Research + Market Intelligence
A rebrand. A new product line. A new audience you hope to serve. Big business decisions call for industry-insiders that bring an outside perspective. As specialists in food and beverage, supplement, and pet categories, our proprietary research lends confidence and credibility to high-stakes decision-making.
Which messages align with shoppers’ values? How do they get information? What drives their purchase decisions? Research gives us insights into consumer awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. In turn, insights give brands a competitive edge.
At MarketPlace, insights inform smart strategy and effective tactical execution in everything from media spend and lead generation to customer research and packaging design.
Here are a few of the brands we’ve served.
Lead Generation + Media Strategy
THE SITUATION
A leading global ingredients manufacturer sought to raise awareness of two branded ingredients among supplement formulators. The client approached MarketPlace with two objectives: 1) position the brand as thought leaders in cognitive health and immune health and 2) break through the clutter of marketing and messaging in these subcategories. Our strategic plan combined original research and lead generation tactics to grab the target audience’s attention.
Interested in B2B lead generation? Let’s talk.
WHAT WE DID
Our media and research strategists teamed up to design consumer research to inform trade media content. We wanted compelling data points that provided unique insights into the attitudes and behaviors of supplement consumers. MarketPlace fielded two surveys to online panels of supplement consumers and used findings from these surveys as the basis for press releases, two white papers, and other marketing content. The proprietary findings from the two studies were picked up across nutraceutical and food and beverage trade media, helping our client generate valuable leads and elevate the profile of their ingredients’ brands.
Big Decisions
THE SITUATION
Making the choice between two package designs with similar creative direction. Understanding consumer preferences to decide on a delivery format for a functional ingredient. Brand strategy for a novel pet dental product. Big decisions shouldn’t be arbitrary. Taking an objective, data-driven approach can help overcome biases and reach breakthroughs. Primary research provides a competitive edge with proprietary insights into the target consumers’ motivations and behaviors.
Ready to sharpen your competitive edge? Let’s talk.
WHAT WE DID
When the stakes are high, our clients turn to MarketPlace for strategy-first approaches to making smart business decisions. We created a survey instrument to measure the extent to which consumers connect package concepts to values that drive their purchase decisions. We used primary research to help our client identify their target audience and format preferences, giving them a valuable advantage going into product development. We polled consumers about their dogs’ breath. In each case, our Insights team investigated target audiences and delivered original insights to answer our clients’ big questions.
Social Listening: The Deep Dive
THE SITUATION
Dog groomers are made, not born. Our client, a key player in dog grooming education, wanted to reach more individuals considering a career in dog grooming. Critical to developing strategies was understanding the role social media and online forums played in information-gathering and decision-making. To reach this niche market, MarketPlace strategists needed more than an executive summary on the topic. They needed to talk to someone who’d put in some hours on r/doggrooming.
Need to tap into a niche audience perspective? Let’s talk.
WHAT WE DID
A research analyst and social listening specialist on our insights team dove into the online conversations on Reddit and dug deep to find the places online where people were talking about how to get into dog grooming. They tracked down discussions happening in publicly available social media posts, noting opportunities and pain points experienced by real potential customers. With these observations and insights in hand, our strategists developed messaging and brand assets that spoke to prospective dog groomers on their terms, in their vocabulary. This strategy informed a robust package of creative assets, including a logo and original photography.
Voice of the Customer
THE SITUATION
Sometimes, the most important thing business leaders can do is to listen to their customers’ voices and hear them in their own words. To move forward on their strategic growth plan, our client’s leadership considered a brand evolution of its market-leading, B2B enterprise in the human nutrition space. However, developing that plan required understanding the values and concerns of their stakeholders. The situation called for a comprehensive approach that engaged in deep discussions with these diverse groups of customers.
Do you know what your customers think? Find out.
WHAT WE DID
MarketPlace Voice of the Customer is an active listening-based qualitative methodology for discovery that yields insights via one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders. Through guided discussions our method aims to capture open-ended data about stakeholder awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Videos and transcriptions are reviewed and coded for topics and themes during the content analysis phase. Over the course of 20 interviews, we recorded over 10 hours of conversation with our client’s long-time customers, new customers, and sponsors. The analysis from these interviews informed our client’s brand strategy development and critical decision-making.
