Wild Alchemy conducts traditional and non-traditional primary qualitative research such as focus groups, in-depth interviews and ethnographical studies. Lynette Xanders, founder and CEO, has been moderating groups and developing brand, ad and growth strategy recommendations for 20 years.
To uncover core emotional drivers, we use proven projective techniques, both with current and prospective end-users, and with clients, in internal brand discovery workshops to uncover rich insights that can be brought to life within a variety of deliverables.
Traditional
Traditional focus groups involve having Wild Alchemy manage a contracted facility in each city to recruit qualified participants and interviewing 6-8 people for up to 2 hours. The size of the group can change, depending upon budget, information needs and sensitivity of the topic, but they are a standard methodology, executed well, with our quality control, moderation and analysis.
Non-traditional
Non-traditional qualitative research is our specialty. We do our own recruiting, going off traditional facility databases to recruit clients’ cultists (ambassadors), mavens (trendsetters), and fresh prospects who pass our ‘creativity screening’ questions to ensure eloquence and mental acuity. These groups may be held at a traditional facility, but more often they are held in hotel suites, backrooms of restaurants or clients’ offices to enhance relaxation and ‘real world’ sensibilities. Wild Alchemy has state-of-the-art video and audio recording equipment that is set up to capture the conversation in a more intimate way than traditional stationary cameras. We handle everything from start to finish.
Brand, Ad, Growth Strategies
Outputs from Wild Alchemy’s work is as varied as clients' needs and expressions, but can often be categorized as either a brand, advertising or growth strategy as follows:
Brand: a brand strategy is the brand’s position in the world. The key features that make it unique. The identity that anchors it. The language that brings it to life and gets people excited. Ensuring the experience and culture fit with the promise. Whether this platform spurs a new logo, a brand book or a culture, our belief is that everything starts with the brand.
Advertising: ad strategies involve identifying how to hit the right person, at the right time, with the right message. A brief is developed based on key insights about the audience and landscape to provide a springboard for a client’s creative resources to create a tagline, take advantage of a media opportunity, develop a website and/or develop an or advertising campaign that is relevant and powerful.
Growth: growth strategies are ideas that provide new revenue streams for clients. Whether through the development of a new design (Doc Martens), a new product (Outward Bound) or a new channel and brand (nikegoddess), our approach is to evolve from within areas of strength for the brand.
The goal of any of these outputs is to increase the brand’s magnetic virtue and resonance with key audiences, to increase preference and loyalty (thus improving profit margins, sales and market share.)
Techniques
Wild Alchemy has a toolbox of proven projective techniques that are designed to get past the ‘pat’ answers and uncover the emotions that DRIVE beliefs and behavior about a product, category or brand. In some instances, more detail about shopping environment, website reviews or peoples’ lifestyles, attitudes and values are essential to the project. In those cases, respondents are given 'homework' for them to complete prior to the discussion that leads them to shop, look at websites and/or complete a lifestyle audit (including a photo journal of their lives) to enhance the discussion and add depth to the insights.
Workshops
Workshops are hands-on brand discovery and creative brief development opportunities. For an internal workshop, up to 10 key staff members are walked through a series of exercises to uncover potentially rich insights about the brand, culture and product. These insights are merged with learnings from other sources (research or internal surveys) and orchestrated into a cohesive brand platform that has the benefit of authenticity (created from within) and aspiration.
Brandthink Workshops are 2-day open-enrollment seminars held in various cities throughout the year. (Please see the Invitation to the next one scheduled.) Day One involves branding and brief writing fundamentals, with time for individuals or teams to explore their brands (with feedback) during the course of the day. Day Two focuses on creativity and providing modules (patent pending) for enhancing creative energy and productive creative thinking and ideation.
Deliverables
A report of findings with key recommendations for success and a verbal presentation are provided with every project, unless specified.
Other deliverables are available to enhance the ‘spread’ of insights across a large group of stakeholders who want a high level understanding or ‘quick hit’ of inspirational insights (e.g., Board of Directors to web developers), such as a video summary, a brand essence video, a creative brief, brand book and/or manifesto. Deliverables can be discussed and estimated at the proposal stage.
"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."