We're excited to share that Episode 6 of Smarter Together (the Market Research Podcast by Phase 5) has been released. "The Importance of Insights to Building Successful Brands, Together With Spencer Stuart" features an interview with the President of Art & Science, a digital experience design agency with whom Phase 5 had the opportunity to collaborate on a recent rebranding project with client Knowledge First Financial, now Embark.
Smarter Together host Rachel Abugov spends an engaging and informative 20 minutes with Spencer Stuart, exploring how when data and creative come together, the outcome is often breakthrough innovation and outstanding results that can move businesses and even industries forward. The two experts discuss the challenge of generating a truly unique message or offering to consumers when those consumers can't even imagine let alone articulate the thing they want or need.
Spencer shares examples from his experience leveraging both quantitative and qualitative research to better understand customers in order to determine what is most important to them, and to subsequently develop a brand story that resonates. He remarks that "humans are an emotional bunch first, and an analytical bunch second", and suggests that successful brands will "lead with empathy and emotion" that is backed by insights. Research can help to identify the emotional drivers behind customer behavior, and a brand that can clearly and concisely speak to those emotional needs will stand out from its competitors.
Before wrapping up, Spencer notes that while creating a brand architecture that speaks to customers' emotional needs is a key to success, an organization must support its brand promise with the customer experience in order to achieve success. Therefore it's critical that the entire company understand the brand promise, and that it be integrated into each area of the business.
Listen to the entire conversation between Rachel and Spencer here.