About Us
We're a small independent market research agency that thinks big and always tries to go further than the brief.
Our process is rooted in craftsmanship and care; we work closely with clients to create bespoke, tailormade approaches and take the necessary time and rigour to understand consumers at a deeper level.
The Directions Dog is our guiding principle - a dedicated and faithful companion you can rely on for all your research needs, striving to always point you in the right direction.
Clients love working with us because we have a positive attitude, we're super responsive, pay attention to the detail and most importantly we're experts at what we do.
Our Specialisms
CATEGORY USAGE & ATTITUDES
Our U&A research has helped to develop customer segments, explore demand spaces and provide a deeper understanding of how consumers decode different categories. Crucially we identify tensions and pain points, as well as white space opportunities to enable clients to develop a stronger competitive edge.
BRAND & COMMS STRATEGY
We often explore and map brand connections and messaging using the Moment of Truth model - from awareness to purchase, usage and advocacy. To succeed and thrive, brands need to be mentally and physically available at all touchpoints in the customer journey, and comms needs to cut through and stick.
INNOVATION
To build and develop winning ideas client collaboration and consumer consultation are key. We regularly conduct agile sprints at the early stages and in context prototype testing at the later stages of the NPD cycle. We often recommend exercises rooted in consumers' real lives as a form of 'stress test'.
SHOPPER
We employ a mix of 'in-the-moment' methods to gain a holistic understanding of shopper behaviour and the retail experience including kitchen/home/wardrobe audits, instore safaris & intercepts, online surfs and mobile ethnography. We also regularly consult with sales associates to gain their invaluable perspective.
CONSUMER EMPATHY
In the last 5 years we’ve managed numerous consumer closeness programmes for clients (both big and small) including Boutique Customer Voice Sessions, Global Closeness Events and Meet & Greet Programmes. To ensure success we adopt a carefully planned three stage approach and collaborate with our clients throughout.
INTERNATIONAL
We regularly conduct multi-national studies in Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, Japan, USA and UAE. Our experience ensures we always garner cultural nuances and avoid anything being 'lost in translation'. We have strong international partners who deliver the same high standard of work as Directions.
Our Approach
We consider three key factors when designing a research solution to answer your objectives:
Bricolage
We employ a raft of methodologies (in person, online, via our mobile App) and often blend approaches to fully answer the research brief and provide holistic consumer understanding. We carefully consider the benefits and drawbacks of each methodology to create the ideal approach.
Human Experience
We may use AI to enhance efficiency but prioritise methodologies that enable Directions researchers to directly connect with consumers and recognise the importance of human interpretation, to provide richer and more nuanced insights.
Client Context
We take the time to understand what our clients need and how they plan to use our insights when creating the optimal solution. We see proposals as a collaborative effort and encourage feedback to ensure we end up with the 'right' approach.
Our Clients
We're proud to be punching above our weight! During our 38 years as an agency we've worked with some amazing clients!
Client Testimonials
"Directions are an absolute joy to work with. They are professional, great listeners but also ready to ask the right questions. Through their work we have managed to better understand our consumers and make critical decisions for our strategy and our portfolio of products. The quality and immaculate end-to-end deliver of all of their research has unlocked many opportunities for me and my team!"
Senior Marketing Manager, Heinz
"Directions is one of my all time favourite agencies to work with - the team consistently deliver insightful work which make an impact with senior stakeholders and drive actionability, allowing us to make critical decisions at pace.
Thank you Kirsty & Gemma for the strong strategic partnership you've build with myself and the team."
Senior Insights Manager, pladis
"The projects we've worked with Directions on have been run very smoothly and have provided essential insight for the organisation, with one in particular providing invaluable insight which improved the value of an important marketing channel immeasurably and is referenced on a regular basis internally (even 18 months after delivery!). I would not hesitate to recommend Directions for a hassle free, profession and intelligent research partner."
Senior Insight Specialist, Wateraid
Meet the Co-owners
With over 45 years of combined research experience you're in safe hands!
