as the holy grail for a long time after it was given as he has uncovered so much valuable insight -stuff that challenges, enlightens and facilitates creativity. I have used him for anything from creative development research through to really high end opinion former work – he has some of the best recruiters and manages to speak to your wish list. Oh and clients like him and trust him – which is always good.
Farhat ZaheerSenior Planner Havas Worldwide
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
I have worked with Murmur research in three continents over the last twenty years. Our business gets tougher and tougher, more platforms, more segments and yet the methodology of finding the insights that feed them all have hardly changed in the last thirty years. Mark and his team are amongst the very few who look at a problem and come up with a new and interesting way of finding a deeper and more meaningful context which helps us develop a stronger and more edgy solution for our clients. Without giving away too much , we recently employed Murmur to help us go beyond the typical understanding of our targets in one of our core growth markets. The result has been a body of work that has served to better our briefs, given us a stronger and more respected opinion for our clients and has led to numerous new business meetings, I sincerely hope he does not share this methodology with any of you:-) In short if you want some research which tells you what you already think you know and what your clients almost certainly do know, well don’t hire Mark. If you want thought provoking, ideas before their time, stimulus for real creative thinking then Murmur is your team..
Poran MalaniPresident Ogilvy & Mather
…From quickly getting to grips with the brief and research objectives, recruiting the right people – demographically and attitudinally on-brief, articulate and vocal – writing discussion guides that work to unearth new consumer and or category insights, considering and implementing the best qualitative methodologies, exploring socio-cultural contexts prior to and post fieldwork, to presenting to clients, creative’s and various stakeholders with an easy aplomb and professional integrity. Mark possesses a fundamental empathy for what we do and how we do it; he’s always been my partner along the strategic and creative development process rather than just a supplier. During our many creative development projects he’s demonstrated a brilliant cultural and creative literacy that both facilitates a sensitive but thorough exploration of an ideas merit and optimise its potential to engage with and get noticed by consumers…
Damian McKeown Planning Director Droga 5
Mark ran a global consumer insight research project for me, at Timberland. Mark was a great partner who brought tremendous passion, enthusiasm and insight to the project. He was able to anticipate and get in deep to understand and provide fresh insight. The research was critical to our consumer understanding and positioning for Timberland, bringing rich insight that continues to inform strategy and communications. I’d highly recommend Mark and the Murmur team, and hope to have the opportunity to work with them again.
Tracey StokesMarketing Director Timberland
Mark is unquestionably one of the greatest researchers and thinkers in the advertising and communication business. In my 20 years of knowing and working with Mark he has made me and the business I have worked on infinitely better. Marks greatest asset is his ability to understand people and culture and knowing how to interpret that understanding in a way that not only benefits the brands he works on, but more importantly benefits the people the very insight came from. But above all else Mark is just one of those people you love spending time with. If you can get time in his incredibly busy life then you and / or your brand will be better for it.
Andy BellassPartner and CSO Splendid Communications
Mark and his team at Murmur have given us two of the biggest strategic breakthroughs of the last year in planning. The most notable was on our recent £60 million Dulux global account win. In a world of qual researchers that seem unwilling to get stuck into the meaty strategic stuff, Mark is total refreshment.
Rebecca MoodyPlanning Director Mother
Other researchers pale into insignificance compared to Mark. I have always felt confident introducing him to new clients as I know he will not let me down. He has a God-given talent for seeing things that others miss and because of his history with creatives and agencies his work is always useful. I have known clients to use his debrief as the holy grail for a long time after it was given as he has uncovered so much valuable insight -stuff that challenges, enlightens and facilitates creativity. I have used him for anything from creative development research through to really high end opinion former work – he has some of the best recruiters and manages to speak to your wish list. Oh and clients like him and trust him – which is always good.
Farhat ZaheerSenior Planner Havas Worldwide
STRATEGY
OUR APPROACH HAS
ALWAYS REVOLVED
AROUND MOVING
THINKING
FORWARD > > > > > .
OVER THE YEARS THAT HAS MEANT WE HAVE INCREASINGLY FOUND OURSELVES HELPING TO EVOLVE, OR EVEN UNCOVER, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS
STRATEGY
OUR APPROACH
HAS ALWAYS
REVOLVED AROUND
MOVING THINKING
FORWARD > > > > > .
OVER THE YEARS THAT HAS MEANT WE HAVE INCREASINGLY FOUND OURSELVES HELPING TO EVOLVE, OR EVEN UNCOVER, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS
For example, when we work on pitches for ad agencies we often get involved at an earlier stage in the process where we elicit the input of experts and savvy consumers to help identify motivating territory that positioning statements and strategic propositions can be rooted in
BECAUSE WE HAVE EXPERIENCE IN AD AGENCY PLANNING, WE UNDERSTAND STRATEGY. AND BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURES INVOLVED IN IDENTIFYING DISTINCTIVE AND MOTIVATING STRATEGIES, WE ALWAYS WORK CLOSELY WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO COME UP WITH FRESH THINKING IN THIS AREA..
OVER THE COURSE OF FIELDWORK WE WILL CONTINUALLY FEED NUGGETS AND INSIGHTS INTO PLANNING OR MARKETING DEPARTMENTS, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING TERRITORY THAT GETS EVERYONE SITTING FORWARD AND EXCITED.
IN ESSENCE, WE EVOLVE IDEAS BY GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN CONSUMERS AND AGENCY OR CLIENT, UNTIL WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE MOST RESONANT AND DISTINCTIVE STRATEGIC IDEAS AND PROPOSITIONS
For example, when we work on pitches for ad agencies we often get involved at an earlier stage in the process where we elicit the input of experts and savvy consumers to help identify motivating territory that positioning statements and strategic propositions can be rooted in
BECAUSE WE HAVE EXPERIENCE IN AD AGENCY PLANNING, WE UNDERSTAND STRATEGY. AND BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURES INVOLVED IN IDENTIFYING DISTINCTIVE AND MOTIVATING STRATEGIES, WE ALWAYS WORK CLOSELY WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO COME UP WITH FRESH THINKING IN THIS AREA..
OVER THE COURSE OF FIELDWORK WE WILL CONTINUALLY FEED NUGGETS AND INSIGHTS INTO PLANNING OR MARKETING DEPARTMENTS, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING TERRITORY THAT GETS EVERYONE SITTING FORWARD AND EXCITED.
IN ESSENCE, WE EVOLVE IDEAS BY GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN CONSUMERS AND AGENCY OR CLIENT, UNTIL WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE MOST RESONANT AND DISTINCTIVE STRATEGIC IDEAS AND PROPOSITIONS
INSIGHT
WE BELIEVE INSIGHT COMES FROM A BESPOKE APPROACH, RATHER THAN A RESEARCH TEMPLATE.
——
AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL, IF WE ARE CHARGED TO INVESTIGATE A BRAND, SECTOR, OR CAMPAIGN, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING FRESH INSIGHT, WE THINK A JUDICIOUS MIX OF . . . > > >
SAVVY MODERATORS
+
INTELLIGENT RESPONDENTS
+
EXPERTS
=
A HAPPY CLIENT
SAVVY MODERATORS
That means moderators who have enough cultural nous and understanding that they can contextualise consumer responses. So that means our researchers have outside interests and skills.
WHETHER THEY BE MAKING CREDIBLE AND SUCCESSFUL POP MUSIC, CREATING ACCLAIMED CONTEMPORARY ART, MAKING DOCUMENTARIES THAT APPEAR ON CHANNEL 4 OR COMPOSING AND PERFORMING CLASSICAL MUSIC.
INTELLIGENT RESPONDENTS
WE BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY IN QUOTA-ING FOR INTELLIGENCE WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITMENT. RESEARCHING ANYTHING MORE ABSTRACT OR CREATIVE NECESSITATES A CERTAIN TYPE OF RESPONDENT – BRIGHT, ARTICULATE AND CAPABLE OF CREATIVE THINKING.
Of course, our respondents are still representative of a sector. Accessing more intelligent respondents involves ascertaining how engaged our respondents are with popular culture – evidence of engagement means respondents are more likely to be able to answer questions in a way that’s considered.
EXPERTS
WE RECRUIT IN HOUSE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO EXPERTS – RECENTLY, WE HAVE FOUND OURSELVES SPEAKING WITH RESPONDENTS THAT NORMAL RECRUITERS SIMPLY CANNOT FIND, INCLUDING THE DISPARATE LIKES OF:
–
- NHS Commissioners
- The country’s top washing machine designers
- Experts in the way trends in the home are evolving
- The top food buyers in Sainsbury’s
- Leading experts in Russian youth culture
- Dance music pop stars
- The country’s leading experts on stress
- The country’s leading experts on cultural revolution
- Users of very obscure credit agencies
- High class prostitutes
- The top personal trainers in the USA and UK
… AND OTHERS
INSIGHT
WE BELIEVE INSIGHT COMES FROM A BESPOKE APPROACH, RATHER THAN A RESEARCH TEMPLATE.
——
AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL, IF WE ARE CHARGED TO INVESTIGATE A BRAND, SECTOR, OR CAMPAIGN, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING FRESH INSIGHT, WE THINK A JUDICIOUS MIX OF . . . > > >
SAVVY MODERATORS
+
INTELLIGENT RESPONDANTS
+
EXPERTS
=
A HAPPY CLIENT
SAVVY MODERATORS
That means moderators who have enough cultural nous and understanding that they can contextualise consumer responses. So that means our researchers have outside interests and skills.
WHETHER THEY BE MAKING CREDIBLE AND SUCCESSFUL POP MUSIC, CREATING ACCLAIMED CONTEMPORARY ART, MAKING DOCUMENTARIES THAT APPEAR ON CHANNEL 4 OR COMPOSING AND PERFORMING CLASSICAL MUSIC.
INTELLIGENT RESPONDENTS
WE BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY IN QUOTA-ING FOR INTELLIGENCE WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITMENT. RESEARCHING ANYTHING MORE ABSTRACT OR CREATIVE NECESSITATES A CERTAIN TYPE OF RESPONDENT – BRIGHT, ARTICULATE AND CAPABLE OF CREATIVE THINKING.
Of course, our respondents are still representative of a sector. Accessing more intelligent respondents involves ascertaining how engaged our respondents are with popular culture – evidence of engagement means respondents are more likely to be able to answer questions in a way that’s considered.
EXPERTS
WE RECRUIT IN HOUSE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO EXPERTS – RECENTLY, WE HAVE FOUND OURSELVES SPEAKING WITH RESPONDENTS THAT NORMAL RECRUITERS SIMPLY CANNOT FIND, INCLUDING THE DISPARATE LIKES OF:
–
- NHS Commissioners
- The country’s top washing machine designers
- Experts in the way trends in the home are evolving
- The top food buyers in Sainsbury’s
- Leading experts in Russian youth culture
- Dance music pop stars
- The country’s leading experts on stress
- The country’s leading experts on cultural revolution
- Users of very obscure credit agencies
- High class prostitutes
- The top personal trainers in the USA and UK
… AND OTHERS
RESEARCH TOOLS
OPINION FORMERS
We believe opinion formers offer a short circuit to knowledge. We believe in speaking with people at the top of the adoption tree, the creators and trend setters in a sector – whether we are talking high class prostitutes, top hedge fund managers, the country’s most esteemed washing machine designers, or pop stars.
ONLINE FORUMS
In recent years, we have increasingly found online forums to be a cost effective yet incredibly fruitful way of getting savvy consumers to live with and think about relevant issues for weeks at a time.
CO-CREATION SESSIONS
Co-creation sessions are a way of moving communications thinking forward that harnesses the dynamic engendered by an intense, day-long session with a room full of experts, savvy consumers… and a strategist or 2 to translate ideas into action.
ETHNOGRAPHY
In the early 90s we could be found immersing ourselves into underground rave culture and we still immerse ourselves in cultures today, for brands as disparate as Timberland, Maserati and Aldi.
CO-OPERATIVE
Co-operative research enables us to access environments and opinion that are beyond reach. We have utilised it to access disparate ethnic and demographic groups.
WINNING PITCHES
What we offer, within an absurdly fast turnaround and at great rates, is utilisation of interesting methods to elicit the most rich and layered findings. We have been on the winning side in 13 out of 15 pitches we have worked on, in the last 2 years.
COMMUNICATIONS CHECKS
Our approach to communication checks involves the most senior researchers undertaking 20-30 depth interviews, recruited in-situ by our specially trained recruiters, in 1 day – avoiding dominant respondent syndrome and enabling incredibly fast turnaround.
FOCUS GROUPS
Clients as disparate as Adidas, Coca Cola, Ogilvy & Mather and Mother have regularly told us that we run the best moderated focus groups they have ever seen. We are flexible over group numbers and interview duration – there’s nothing wrong with speaking with 10 people over 3 or 4 hours, as long as they are offered decent food, drink and the occasional break.
RESEARCH TOOLS
OPINION FORMERS
We believe opinion formers offer a short circuit to knowledge. We believe in speaking with people at the top of the adoption tree, the creators and trend setters in a sector – whether we are talking high class prostitutes, top hedge fund managers, the country’s most esteemed washing machine designers, or pop stars.
ONLINE FORUMS
In recent years, we have increasingly found online forums to be a cost effective yet incredibly fruitful way of getting savvy consumers to live with and think about relevant issues for weeks at a time.
CO-CREATION SESSIONS
Co-creation sessions are a way of moving communications thinking forward that harnesses the dynamic engendered by an intense, day-long session with a room full of experts, savvy consumers… and a strategist or 2 to translate ideas into action.
ETHNOGRAPHY
In the early 90s we could be found immersing ourselves into underground rave culture and we still immerse ourselves in cultures today, for brands as disparate as Timberland, Maserati and Aldi.
CO-OPERATIVE
Co-operative research enables us to access environments and opinion that are beyond reach. We have utilised it to access disparate ethnic and demographic groups.
WINNING PITCHES
What we offer, within an absurdly fast turnaround and at great rates, is utilisation of interesting methods to elicit the most rich and layered findings. We have been on the winning side in 13 out of 15 pitches we have worked on, in the last 2 years.
COMMUNICATIONS CHECKS
Our approach to communication checks involves the most senior researchers undertaking 20-30 depth interviews, recruited in-situ by our specially trained recruiters, in 1 day – avoiding dominant respondent syndrome and enabling incredibly fast turnaround.
FOCUS GROUPS
Clients as disparate as Adidas, Coca Cola, Ogilvy & Mather and Mother have regularly told us that we run the best moderated focus groups they have ever seen. We are flexible over group numbers and interview duration – there’s nothing wrong with speaking with 10 people over 3 or 4 hours, as long as they are offered decent food, drink and the occasional break.
*
MUR MUR FILMS
We are committed to producing research films which go beyond the market research norm – for example, we followed a number of middle aged men for a number of months, on behalf of VW and the resulting film, ‘The Middle Men’, ended up winning the best UK documentary award at the 2010 London Independent Film Festival Awards.
WE USE FILM TO BRING CONSUMERS
VIVIDLY TO LIFE, IN A WAY THAT ADDS
RESONANCE AND MEANING TO DEBRIEFS.
*
MUR MUR FILMS
We are committed to producing research films which go beyond the market research norm – for example, we followed a number of middle aged men for a number of months, on behalf of VW and the resulting film, ‘The Middle Men’, ended up winning the best uk documentary award at the 2010 London Independent Film Festival Awards.
WE USE FILM TO BRING CONSUMERS
VIVIDLY TO LIFE, IN A WAY THAT ADDS
RESONANCE AND MEANING TO DEBRIEFS.
HISTORY
2026
As of Spring 2026, we have been working as researchers and strategists on the disparate likes of (i) Government literacy and reducing alcohol intake campaigns, (ii) understanding coffee moments and what kind of strategic positionings might be rooted in them, (iii) how to openly talk about sex and attendant needs, across a number of countries, (iv) how hair removal is evolving for women, globally, (v) what the leading food delivery app needs to say in order to distinguish itself among a multitude of competitors, across Europe and (viii) where are the opportunities to enhance the lives of people diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s, from when they are diagnosed, to when they have a stoma op
We are also knocking it out of the park, helping agencies win pitches. Most recently, with my Rama colleague, we have overseen the strategy and creative work for a Woolmark pitch
2025
Brands and agencies we have worked with run the gamut from Havas and Mullen Lowe, via Illy and Durex, to Veet and Just Eat
More broadly, we have been helping to produce a documentary about music subcultures associated with the Harrow Road, supporting VCCP in their successful TFL pitch, running focus groups to understand drivers for teaching in FE colleges and researching music and sound for Harmon Kardon, across the USA, Germany, France and China
2024
As of Summer 2024, we are working with brands, ad agencies and creatives, at strategic and production levels, on projects involving televisual content creation
We investigated drivers and barriers to philanthropy in California on the back of expert interviews
We got under the skin of Denmark, utilising ethnography and focus groups, to focus on why a supermarket is in freefall decline there and what might reverse that decline
We have been running groups in the education field for the Open University and Early Years Education, on behalf of Havas
We have sought to investigate the live issues around non – doms, via expert interviews, given recent publicity, for Withers Worldwide
We have done stacks of strategic and creative development work with beer and spirits, for the disparate likes of Coors, Madri and Kirker Greer, utilising depths, groups and online forums
We have used ethnography and insitu depths to investigate why a major fast food restaurant is doing well in the South and tanking in the North, with a view to finessing launch strategy
And in between all the above, we have flexed our qualitative skills and strategic savvy on other projects ranging from understanding where there may be opportunities to enhance police recruitment among ethnic and social groups currently wary of them, to how a huge FMCG umbrella organisation might ramp up its visibility and attendant value
In 2023/2022 we worked on pitches, strategic and creative development projects – with ad agencies and brands like ASDA, Aspall, Branston, Coors Light, Doom Bar, Doritos, EDF, Ryvita and Quaker, utilising on and offline focus groups and online qualitative forums, to move thinking forward
We helped Amazon articulate a strategic positioning, working closely with their agency, Red Brick Road
For the AA and Adam & Eve our brief was to identify the human insight that might bring the AA comms strategy to life – we reported back in the form of a podcast, edited field sound recordings, a short film. and a specially built online microsite
And we interviewed leading sex therapists and high end escorts to drive NPD for KY and helped identify metropolitan male grooming needs in India and the UK utilising ethnography for Gillette
2023
As of Spring 2023 we are helping ad agencies to win pitches – for the Open University and NHS blood donation most recently. We have run strategic and creative development sessions for ASDA and EDF, on behalf of Havas. We’ve unpicked what the Premier League is perceived as being good at, on the back of extended, creative focus groups. And we are kicking off a major project revolving around researching the needs of farmers in a sustainable context, globally, for which we will be undertaking indepth interviews, in situ, often in inaccessible, rural areas
2022
Mid 2022 we are still running forums, expert interviews, focus groups and depths online, although we are slowly returning to more face to face sessions
In the last 12 months we have been working on strategic and creative development projects – with relevant ad agencies and brands like ASDA, Aspall, Branston, Coors Light, Doom Bar, Doritos, Ryvita and Quaker, utilising on and offline focus groups and online qualitative forums, to move thinking forward
We employed a mix of extended on and offline focus groups to help Amazon articulate a strategic positioning for a new online supermarket proposition, where we worked closely with their agency, Red Brick Road
For the AA and Adam & Eve, our brief was to identify the human insight that will bring the AA comms strategy for the next few years, to life – over the course of which we ran a mix of online forums, expert depths and consumer groups, produced a podcast from a well know Radio 4 figure and pulled together field sound recordings into an edit and made a short film. We ultimately delivered findings in the form of an especially built online microsite
We have been working closely with the agency Havas on their pitches for various government departments, including education and health – on all pitches we have worked on, Havas won
We have also reached the climax of a two year project with Salts Healthcare, where we have dived deep into the lives of patients and medics, to bring to life stoma patient needs and what might enhance their health and well being
2021
Late 2020 and early 2021, we were running forums, focus groups and expert interviews, online – for obvious reasons
We undertook a large project looking at the future of the home and office, post-Covid-19, for Withers Worldwide. We ran expert depth sessions with the county’s top property developers, estate agents, town designers, architects and hospitality brand owners, in order to identify evolving home and office property needs
Late Winter/early Spring 2021, we were utilising online forums and focus groups with respondents and experts seeking to understand how financially disenfranchised people in Wales might gain control of their lives, ultimately with a view to influencing public policy, for Hafod
We kicked off an ongoing international project understanding needs and areas for innovation within stoma care, for Salts Healthcare. Online forums and ethnographic immersions were our primary research tools. We also ran an online qualitative forum seeking to understand people’s broad health needs and the potential for a new online product operating in this area, around the same time
Just before Christmas 2020 we helped Candy & Candy understand the potential for a premium non-alcoholic Champagne, utilising influencer and expert consumer groups
We continued to work on strategic and creative development projects for ad agencies like Havas and brands like Quaker, Doritos, 3 and Molson Coors
We have also continued to work with The Citizens, helping them with the initial set up of the Real Facebook Oversight Board
2020
Prior to lockdown in 2020 we had already undertaken advertising creative development projects with brands like Peugeot, ran a massive co-creation project with global experts in new technology for Lenovo, understanding how smart technology might evolve; we investigated how people are viewing TV in 2020 for Channel 5 utilising extensive ethnography, focus groups and co-creation and unpicked the burgeoning CBD market among groups of users and non-users, for a new sector player
Since lockdown we have shifted online to run depths and groups, investigating everything from potential advertising routes for brands like EDF, to inconsistencies in government strategy tackling Covid-19, for a group called Citizens, revolving around investigative journalists like Carole Cadwalladr
2019
We interviewed cultural opinion formers around the globe in the latter half of 2019, to understand whether the disparity between rich and poor is reaching breaking point, for a legal client
Over Spring/Summer 2019, we ran an extended online forum with skincare early adopters and sector experts, to refine a new premium skincare range and its positioning
Between Summer 2018 and Spring 2019, we harnessed a co-creation approach to articulate visions of transport’s future, for Goodyear; we helped ad agencies hone their strategic thinking and win pitches for the likes of Teacher Training and Virgin Media; we utilised extended groups to understand feelings about US beers for Coors; online forums and ethnography for Gillette enabled us to pinpoint metropolitan male grooming needs in India; co-creation sessions in Paris for Danone helped us to refine one of their key brand’s strategic drivers and we utilised ethnography and extended groups to understand Puma, from a training perspective
2018
in the first half of 2018, we interviewed high end escorts and top sex therapists, to drive KY NPD; we used ethnography and extended focus groups to map the UK’s soft drink market, for Britvic and Clearly Drinks; we filmed trips into consumers’ social lives in London’s hipster enclaves, for Bulldog Gin; we undertook the most extensive study of broadband usage and needs in rural England for Gigaclear and for Gillette and Procter & Gamble we ran a U&A/NPD project comprising a 2 week long online community and an extended film trip into consumers lives, in order to highlight new need states and opportunities
2017
In 2017 we undertook a huge ethnographic study into media consumption and engagement with attendant communications, for the Royal Mail, immersed ourselves into the area around Waterloo in order to ascertain its essence, for the developers responsible for the £600 million regeneration of the station area, helped Havas win Rekorderlig on the back of strategic development research, spent 5 weeks with millennial males to generate insights which enabled Havas to win the Carling pitch and immersed ourselves into the world of rescuing and rehoming pets, in an extended qualitative research project for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
2016
In 2016 we cracked communications strategy for a major FMCG brand working with Karmarama, helped Havas win the pitch for Huawei, assisted New Balance designing the retail store of the future, identified opportunities for Halifax to behave like a consumer champion and put the UK hospitality sector under the microscope, for Whitbread
2015
In 2015 we managed the biggest millennials study that’s ever been undertaken in India, for Ogilvy & Mather, uncovered fresh insight into End of Life Care for Marie Curie, built and managed an international forum among opinion forming women on the future of feminism for a major FMCG brand, assisted Debenhams in optimising their offering for women and helped Netflix in evolving their future communications strategy across Europe
HISTORY
2026
As of Spring 2026, we have been working as researchers and strategists on the disparate likes of (i) Government literacy and reducing alcohol intake campaigns, (ii) understanding coffee moments and what kind of strategic positionings might be rooted in them, (iii) how to openly talk about sex and attendant needs, across a number of countries, (iv) how hair removal is evolving for women, globally, (v) what the leading food delivery app needs to say in order to distinguish itself among a multitude of competitors, across Europe and (viii) where are the opportunities to enhance the lives of people diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s, from when they are diagnosed, to when they have a stoma op
We are also knocking it out of the park, helping agencies win pitches. Most recently, with my Rama colleague, we have overseen the strategy and creative work for a Woolmark pitch
2025
Brands and agencies we have worked with run the gamut from Havas and Mullen Lowe, via Illy and Durex, to Veet and Just Eat
More broadly, we have been helping to produce a documentary about music subcultures associated with the Harrow Road, supporting VCCP in their successful TFL pitch, running focus groups to understand drivers for teaching in FE colleges and researching music and sound for Harmon Kardon, across the USA, Germany, France and China
2024
As of Summer 2024, we are working with brands, ad agencies and creatives, at strategic and production levels, on projects involving televisual content creation
We investigated drivers and barriers to philanthropy in California on the back of expert interviews
We got under the skin of Denmark, utilising ethnography and focus groups, to focus on why a supermarket is in freefall decline there and what might reverse that decline
We have been running groups in the education field for the Open University and Early Years Education, on behalf of Havas
We have sought to investigate the live issues around non – doms, via expert interviews, given recent publicity, for Withers Worldwide
We have done stacks of strategic and creative development work with beer and spirits, for the disparate likes of Coors, Madri and Kirker Greer, utilising depths, groups and online forums
We have used ethnography and insitu depths to investigate why a major fast food restaurant is doing well in the South and tanking in the North, with a view to finessing launch strategy
And in between all the above, we have flexed our qualitative skills and strategic savvy on other projects ranging from understanding where there may be opportunities to enhance police recruitment among ethnic and social groups currently wary of them, to how a huge FMCG umbrella organisation might ramp up its visibility and attendant value
In 2023/2022 we worked on pitches, strategic and creative development projects – with ad agencies and brands like ASDA, Aspall, Branston, Coors Light, Doom Bar, Doritos, EDF, Ryvita and Quaker, utilising on and offline focus groups and online qualitative forums, to move thinking forward
We helped Amazon articulate a strategic positioning, working closely with their agency, Red Brick Road
For the AA and Adam & Eve our brief was to identify the human insight that might bring the AA comms strategy to life – we reported back in the form of a podcast, edited field sound recordings, a short film. and a specially built online microsite
And we interviewed leading sex therapists and high end escorts to drive NPD for KY and helped identify metropolitan male grooming needs in India and the UK utilising ethnography for Gillette
2023
As of Spring 2023 we are helping ad agencies to win pitches – for the Open University and NHS blood donation most recently. We have run strategic and creative development sessions for ASDA and EDF, on behalf of Havas. We’ve unpicked what the Premier League is perceived as being good at, on the back of extended, creative focus groups. And we are kicking off a major project revolving around researching the needs of farmers in a sustainable context, globally, for which we will be undertaking indepth interviews, in situ, often in inaccessible, rural areas
2022
Mid 2022 we are still running forums, expert interviews, focus groups and depths online, although we are slowly returning to more face to face sessions
In the last 12 months we have been working on strategic and creative development projects – with relevant ad agencies and brands like ASDA, Aspall, Branston, Coors Light, Doom Bar, Doritos, Ryvita and Quaker, utilising on and offline focus groups and online qualitative forums, to move thinking forward
We employed a mix of extended on and offline focus groups to help Amazon articulate a strategic positioning for a new online supermarket proposition, where we worked closely with their agency, Red Brick Road
For the AA and Adam & Eve, our brief was to identify the human insight that will bring the AA comms strategy for the next few years, to life – over the course of which we ran a mix of online forums, expert depths and consumer groups, produced a podcast from a well know Radio 4 figure and pulled together field sound recordings into an edit and made a short film. We ultimately delivered findings in the form of an especially built online microsite
We have been working closely with the agency Havas on their pitches for various government departments, including education and health – on all pitches we have worked on, Havas won
We have also reached the climax of a two year project with Salts Healthcare, where we have dived deep into the lives of patients and medics, to bring to life stoma patient needs and what might enhance their health and well being
2021
Late 2020 and early 2021, we were running forums, focus groups and expert interviews, online – for obvious reasons
We undertook a large project looking at the future of the home and office, post-Covid-19, for Withers Worldwide. We ran expert depth sessions with the county’s top property developers, estate agents, town designers, architects and hospitality brand owners, in order to identify evolving home and office property needs
Late Winter/early Spring 2021, we were utilising online forums and focus groups with respondents and experts seeking to understand how financially disenfranchised people in Wales might gain control of their lives, ultimately with a view to influencing public policy, for Hafod
We kicked off an ongoing international project understanding needs and areas for innovation within stoma care, for Salts Healthcare. Online forums and ethnographic immersions were our primary research tools. We also ran an online qualitative forum seeking to understand people’s broad health needs and the potential for a new online product operating in this area, around the same time
Just before Christmas 2020 we helped Candy & Candy understand the potential for a premium non-alcoholic Champagne, utilising influencer and expert consumer groups
We continued to work on strategic and creative development projects for ad agencies like Havas and brands like Quaker, Doritos, 3 and Molson Coors
We have also continued to work with The Citizens, helping them with the initial set up of the Real Facebook Oversight Board
2020
Prior to lockdown in 2020 we had already undertaken advertising creative development projects with brands like Peugeot, ran a massive co-creation project with global experts in new technology for Lenovo, understanding how smart technology might evolve; we investigated how people are viewing TV in 2020 for Channel 5 utilising extensive ethnography, focus groups and co-creation and unpicked the burgeoning CBD market among groups of users and non-users, for a new sector player
Since lockdown we have shifted online to run depths and groups, investigating everything from potential advertising routes for brands like EDF, to inconsistencies in government strategy tackling Covid-19, for a group called Citizens, revolving around investigative journalists like Carole Cadwalladr
2019
We interviewed cultural opinion formers around the globe in the latter half of 2019, to understand whether the disparity between rich and poor is reaching breaking point, for a legal client
Over Spring/Summer 2019, we ran an extended online forum with skincare early adopters and sector experts, to refine a new premium skincare range and its positioning
Between Summer 2018 and Spring 2019, we harnessed a co-creation approach to articulate visions of transport’s future, for Goodyear; we helped ad agencies hone their strategic thinking and win pitches for the likes of Teacher Training and Virgin Media; we utilised extended groups to understand feelings about US beers for Coors; online forums and ethnography for Gillette enabled us to pinpoint metropolitan male grooming needs in India; co-creation sessions in Paris for Danone helped us to refine one of their key brand’s strategic drivers and we utilised ethnography and extended groups to understand Puma, from a training perspective
2018
in 2018, we have been interviewing high end escorts and top sex therapists, to drive KY NPD; we have used ethnography and extended focus groups to map the UK’s soft drink market, for Britvic and Clearly Drinks; we have filmed trips into consumers’ social lives in London’s hipster enclaves, for Bulldog Gin; we have undertaken the most extensive study of broadband usage and needs in rural England for Gigaclear and for Gillette and Procter & Gamble we have run a U&A/NPD project comprising a 2 week long online community and an extended film trip into consumers lives, in order to highlight new need states and opportunities
2017
In 2017 we undertook a huge ethnographic study into media consumption and engagement with attendant communications, for the Royal Mail, immersed ourselves into the area around Waterloo in order to ascertain its essence, for the developers responsible for the £600 million regeneration of the station area, helped Havas win Rekorderlig on the back of strategic development research, spent 5 weeks with millennial males to generate insights which enabled Havas to win the Carling pitch and immersed ourselves into the world of rescuing and rehoming pets, in an extended qualitative research project for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
2016
In 2016 we cracked communications strategy for a major FMCG brand working with Karmarama, helped Havas win the pitch for Huawei, assisted New Balance designing the retail store of the future, identified opportunities for Halifax to behave like a consumer champion and put the UK hospitality sector under the microscope, for Whitbread
2015
In 2015 we managed the biggest millennials study that’s ever been undertaken in India, for Ogilvy & Mather, uncovered fresh insight into End of Life Care for Marie Curie, built and managed an international forum among opinion forming women on the future of feminism for a major FMCG brand, assisted Debenhams in optimising their offering for women and helped Netflix in evolving their future communications strategy across Europe