Projects ranged from just a few days to an entire year. Most required our analytical expertise and our ability to deliver key insights into our clients’ situations. Very often, we needed to apply best practices and recommend state-of-the-art techniques, and connect our clients to our large network of contacts at major brands, vendor companies, and specialized service providers.
Analyzed
competitive post-sale services for a consumer products company. We
researched offerings across multiple companies and categories, and identified
and prioritized gaps in the client’s lineup. We also recommended direct
marketing techniques for building awareness and trial of client’s offerings
among customers most likely to respond.
Identified
factors common to the best customers of a financial institution and
assessed their implications. We hypothesized reasons for these customers’
behavior and recommended market research strategies for confirming them. We
also recommended direct marketing strategies for ensuring these profitable
customers remain loyal and for identifying other customers with the potential
to become the best.
Led
the market research effort for a new financial data service. We hypothesized
the reaction of decision makers in several key segments and created in-depth
one-to-one interviews to validate them, recruiting dozens of our personal
contacts as participants. We found and prioritized the drivers of purchase
behavior and recommended steps for our client to sell more effectively.
Created
a direct-to-consumer marketing plan for an early-stage consumer services
company with a challenging cost-per-customer acquisition goal. We analyzed
existing primary and secondary research and recommended positioning, messaging,
and cost-effective advertising and PR testing techniques.
Headed
a year-long strategic planning process for the CRM division of a
consumer products company. Used competitive and industry trends to propose
a vision for transforming how consumer data was gathered, cared for, and used
in the organization and improving the ROI on the company’s CRM expenditures.
We built a cohesive plan for achieving the vision in the company’s call
center and in customer communications.
Managed
the creation of a comprehensive online direct marketing “university”
for a multi-billion dollar company whose marketing staff had little experience
in theory and practice. We developed the curriculum, sourced content, and
created tutorials.
Devised
customer acquisition strategy, including market research, positioning
and site development for a service aimed at very high net worth individuals.
We analyzed competitive offerings and online customer experiences, reviewed
secondary research, interviewed top-performing brokers about their lead generation
needs. We also briefed and managed the company’s ad agencies and market
research firms for several million dollars’ worth of projects.
Defined
a consumer research strategy for a popular consumer rewards program.
We audited several years of consumer research and interviewed key agency and
client staff to identify and analyze knowledge gaps.
Led
strategic planning process for around twenty B2B direct marketing projects
given to an ad agency by its most important technology client. We researched
the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the client’s products and
identified key drivers of purchase behavior by the targeted customer group.
We created briefing documents to ensure that creative teams devised on-strategy
advertising that was cohesive with the client’s overall positioning.