Clients and Projects

Commercial

Civic

Commerical

Why isn’t my award-winning product flying off the shelves?

An electrical manufacturer we work with has a series of design-forward switches, dimmers, and outlets that has won awards and captured the hearts of designers and architects around the world, but it hasn’t had a strong showing with consumers.

We studied how consumers plan for remodel projects and how they shop for these electrical devices online, in stores, and in showrooms. We also studied how influencers (designers, electricians, electrical supply stores, and lighting showrooms) present and feature the products.

Our research identified the biggest challenges our client’s line faces and has informed a range of product communication and education initiatives including: website design, in-store display, catalogs and leave behinds, educational videos, sales incentive programs, and more.

Commerical

How do we align product messaging with decision maker needs?

Our client, an internet security software provider, had a top in-home product that was widely recognized by home users, but they struggled to capture the larger business market. Messaging developed for home users fell flat when trying to connect with this audience.

We studied IT decision makers from small, medium, and large businesses to understand how they learned about, evaluated, and selected software solutions for their companies. We applied the same research process to our client’s current customers (the audience you have) and their potential customers (the audience you want).

Our IT decision maker journey map chronicled the journey from awareness to advocacy that we uncovered. With that framework, we were able to identify the strategic marketing messages for each phase of product selection as well as the right messengers and tools that our client needed to provide them to get on the vendor shortlist.

Civic

How do we talk to swing voters about the upcoming election?

It’s no secret that when it comes to politics, the vast majority of Americans are pretty firmly entrenched in one camp or the other. And when it comes to state and local elections, it’s no different.

We worked with a political candidate to study unaffiliated and swing voters to understand their experience as residents and how that experience shaped their electoral choices.

We conducted a series of focus groups with unaffiliated voters, over time, to help the candidate gain a deeper understanding of them (foundational research), identify which messages resonated with them (formative research), and to identify key themes that would work for the candidate on the trail. We left the evaluative research to the polls (Hint: we won. Twice!)

Civic

How do we affect the legislative process to support our initiative?

Our client, a health advocacy foundation, was interested in affecting legislation on building electrification (the process of converting gas-powered systems in homes to electrical power). They knew that getting people to ditch their stovetops and fireplaces was an uphill battle, so they engaged us to help understand how to get people to reconsider their starting viewpoint.

We engaged Coloradans across the state in a series of focus groups and app-based ethnography assignments. We tested messages to identify which caused most concern and which gave the greatest hope. Through our inquiry, we created a series of opportunity areas with recommendations for messaging and education outreach.

Our app-based inquiry produced videos and testimonials from Coloradans across the state, and our client was able to present these to legislators as constituent feedback to get them on board.