Keep your market intelligence objectives close and your researchers closer
Achieving top-notch solutions hinges on a research team's close collaboration with stakeholders from start to finish. Merely skimming the surface won't yield optimal results. Instead, complete immersion and collaboration between researchers and stakeholders must occur before, during, and after the project’s execution.
Before the project: Collaborate
Collaborating prior to kicking off the project is critical. This is prime time for researchers to gain a holistic understanding of the business problem and objectives. Members of the entire business unit — including advertising, merchandising, marketing, product development, strategy, etc. — need to work hand-in-hand with the research team to answer questions like:
- What are we going to do with the data and information that we learn?
- What will the gathered information allow the company to act on?
- What is the company willing to sacrifice to reach its goals?
Digging into questions like these to understand goals, fears, hypotheses, and limitations/constraints before the research begins ensures that the researchers focus on the root of the problem and create a firm foundation for developing a research plan.
During the project: Collaborate
Collaboration between research and stakeholder teams during the project enables the team to pivot when necessary.
- What happens when researchers uncover new, unexpected information early on? A collaborative research team can reorient the approach to yield more valuable insights in response to it.
- What if the study is missing critical consumers? A collaborative research team can survey a different segment to ensure results are robust and representative.
- What do you do if the qualitative research unearths something unexpected? A collaborative research team is prepared to adjust the quantitative approach.
Changes like these can only happen during the project if there is a constant connection between the “boots on the ground” researchers and stakeholders. It creates an agile environment that keeps the project on track and produces more valuable results.
After the project: (You guessed it) Collaborate
At the end of any market intelligence project, there is typically a dynamic, engaging, and share-worthy result readout. However, the true power lies in leveraging the newfound insights to seize opportunities and address blind spots effectively.
Activation sessions are a critical component in ensuring that complete knowledge transfer ensues from those knee-deep in the research to those who need to make crucial decisions. They leverage cross-functional teamwork — and even brain science — to help client teams fully adopt what they’ve learned. This occurs over three phases:
- Integration: breaking down research information into digestible parts and reassembling those parts in ways that make sense.
- Application: relating those new insights and concepts to actual business problems.
- Confirmation: fully incorporating results and strategic insights into the business strategy and identifying other internal challenges where they may provide value.
Highly informative and led by a seasoned moderator, activation sessions are proven to deliver a long-term understanding of the findings and concepts, solutions tailored for individual internal teams, and value that transcends the entire organization.
Finding a collaborative market research approach
Having a research team fully immersed in your business and desired outcomes helps maintain alignment and proper progress toward a project’s objectives. This is why Bellomy is devoted to getting to know the ins and outs of our clients and making close communication and frequent touchpoints a priority. If you have a research need you’re invested in, then we’re here to invest in it too.