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…
Tag: Methodology
Behavioral Research Doesn’t Work With Panels
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…
Relationship Advice
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…
Research Reimagined for a New Normal
Luke participated in the Insights Association's Y Conference with his presentation, "General Mills’ Quest for the First Moment of Truth: Novel qual methods to fuel effective innovation frameworks," shared how our partnership with General Mills' In-Context Experimentation team generated quick method pivots that allowed for research to continue through the pandemic. Read a bit about…
Our take on research right now
This is certainly a unique time for Americans as we see bold steps being taken on a broad scale to curtail the spread of this virus. I have come to appreciate the prudent steps being taken and the unity that has emerged from people joining together to solve a shared problem. Our Leadership Team at REAL…
Scrappy, Not Crappy
AGILE! SPRINT! LEAN START-UP! SCRAPPY! We are in an age where many paradigms are shifting quickly. Brand equity isn’t functioning the way it used to. Consumers are demanding more transparency and authenticity from companies than ever before. Start-ups are taking on big companies and winning more than ever. Non-traditional success stories are becoming more of the norm for innovation…
Finding the Reality Amongst the Noise
In our modern world, the gap between in-person realities and online perceptions can feel vast. Life, as seen on social media is filtered, perfected, and potentially polarized. These perspectives can feel exciting for those who have embraced this curated worldview and scary for those who would rather not. Connecting with people IRL feels much more…
Alienation: Subconscious Style
Behavioral Economics is HOT right now. The industry is gaining appreciation for the inconsistencies between self-reported and actual behavior, which we at REAL Insight are obvious fans of. As a team, we spend thousands of hours in stores each year observing how these behaviors differ across shoppers. One specific area we have come to better…
Richard Simmons and the Power of Empathy
Historically, the name Richard Simmons did little more for me than conjure up Day-Glo tinted memories of spandex and pep. While familiar with him and his fitness empire, he was not a person on which I spent much time dwelling in the past decade. That was until recently, when I joined thousands of others in…
Out of Focus
When the field of market research comes up, a common image that materializes in the mind is that of the traditional focus group: padded chairs clustered around a gray table set with uniform place settings of pens and paper, a white board easel off to the side, and a large two-way mirror leering omnisciently from…
