Research
It is impossible to develop a solution to an undefined or poorly understood problem.
Success is defined by the intersection of business goals and customer needs. Industry leaders are those companies who are most able to align these seemingly competing forces. It follows then, that our goal should be to find this intersection and exploit it. But this is much easier said than done.
Many organizations either hold a vague understanding these forces or have not systematically articulated them. This sort of work is difficult to undertake when you are buried by the day-to-day operations of your enterprise. But their fundamental business value is undeniable.
We're often asked to "no|inc-ify" a client's business requirements. What that means is that we reinterpret them from the user's perspective. The simple fact that companies are beginning to thinking about their customers in this way is very exciting.
James Hagen
Partner
By questioning assumptions, we put ourselves in touch with the realities of your business. This reality check may be as straightforward as reviewing of existing business plans and market research. It may be as complex as primary ethnographic studies. Usually, it is somewhere in the middle. A series of stakeholder interviews coupled with an audit of current marketing planning and communications initiatives will often provide the requisite level of insight required to inform our strategic direction.
Additionally, the research phase allows disparate stakeholders across the enterprise to "have a voice" even if they are not directly tasked with decision making. Our clients often find that this helps to build consensus and generates enthusiasm around an initiative.