SEEK: BLOG

HENDRIX CAN HELP. ROCK AND YOUR BUSINESS.

Need product idea inspiration? 

Try using the Top-20 "Agents of Upheaval" in rock history (in chronological order of the corresponding upheaval) to spur on revolutionary new ideas that will resonate with your consumer. Read through the following artists and be challenged by the question at the end.

PART TWO of FOUR

Bob Dylan
Introduces sophisticated lyrics infused with poetry and politics.
At the time, Rock n’ Roll reflected simple playfulness.  Dylan’s music encouraged audiences to think differently, to think more, and to think actively about changing the world around them.
How can your products or messages inspire consumers to think differently, to think more, and to think actively about your category?

 

Carole King
Ushers in the age of the singer-songwriter.
Carole’s primary legacy was as a songwriter. Many artists tried to copy her relaxed songwriting style.  Many artists successfully recorded their own versions of Carole’s songs, such as Aretha Franklin’s “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.”
How can you create a relaxed category experience that your consumer can personalize?

 

Black Sabbath
Invents a thick, massive, loud sound called Heavy Metal.
Sabbath responded to the lighter side of Rock n’ Roll Music by inventing the Heavy Metal genre with a song called “Heavy Metal,” which they recorded in a grungy bathroom in rural Britain.
Thinking about some of the “lighter” trends in your category, how will you break the mold?

 

Jimi Hendrix
Invents the illusion of directional shifts in sound.
Prior to Hendrix, recording techniques had become fairly static. Hendrix directed individual tracks from the right channel to the left channel, back and forth, to create an immersive feeling of swirling motion.
How can you create a sensorial surprise in your category?

 

Patti Smith
Debuts as rock’s most powerful female role model.
Frustrated by the stereotype of a polite female artist, Patti harnessed what many considered to be a “male” energy and opened the doors for subsequent women to explore the full range of emotion through their music.
How can your category allow your consumer to experience a sense of liberation from expectation?

 

By Ben Doepke - ben@seekresearch.com

GUT CHECK. IMMERSION, PLEASE.

Do you ever find yourself looking around at your cross-functional team, and you realize, that most of you have been on the brand for less than a year? 

While moving from brand to brand provides fresh perspective and ideas that are necessary to push innovation, you find you and your business partners making decisions based off of a PPT deck you received in haste when you arrived on the brand with a hearty “Here is your WHO.”  

Working from brand to brand as a QRC (qualitative research consultant), I have seen this case often. It is encouraged to gain experience in a variety of brands, and even functional roles.  Because of this, often times, the research agency holds most of the experience with the consumer. It isn’t enough to have the agency deeply know the consumer and the initiative history. The cross-functional team needs that "gut-level connection" with the consumer.  Too many times crucial decisions are made when research isn’t feasible and the team needs to deeply and easily know their target.  The call needs to be as clear as Tom Brady reading NFL defenses. Come on.  You know what I'm talking about! 

There is nothing better in developing that gut than some old-fashioned immersion research. That’s right, it's not just for segmentation.  It can be about developing the teams intuition with your target. When we talk immersion, the more you get out of your setting the better.  Let's say that your target is driven by female interaction at the bar - schedule them at night and go to the bar with them. Or, if another target gets her value and worth from her Pre-school moms group – try to go with her to the group, or better, host one yourself.  Their turf is your training ground. 

Immersion does not always need to be initiative specific, or offering depth to your segmentation – consider it a regular act to foster the right “gut” on your team.   

By Ryan McCarty - ryan@seekresearch.com

 

A DREAM

One week, 3 countries, 2 languages.

Yes, please.

Go ahead and tack on 4 days of research per country and 30 carefully-recruited respondents - and it's still a dream… just a researcher's dream.  And it isn't always possible face-to-face.  Just not enough hours in the day and budgets are feeling the squeeze, too.

Recently, we made this dream come true (albeit not face-to-face) for a client in a multi-national online qualitative study. Yes, my friends, with a rich 60-page deck of actionable research findings.  All done in. one. week.  

And, to top it all off, our client paid less than $50k. 

Fielding this research in-person could have racked up that much in travel alone. 

This is not to mention all of the oft-overlooked “soft” benefits of online research, such as:

• Zero nights sleeping in a hotel away from family and friends
• Zero jet-lagged hours spent staring at a computer “trying” to get some work done upon returning to the office
• Zero hours wasted on issues with wifi, cell phones, finding printing or office space,  delayed flights, expense reports, and untrained rental car desk employees
• Zero cancelled dates with significant others and friends
• Zero missed soccer games, zero missed family dinners, and zero missed school functions

Online qualitative research serves many purposes, it is the key to fielding better research faster and for less money.  It can be bring an amazing amount of insight to your brand and NOT just from the 20 year old consumer. 

Still, as I sat through my 74th online platform demo, it struck me that the success of a project hangs mainly in our ability to execute engaging research activities. 

In other words, it’s not about whether we use revelation, iTracks, Qualvu, Radian6, 20/20, or Fieldwork, it’s about how creative, engaging, and targeted our activity guide is.  To that I say, "Bring it."

By JL Zoeckler - jl@seekresearch.com

 

SPOTLIGHT: JAMIE JOHNSON

Q. Most Recent Big Win

I recently concluded a large project known as "Project Dude."  A company wanted to better understand the role of men as keepers of the home.  This was the plan we cooked up. We started with a social media audit to make sure our assumptions were confirmed around general attitudes that men have towards cleaning. After some really interesting insights from the media audit we needed to get to task.  We rented a large house in suburban Chicago, strategically placed messes all around the house and then invited a few groups of guys to come in and clean.  Divided into two teams, each group of guys worked their way through the house discussing general attitudes toward cleaning. More importantly, each team evaluated, discussed and conquered the house task by task, discussing each and every detail. Did I mention we have all of this on video?  At the end of the day we learned a heck of a lot, so the next question is, what did we do with all of this information?  After conducting some "cleaning confession" one on one interviews and several hours of B roll footage, the talented folks from our in-house agency put together a "Project Dude" video collage that was shared with the broader team. Just so you know fellas, the days of Don Draper are done.  Just sayin'.

 

Q. All of us have areas we like to talk about most. What are your favorite topics of conversation? 

I love to talk about people. I shouldn't say about people, that makes me sound like I should be in an episode of Housewives of New Jersey.  I love to talk to people.  I find myself in conversations with (here's the short list) cab drivers, gas station attendants, servers, flight attendants, unsuspecting airline passengers, neighbors, the dog, co-workers, musicians and friends.  That was just yesterday.  The topic of conversation most of the time is about them.  I believe everyone has a story and their stories inspire me.

 

Q. What's new in your world?

I am getting married next May. Memorial Day weekend.  I never realized how much planning was involved. What a process. Wow! Luckily, I am only responsible for music and the honeymoon. Thinking Thailand or Hawaii, in case you were wondering.  This might be a good time to mention I am a really lucky guy to be with someone that I know I am meant to be with.  Lauren is amazing.

 

Q. What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

I really want to see Ides of March.  I will make it out soon, I hope.  I am a huge fan of Cincinnati and can't wait to see all of the landmarks we grew up with on the big screen.  Music.  Phoenix, Boyce Avenue, Ray LaMontagne, Postal Service, and Pearl Jam.

 

Q. What are 3 of your favorite things on this planet?

My Macbook Air & iPhone, our dog Maddie, and Lauren.  Working back to front of course.

 

Give Jamie a shout at: jamie.j@seekresearch.com