Market Research

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Opportunities start with facts. That's why we use quantitative market research and advanced statistics to understand market trends and consumer behaviour.

designing market research

Getting an accurate understanding of human behaviour is critical to decision-making. To ensure our market research studies are accurate we design them with construct, predictive, and discriminant validity in mind, drawing upon validated measures for factual accuracy and making sure that findings correspond with real-world behaviours (Nosek et al., 2005; Haynes et al., 2019).

We also like to consider the user experience in our market research, paying careful attention to design features and aesthetics that make participating in our studies is easy, intuitive, and in line with how information is processed on a neurocognitive level (Mahon-Haft & Dillman, 2010; Tee & Taylor, 2018).  

In terms of sampling, we are proponents of a flexible approach to data collection. Our market research will often use population sampling techniques such as stratification to find target markets and audiences in nationally representative studies (Bethlehem, 2009; de Keeuw et al., 2008). However, we also employ alternative sampling techniques like river sampling when attempting to understand unique customer or user groups (Baltar & Brunet, 2012; Chandler & Shapiro, 2016).

Analyzing Market Research

We believe that data should be used to tell a story, unlocking hidden information that can be transformed into something important and meaningful (Monette et al., 2013). That’s why our market research analysis process will often employ advanced statistical methods that have been adopted in social science and medical literature, including implicit association testing, factor analysis, cluster analysis, regression analysis, and effect size testing (Costa & McCrae, 2008; Greenwald et al., 1998; Morisky et al., 2008; Bartholomew, 2011; Cohen et al., 2013; Wasserstein et al., 2019).  

 
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When it comes to presenting findings, we realize the importance of moving research into action. That’s why we use data visualization and infographics to help ensure that market research findings are understood by our clients (Kosara & Mackinlay 2013). We also know that storytelling can help facilitate understanding, which is why we like to craft narratives on human behaviour that are driven by data (Segel & Heer, 2010).

Through this combination of academic rigor and creative flexibly, our market research has made valuable contributions to topics including social values, health behaviour, eating and exercise patterns, and online activity (Oliffe et al., 2016; Flannigen et al., 2019; Oliffe et al., in press).

FINDING MARKET FACTS:

- Who are our current customers?

- What motivations drive market behaviour?

- How are people using our products?

- How large is the market opportunity?

FINDING BRAND FACTS:

- Who is aware of our marketing?

- What is our brand associated with?

- How are we influencing customer behaviour?

- How large is the brand opportunity?

REFERENCES

- Baltar, F., & Brunet, I. (2012). Social research 2.0: Virtual snowball sampling method using Facebook. Internet Research, 22(1), 57-74. DOI: 10.1108/10662241211199960 

- Bartholomew, D. J. (2011). Analysis of multivariate social science data (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN: 9781584889618

- Bethlehem, J. G. (2009). Applied survey methods: A statistical perspective (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. ISBN: 0470494980

- Chandler, J., & Shapiro, D. (2016). Conducting clinical research using crowdsourced convenience samples. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 12(1), 53-81. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093623

- Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G., Aiken, L.S. (2013). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates. ISBN: 1134800940

- Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (2008). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). In G. J. Boyle, G. Matthews, & D. H. Saklofske (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of personality theory and assessment, Vol. 2. Personality measurement and testing (pp. 179-198). Sage Publications, Inc. DOI: 10.4135/9781849200479.n9

- de Leeuw, E. D., Hox, J. J., & Dillman, D. A. (Eds.). (2008). International handbook of survey methodology. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN: 113691062X

- Flannigan, R. K., Oliffe, J. L., McCreary, D. R., Punjani, N., Kasabwala, K., Black, N., Goldenberg, L. S. (2019). Composite health behaviour classifier as the basis for targeted interventions and global comparisons in men’s health. Canadian Urological Association Journal, 13(4), 125-132. DOI: 10.5489/cuaj.5454

- Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1464-1480. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.74.6.1464

- Haynes, S. N., Smith, G. T., & Hunsley, J. D. (2018). Validity of clinical assessment measures. In S. N. Haynes, G. T. Smith, & J. D. Hunsley (Eds), Scientific foundations of clinical assessment (2nd ed., pp. 68-93). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN: 1351210548

- Kosara, R., & Mackinlay, J. (2013). Storytelling: The next step for visualization. Computer, 46(5), 44-50. DOI: 10.1109/MC.2013.36 

- Mahon-Haft, T. A., & Dillman, D. A. (2010). Does visual appeal matter? Effects of web survey aesthetics on survey quality. Survey Research Methods, 4(1), 43-59. DOI: 10.18148/srm/2010.v4i1.2264

- Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2013). Applied social research: A tool for the human services (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. ISBN: 9781111792473

- Morisky, D. E., Ang, A., Krousel‐Wood, M., & Ward, H. J. (2008). Predictive validity of a medication adherence measure in an outpatient setting. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 10(5), 348-354. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2008.07572.x

- Nosek, B. A., Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (2005). Understanding and using the implicit association test: II. method variables and construct validity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(2), 166-180. DOI: 10.1177/0146167204271418

- Oliffe, J. L., Black, N., Yiu, J., Flannigan, R., McCreary, D. R., & Goldenberg, S. L. (in press). Mapping Canadian men’s recent and intended health behavior changes through the Don’t Change Much electronic health program. Journal of Medical Internet Research.

- Oliffe, J. L., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Gordon, S. J., Creighton, G., Kelly, M. T., Black, N., & Mackenzie, C. (2016). Stigma in male depression and suicide: A Canadian sex comparison study. Community Mental Health Journal, 52(3), 302-310. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-015-9986-x

- Segel, E., & Heer, J. (2010). Narrative visualization: Telling stories with data. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 16(6), 1139-1148. DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2010.179

- Tee, J., & Taylor, D. P. (2018). Is information in the brain represented in continuous or discrete form? arXiv:1805.01631 [q-bio.NC].

- Wasserstein, R. L., Schirm, A. L., & Lazar, N. A. (2019). Moving to a world beyond "p < 0.05". The American Statistician, 73(Suppl. 1), 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/00031305.2019.1583913

Client Quotes
What Our Clients Say

"In my experience, most research studies are not entirely surprising: They often simply serve to validate that which you already know. That was until I started working with Intensions... Their ability to turn what can often be uninspiring quantitative data into something simple, thought provoking and actionable is unparalleled in the industry. There is simply no comparison to other research agencies. Intensions sits at a level well beyond."

MICHELLE LEE, STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR,

OGILVY

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SAJE WELLNESS

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"We've had the pleasure of working with Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting through our Movember funded Men's Depression & Suicide Network. As research partners, and external evaluators, they have played a substantive and valuable role in helping us to understand, measure and address public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide. I fully endorse and highly recommend the work of Intensions Consulting and look forward to our continuing partnership."

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UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

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"Research is critical to informing the creation and development of a brand and it takes a researcher who understands the complexity of brand development to set those wheels in motion. Thanks to the highly customized research approach Intensions Consulting produced and orchestrated for the Canada Beef global brand team, we were able to understand our key global markets in China, Japan, Mexico and at home in Canada in a whole new way. Intensions expertly guided us through an impressive array of statistics and provided our team with an interactive, collaborative and thought-provoking experience that will elevate our efforts for years to come."

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CANADA BEEF

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"Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting have been a trusted source of research and insight for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. As research partners they have helped us define our strategic direction, refine our health promotion initiatives, and validate the impact of work across Canada. We're very happy to recommend Intensions Consulting and we thank them for helping us ‘Inspire Canadian Men to Live Healthy Lives'."

WAYNE HARTRICK, PRESIDENT

CANADIAN MEN'S HEALTH FOUNDATION

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"I've worked with Nick on a number of projects and would work with him again at the drop of a heartbeat. His depth of knowledge and understanding of market research, market psychology and strategy is beyond impressive and his passion for it is contagious... I've seen clients totally blown away with the work he has presented and more so because new thinking like morphological research is (finally) giving us that human reality layer to research; a layer that's been missing for a long time and which ultimately, gives brands a tangible competitive advantage."

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NOMADS AGENCY

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ALBERTA FARM ANIMAL CARE

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"Intensions Consulting's qualitative market research approach is capable of distilling invaluable insights, the kind that will inform the development of well-grounded, market-relevant, truly differentiated brands. Nick's ability to extract meaning from fundamental human motivations, perceptions, beliefs and attitudes, allows you to uncover the most viable path for developing a brand."

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