Hello from beautiful London, England!

After more than two years of virtual conferences, the E2E Research team is excited to get back to Quirks conferences in-person! It’s been wonderful to see so many friendships renewed and to once again get fully immersed in intriguing new ideas and insights.

I was lucky to attend a number of sessions today and thought I’d share a few insights and nuggets that caught my attention. You’ll see an overarching theme of recognizing that both participants and researchers are human beings who need to be treated like…. people, not robots! If there’s a session that intrigues you, click on the link to read a full summary on the Quirks website. Let’s go!

How to shift strategic direction in a commoditized category by using human-centric design
Dan Cooper, Jonathan Stone, and David Watts; Virgin Media O2

• Researchers need to show respect and understanding of everyone involved in the research process. We usually think about consumers in that regard but that is insufficient.We also need to think about the business stakeholders who contribute to the design of the research. They need to know that they are truly heard and involved, and that their input is valued and will be used over the long-term. But it doesn’t stop there. The research results need to be presented back to the business users as relatable stories with easily accessible metrics for tracking the implementation of results.

Navigating the crisis: Pricing sensitivity amid inflationary pressures
Jenny Kasher and Dorte Torpe Hansen; EyeSee, Kellogg Company

• Recessions may last a year or two but the impact on consumers can be as long as five years. Do look at your competitors’ pricing but you need to be bold and take advantage of conjoint and modeling to set your own course.Remember that recessions don’t impact everyone in the same way – for some people, joy and delight comes from tiny things like a new taste from a beloved brand.

How to build consumer empathy that goes beyond your organization
Nadia Morozova – TikTok

• The traditional pyramid of influence is no longer relevant. People don’t want to be nameless, faceless pions who can never reach the top of the pyramid. Fortunately, fame can now manifest as a circle of influence which works from the inside out – it’s decentralized and inclusive, and allows people with really niche expertise to reach huge audiences. Brands need to rethink and reframe their messaging strategies to work within this new framework.

Fit for purpose: Providing consumer meaning to a corporate vision
Joe Goldberg, Tom Scrimgour, and Greg Sill; Santander

• Brand purpose can’t be dictated by the C-Suite. You need to know how consumers interpret the words in your brand purpose so that your messages and images match in a meaningful way. For example, where a bank may envision prosperity as wealth, research shows that consumers understand prosperity as the ability to create the change they want for themselves and loved ones, e.g., reduce debt, time with family, sense of purpose

The art of spectacle: Driving buy-in and action beyond narrative storytelling
Hannah Rogers; Blue Yonder Research

• Create a way to let stakeholders really feel the emotions, the spectacle, that people experience with your brand. This will result in more memorable research results that will drive longer-term buy-in and action.For example, ask people to put on a blindfold and walk around a room to find their favourite scent on different people. Or, ask thieves to show how they break into your cars. Or, use lightbulbs, post-it notes, and real people in a line as more dramatic physical representations of charts in a 50 page ppt.

Eyes on the road! Future-proofed insight in the new and ever-changing world of EV drivers
Lori Beck and Kate Downer; VERVE, Shell International Petroleum Company

• Community panels don’t have to follow traditional rules. Moderators CAN film casual introductory videos of themselves so the community feels comfortable sharing their personal stories with them. You CAN let the community have a section where they start their own threads about any (at least somewhat related) topic to encourage ongoing engagement. And we need to understand that different exercises work with different audiences – what is fun and entertaining for one audience is silly and childish for another. We need their help more than they need us so we need to create a human experience that works for them.

Strengthening our customer intuition: How the John Lewis Partnership is bringing Always-On customer closeness into the spotlight to drive better, more confident and agile decision-making
Ellie Inman; John Lewis & Partners

• Customer closeness is illuminating, feeling, respectful, instinctive, and fuels decisions. It is direct, first hand seeing and hearing, and a creation of memorable stories that enhances understanding.Their customer closeness program includes an intranet site where research is freely available to everyone. In fact, all employees, whether HR or finance, are required to access it and complete tasks to better understand the customer experience. Every company should democratize their insights.