Daring to be different
Using research effectively to make brave decisions
The Marketing Society have just announced the shortlist for their Brave Awards 2019
It’s hard to read the list without being inspired and intrigued as to how the likes of Lidl, Nationwide and Samsung found their courage.
This had us at Monkey See thinking; what is a brave decision? And, how can we work with our clients to help them to push boundaries and make braver decisions? After all, who do
What is a brave decision?
To Monkey See, real bravery means making the decision to do something different, whether that is:
- shaking up a brand with a radically new strategy, or
- introducing a new product, or
- choosing a new and different advertising campaign.
Whatever the decision, it is likely to be met with some trepidation or fear of reprisals, meaning some proof is required before embarking on a risky (and potentially expensive) new path.
The challenge for research
What research will help with these game-changing decisions?
By definition, going for a standardised approach, which favours the familiar and status-quo, is simply not going to work. After all, standard in – standard out.
So, do you just go with your “gut” or can research really help?
The solution
The research solution is inevitably going to be bespoke, tailored to this brand, strategy and creative idea including hypotheses on how the key stakeholders think it might work.
So, what’s the trick in getting the right research approach?
Monkey See believe there are 3 core elements:
- Outline a model of how this new idea is expected to work.
- Use that model to design the research approach. It might involve new technologies and techniques, or take familiar approaches and use them differently or in new combinations.
- Sensitive interpretation of the research is crucial, largely because of the huge impact behavioural science has on how people respond to new ideas.
Results need to be interpreted considering the familiarity bias, the need for social acceptability versus the desire for the new.
We also have to consider how the dominant bias of doing what’s easy impacts when it comes to a real situation rather than an artificial research environment.
We are fortunate at Monkey See that our flexible, thoughtful approaches mean we are often asked to help companies who have difficult decisions to make.
Coupling this focus on the right research with our experience and understanding of behavioural economics means we make sure we avoid rookie errors in design and interpretation.
We keep an eye out for new techniques but only recommend them if they genuinely help with the business challenge.
This puts Monkey See in prime position to help brands make brave decisions.
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