Whyology (why-ology) n – the art and science of using research and big data to uncover actionable insights that help businesses outsmart, outdo and outlast their competitors
We created Whyology to take the guesswork out of marketing. While nothing is 100% foolproof when it comes to understanding and motivating human behavior, our approach comes close.
Much more than a research service, Whyology employs the thinking of our best creative, strategic, analytical and research minds to uncover hidden opportunities. By hidden opportunities we mean actionable insights that will lead to big, business building ideas that will give you a competitive advantage. To do so, we utilize the best research tactics to answer the best questions that result in the best insights that will help you outsmart, outdo and outlast your competitors.
READ ABOUT OUR BRAND WORKSHOPS HERE.
READ ABOUT OUR BRAND POSITIONING AND BRAND PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT APPROACH HERE.
To ensure we leave no stone unturned, we thoroughly investigate the following:
1. Your Customers
Understanding your current, potential and lost customers’ real wants and needs are absolutely critical to developing an effective marketing strategy. Whyology utilizes data analysis and quantitative, qualitative and ethnographic research to identify the ones that can impact your business most.
Quantitative research such as online surveys and controlled testing and field trials (A/B testing, test markets, creative pre-testing and analysis of primary and secondary data) provide measurable, statistically relevant data from the marketplace. Generally speaking, quantitative research allows us to speak to a large number of people, in a relatively short timeframe cost effectively.
We also employ Big Data Analytics from your database, third-party sources or both to:
Identify your most valuable customers and where they are within specific geographic markets
Develop marketing personas of unique customer segments to inspire more tailored messaging for each
Optimize media planning or placement with the goal of maximizing reach while minimizing wastage
Measuring and analyzing campaign results
Developing attribution models to track the performance of specific tactics
Qualitative research provides insight into the emotional reasons people engage with a brand. Focus groups, one-on-one interviews, phone surveys, triads and ethnography are qualitative tactics we utilize to get at the why’s and what’s and emotional hot buttons that drive behavior.
To get the best understanding possible we like to use both on three types of customers:
Current customers
Customers who have left you for a competitor
Potential customers
You should consider using Whyology for Consumer Research if you don’t know the answers to these questions:
Who are your customer personas?
Of these, who’s most likely to purchase your product?
Which group represents the greatest and easiest opportunity for growth?
How does each persona perceive you? Your competition?
What are their biggest barriers to purchase?
If your company didn’t exist, which competitors would your customers choose?
What benefits resonate most with each group? What doesn’t?
What are their true wants and needs?
What do they see as your competitors’ biggest strengths & weaknesses?
How did they learn about you? Your competitors?
What competitors are in their consideration set?
Would they recommend you? Would they recommend your competitor?
What are the best media channels to reach them?
Paid - magazine/newspaper print, radio, online banners or any other media advertisers must pay for to appear in or on
Earned – news articles, blogs, shared videos or messages that your customers and other third-parties create or pass along to their networks of friends, families, followers and subscribers
Owned – any media you actually own that touches your customers: your website, email list, social media sites, apps, uniforms, vehicles, building exteriors, retail space, etc.
2. Your Competitors
Identifying and understanding your real competitors is critical if you want to successfully differentiate and position your company against them. Doing so will allow you to capitalize on their successes and failures and while guarding against any threats they may pose. Whyology’s competitive analysis will details your competitors’:
Strategic positioning and personality
Target audience
Strengths and weaknesses
Geographic influence
Messaging and communications tactics
You should consider using Whyology to analyze your competitors if you don’t know the answers to these questions:
What benefits/advantages do your competitors have that you don’t?
What benefits/advantages do you have that they don’t?
What products and services do they provide? What prices do they charge?
What do they do to enhance customer loyalty?
Who are they targeting?
Are they getting more publicity than you? How?
How innovative are they?
How many employees and offices do they have?
How strong are their employees?
Who is the owner(s)? What do they believe in?
How do they treat their customers?
Are they growing or losing market share?
What are they doing that you should be doing too?
What’s their kryptonite?
What do they do that you can’t?
What can you do that they can’t?
What are they planning to do?
What new products/services are they developing?
What financial resources do they have?
3. Your Company
You may know exactly where you want your company to go but you’ll never be able to map out a plan on how to get there until you first truly understand who and where you are. Self-analysis is hard and you’re going to need to hire an objective third-party to help you with this one. The most effective and efficient way to develop a brand platform is through a combination of Stakeholder Surveys, one-on-one interviews, customer research, competitive analysis and a Brand Workshop.
Our Stakeholder Survey goes to all key decision-makers in your organization. The questions are customized for your business and are divided into the following sections to help us determine where there’s friction and alignment in thought:
Company Perceptions
Product/Services - benefits/weaknesses
Defining Success - what success looks like/how much should it cost
Communications - what's working/what's not/what’s missing
Elevator Pitch – what you tell people your company does
Competition
Identification – Who They Are
Perceived Strengths & Weaknesses
Customers
Who They Are: Demographics/Psychographics
Perceived Wants & Needs
Media - how do customers find out about you
The surveys are followed-up by one-on-one interviews with different employees to corroborate or clear up our survey findings.
Many of our clients who hire us to do research for them also engage us to conduct Brand Enlightenment Workshops with key team members. During the workshop we compare and contrast your team’s answers with each and to our findings from consumer, competitive and secondary research. This helps us identify internal gaps in perception versus reality, company direction, priorities, etc. The net deliverable is consensus on a brand platform that will help you achieve realistic goals for the market you’re in with the budget you have.
To get a free quote on conducting consumer research or developing a customized Brand Enlightenment Workshop for your team, click here.