How better planning helps insights resonate further across the business
By Sebastian Newton, Research Director
In a world where market research budgets are being tightened and future plans are increasingly scrutinised for their impact; it is more important than ever to help our insights partners demonstrate the true value of research.
Our clients’ objectives now extend beyond insights and intelligence functions to include stakeholders across marketing, sales and senior management. With this in mind, research design, analysis and outputs must be tailored to the needs of everyone with a stake in the results. By taking this approach, we can help ensure that the research “lives on” and continues to provide value long after the project has been completed. After all, who wants to do all that work for just one afternoon of discussion?
So, how do we make sure we consider this at Purdie Pascoe?
Research planning
Detailed immersion sessions at the beginning of a project give all relevant stakeholders the opportunity to have their voices heard and contribute to the research design. This helps us avoid the awkward “why hasn’t this been asked?” question when presenting the results to the wider client team. It also ensures that the research design remains focused on the objectives, without ambiguity.
How this works in practice: We often run immersion workshops with the wider client team before fieldwork begins, either in-person or virtually. This gives us time to fully understand the commercial context, pressure-test the objectives and ensure that the research materials (e.g., screener, survey, discussion guide) reflect the needs of the wider business, not just the immediate insights team. Establishing this alignment from the outset helps to avoid potential scope creep when the project comes under pressure from tight timings.
Input into analysis
Involving the client and key stakeholders in planning the analysis of the raw data and information collected is essential. It helps us remain focused on the research objectives and ensures that the final insights reflect what each business function requires. This removes guesswork from the research process and gives our clients greater confidence ahead of the final presentation, as they know that the needs of each stakeholder have been considered.
How this works in practice: Across a range of medical device projects, we have invited clients to take part in the initial brainstorming for the final report before committing to a structure or storyline. Working together at this early stage allows us to design the flow of the report around the messages that matter most internally, rather than simply presenting findings in the order in which they emerged from the research.
Bespoke deliverables:
Providing tailored deliverables that are designed with the needs of each business function in mind supports the wider dissemination of findings and ensures that they do not last for just one hour on Microsoft Teams. This could mean audio bites for time-poor senior stakeholders, dashboards for detail-oriented sales teams or infographics for the walls of the marketing department. The right format can help insights travel further and remain useful to different audiences across an organisation.
How this works in practice: For another recent project, we created a short, tailored podcast that summarised the key research findings in around 90 seconds. This gave the client something they could easily share with their wider team and senior managers. It was a small output in terms of length, but an effective way of helping the insights travel further within the organisation.
At Purdie Pascoe, we take pride in providing a tailored approach that helps our clients shine in front of their internal stakeholders and ensures that research insights continue to live on after the final presentation.
If you work in insights, we would be keen to hear your perspective. How often do your agency partners help you land the research internally, rather than simply delivering the findings? And how often do they consider the needs of everyone attending the final presentation?