Case Studies

Optimizing AMC’s Content & Marketing via Ethno-Segmentation

MISSION
AMC sought to gain a better understanding of their audience – who they are, and what brings them to the network – in order to guide the network's content and marketing strategy in the new media landscape.
METHODOLOGIES
- Quantitative Segmentation
- Ethnographies
OUTCOME
AMC's audience segmentation has given the network a rich portrait of their viewers, allowing them to better assess and develop show concepts, marketing materials, and overall network strategy.
- See AMC Stakeholders Discuss the Impact of this Research

Expanding Levi’s Brand Permission & Voice

MISSION
Levi’s® sought to assess the appropriate voice for their brand and identify brand & product opportunities.
METHODOLOGIES
- Creative Engagement Groups
OUTCOME
Research provided confidence in the brand’s voice and reopened exploration of category extensions. “Effortless Cool” was identified as a mantra to shape design and marketing. Iterative waves of research guided the development of their premium Made & Crafted line, as well as the optimization of their mainstream offerings.
- Click Here to See Video From the Project

Shaping the BBC America Experience

MISSION
BBC America desired a deeper understanding of its audience to inform critical decisions for programming and development of original series and marketing.
METHODOLOGIES
- Quantitative Segmentation
- Ethnographies
OUTCOME
Our Ethno-Segmentation approach delivered engaging and actionable profiles of the BBC America audience segments, which have been used across initiatives for series concept assessment, series maintenance, and marketing – ultimately playing a key role in the development of the network's hit show: Killing Eve.
- See BBCA Stakeholders Discuss the Impact of This Research

Shaping the “Always On, Slight Off” Voice of IFC

MISSION
To guide a brand refresh, IFC sought a deeper understanding of network perceptions – and viewer desires – to facilitate the development of a new brand voice and tagline that would redefine the network.
METHODOLOGIES
- Segmentation study
- Ethnographies
OUTCOME
The "Always On, Slightly Off" tagline and brand pillars rang true with their target audience. These insights guided the development of their hit series, Portlandia, and IFC was reborn.
- See Tagline Development Research
- See IFC Stakeholders Discuss the Impact of This Research

Expanding Taco Bell’s Menu

MISSION
Taco Bell sought qualitative research in an effort to pinpoint positioning and naming for a new line of healthful fruit-based frozen drinks concepts.
METHODOLOGIES
- Focus Groups with Projective Workshops
OUTCOME
Research gave the client a better understanding of who their customers are, what they're looking for, and confirmed they were open to new and healthful menu options, giving them the assurance to develop a successful new product offering and guided the supporting campaign.

Gaining a Better Understanding of Premium EV Consumers

MISSION
A global car manufacturer sought a deeper understanding of the North American premium EV audience in order to more effectively position their upcoming release strategy and marketing focus.
METHODOLOGIES
- On-Site Focus Groups in Premium US & Canadian Markets
OUTCOME
The findings from these groups gave the client a stronger understanding of the North American premium electric car consumer. The feedback from these sessions helped create an in-depth persona, allowing the client to target this prospective buyer with their new car line.

Refreshing The Weather Channel’s Brand & Offerings

MISSION
To re-energize viewer engagement, this popular and trusted cable channel sought to gain a deeper understanding of their current audience – as well as lapsed and prospective viewers – along with their perceptions of the network's offerings.
METHODOLOGIES
- Focus Groups
- Co-Creation Sessions
OUTCOME
Across multiple rounds, insights from the research aided in the creation of substantial updates to their brand, vision, and content offerings. Research also provided an ongoing and deeper understanding of the network’s audience, which led to an overall increase in engagement.

Activating Awesome: The Lost Viewer Study

MISSION
When Comedy Central saw their audience numbers drop precipitously, they commissioned us to conduct research to understand and address the rapid decline.
METHODOLOGIES
- Ethnographies with "Best-Buddy Groups"
OUTCOME
- 2012 Silver Medal Winner at the David Ogilvy Awards
During research, something striking came to light: Comedy Central's core Viewers' media consumption habits had changed, almost exclusively, to newer viewing platforms beyond standard TV. Findings informed changes to the network's series, brand voice, and platform strategy, and played a key role in an overall refresh of the brand’s offerings and placement.

Refining Consumer Messaging in a Changing Insurance Landscape

MISSION
A major national insurance provider sought to assess and guide the development of new marketing communications in a changing landscape of self-directed consumer decision-making for healthcare plans.
METHODOLOGIES
- Focus Groups
OUTCOME
The overall findings were used to guide the brand’s messaging by determining what resonates with current and prospective customers. Four key messaging factors were identified to drive consumer understanding of and interest in new plans offered by the brand.

Gleaning an upscale Whiskey’s Brand Sentiment via Best Pal Ethnographies

MISSION
A well-known Bourbon Whiskey producer desired a deeper understanding of their customers – and the role their spirit played in their lives – with the aim of enhancing the knowledge of customer sentiment and needs in order to market to them more effectively.
METHODOLOGIES
- In-Person Ethnographies with Friends Held in a Casual Atmosphere at Local Bars/Pubs
OUTCOME
These in-depth personal discussions yielded valuable insights, creating a detailed portrait of their target audience and their emotional attachment to the brand’s offerings. This led to a campaign that targeted a larger audience by leveraging existing brand sentiment in expanded usage occasions.

Creating a Brand for a New Audience

MISSION
NUVOtv asked us to help develop a brand identity that resonated with Modern Latino Life.
METHODOLOGIES
- In-Home Ethnographies
- Stakeholder Workshops
OUTCOME
The research led to the creation of a new set of brand filters and the NUVOtv "brand book," which became the basis for a full network relaunch.
- See NuvoTV Upfront Research Presentation

Immersive Engagement to Guide Sports Fan Content Offerings

MISSION
A cable sports network sought to discover the 'why’ behind sports fan behaviors and needs in order to uncover strategic and tactical insights, which would help develop a refreshed programming slate with effective marketing.
METHODOLOGIES
- Immersive Engagement Groups Among Fans & Friends
OUTCOME
Immersive Engagement Groups held in casual, friendly settings provided a wealth of valuable feedback into the mindset of fans and what they needed from a cable network dedicated to the game. Insights guided the development of programming that went beyond traditional game coverage by spotlighting fans’ lives and activities.

Audience Immersions to Drive Innovation & Brand Strategy

MISSION
Viacom needed a richer understanding of how a diverse range of viewers chose how, when, and where to watch TV, in order to assess the potential impact on content selection across their range of networks.
METHODOLOGIES
- In-home Ethnographies
- Immersive Brainstorming Sessions with Stakeholders & Respondents
OUTCOME
Audience Immersion was embraced enthusiastically by the executives. The success of this initiative led to annual Audience Immersions that played a role in numerous initiatives across content, platform decisions, and network brand refreshes.
- See Viacom Stakeholders Discuss the Impact of Audience Immersion

Identifying KFC’s Core to Leverage Sentiment & Develop Offerings

MISSION
KFC found itself at a key crossroads for its brand and offerings: should they modernize or was there more value in leveraging the legacy of their brand?
METHODOLOGIES
- Focus Groups with In-Depth Creative Projective Collaborations
OUTCOME
The client got a clear understanding of customers' emotional connection to the brand and pursued a successful strategy that balanced the strength of the brand’s powerful legacy with incremental innovations that stayed true to the brand’s DNA.

I’ve Got Something Funny In My Pocket

MISSION
Comedy Central aimed to discover opportunities that would enhance their digital experience and offerings for Gen Y males.
METHODOLOGIES
- Ideation Sessions with Respondents & Key Stakeholders
OUTCOME
Research revealed that Comedy Central had a big opportunity to become the go-to comedy resource for Gen Y males. The network needed to provide Gen Y males with ways to impress and share content with friends while leveraging different platforms to keep them engaged.
- See Comedy Fan Ethnographies & Brainstorm Sessions

Identifying Next-Gen Automobile Consumers

MISSION
A global car manufacturer conducted a qualitative study to help define a new generation of customers in order to guide innovations in car design, marketing, and release strategy.
METHODOLOGIES
- In-Home & On-the-Road Ethnographies
OUTCOME
Spending time directly with the respondents in-home and during leisure activities allowed the clients to see them living their lives and using their vehicles "in the real world". Findings from the ethnographies helped guide the design of a successful new vehicle concept that was optimized for this target.

Defining Value in a Changing TV Landscape

MISSION
Facing threats from new and established competitors and cord-cutting, a major cable company recognized a need to redefine what 'Value' meant in their category, other than simply cost.
METHODOLOGIES
- Ethnographies
- Focus Groups
- Stakeholder Ideation Sessions
OUTCOME
The brand’s new campaign, which premiered during the Super Bowl, focused on the emotional value construct with a new framing that put a lens on the excellence of the experiences provided.
- See Super Bowl Ad Developed from This Research

Meeting the Needs of Medicare Customers

MISSION
A major national insurance provider acquired a competitor and sought to integrate competitor customers under its umbrella. Research strove to understand their target customers' perceptions of both brands, along with differentiated customers’ needs, in order to develop messaging strategies focused on chief benefits and value propositions.
METHODOLOGIES
- Focus Groups
OUTCOME
The client gained a better understanding of who their current and newly engaged Medicare customers were, and what they needed from a Medicare insurance provider.