With over 30 years of experience, REAL Insight has led projects across a variety of industries that successfully identified consumer behavior and expectations, helping CPG companies, retailers, and other clients understand how consumers act in a variety of contexts.
One of the most common things we hear from new clients is, “We have all the data, but we still don’t understand why things are performing the way they are.” Why is the "why" important? It brings confidence and opportunity. We often see an over-reliance on quantitative research, with the assumption that a large sample…
As someone who was in middle school in the mid-1990s, Dre and Snoop were as cool as you could get. Granted, I knew the radio-edited versions of their hits more than the actual albums... It’s with this context that we present this month’s shelf standout: Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop. Seen The strong…
The Say-Do Gap is real. I used to think it was all about whether people were being honest about their behavior—but now I realize it’s more about how unaware we actually are of what we do. And that gap gets even wider when we try to predict what we would do in the future. More…
Watching video footage of panel-recruited respondents “shopping” in a recent conference presentation reminded me of the unfortunate truth that for all the benefits of operational efficiency, there is a significant cost of respondent re-use: data validity. I could tell the behavior shown wasn’t “real”, even though it was captured in a real store. A few…
In my non-profit board work, I have been learning a lot about fundraising best practices and the need to build strong, long-term relationships. In sales training, I have been learning the same. Relationships make life better, but the challenge is that, as humans, our capacity—and willingness—to nurture them is limited. This fact is super relevant…
Our industry thinks a lot about qualitative vs. quantitative, but is that the right focus? More often, it is more important to focus on the quality of the methods. Quality that reflects validity should be table stakes in our industry, but it isn’t. Moving quickly in the wrong direction doesn’t build brands or unlock growth. …
Part of the human condition is the inconsistency between what we say we want to do and what we actually do. It both makes us who we are, and frustrates parents, partners, policy makers, teachers, coaches, and marketers. This is especially true in matters concerning sustainability. We want a healthy planet, but there are friction points…
Attending the Natural Products Expo West for the first time was a thrill, to say the least. From the brands we know and love, to startups just getting their products out into the world for the first time, there was no shortage of innovative products, packaging, and new brands we are excited to see on…
Gain First-Hand Experience. Gain Intuition. People come in all shapes and sizes, income levels, and preferences. They are inherently inconsistent depending on the day or their mood which makes the jobs of researchers and marketers that much more challenging. This can lead to teams struggling with intuition building and anticipating behavior. Getting in-store is a…
My photo app recently reminded me of Thanksgiving 2020 which featured only my immediate family. Kept apart by pandemic-driven constraints, we made the most of a holiday about togetherness, but my emotional response was to go bigger and better this year given my new-found appreciation for family. Holidays have always been a chance to go over the top, and this year might just take that to another level entirely. My kids’ candy buckets after Halloween certainly…