Insights in Marketing predicts psychology, action, speed and more will alter the playing field in exploring consumer behavior for the rest of 2013

Wilmette, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/27/2013 -- Insights in Marketing, LLC (IIM),a full-service marketing research consultancy based in the Chicago area, reveals six marketing research trends shaping the remainder of 2013.

"By observing-and conducting-countless hours of marketing research, the Senior Marketing Consultants at IIM uncovered critical research trends that will become increasingly important when diving deeper into consumer behavior and market effectively to consumers," said Brian Fletcher, Vice President of Consulting Services at IIM. Among the trends uncovered, Brian predicts that the market research role will evolve and researchers will increasingly need to evolve into "speedy psychologists who employ creative hybrid solutions and inspire action."

IIM's top predictions include:

1. Psychology 101

Understanding the psychology behind decisions will increase in importance.

Competition in the consumer marketplace, regardless of industry, is intensifying. With factors such as a stalling economy, mass discounting and the growth of private labels, brands are battling not just to add value, but to create a real relationship with consumers. Given this intensified environment, it is becoming increasingly important for brands to not just collect data about consumer thoughts, preferences and behavior, but to take this analysis one level deeper into the psychological realm of consumer behavior to truly influence, understand and shape motivation

2. The Need for Speed

The battle between doing it right versus doing it right now will intensify.

Short-term thinking is running rampant in companies across the globe as senior executives, managers and analysts, alike, are being asked to do things quicker and on a tighter budget. As a result, researchers are challenged to uncover game-changing insights without the time or budgets to support such efforts. The fear of being "left behind" and the need for quick decisions is trumping long-term business strategy and systematic approaches. Creative research approaches that are speedy and cost-efficient, yet keep the bigger, long-term picture in mind (like online, mobile and hybrid approaches) will prevail.

3. More Versus Meaningful

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to focus group size.

While big data is becoming bigger, there is a tool commonly used in the industry that, while still prevalent, is actually shrinking in respondent size, and that is focus groups. Focus groups, themselves, will continue to remain critical in research design, due to their rich dialogue and in-depth exploration of "why" behind consumer behavior. However, at Insights in Marketing, we are seeing clients increasingly ask for groups smaller in size so that they can dig deeper, expand the conversation and really "look under the hood" to uncover key business-changing insights without trying to spread the focus group moderator too thin. While large group consensus is at times very necessary, in the second-half of 2013 there will be a growing recognition of the value of uncovering deep, meaningful insights from therightconsumers.

4. Retailer As King

Retail channel-specific research will gain momentum and influence.

As retail giants like Wal-Mart and Amazon continue to increase in size, retailers play an even larger role in a product's success. Companies increasingly need help breaking through competitive "noise" on-shelf in various retail environments (brick and mortar and online), which, by definition, means in-store or online shopper research. Retailer-specific branding and marketing strategies will become especially critical to maximize product and category sales, as well as establish a meaningful long-term product differentiator.

5. Having It All With Hybrid

Hybrid research will expand in both adoption and meaning.

Single methodology research plans will become less common as client-side researchers are realizing that a combination of research methodologies/tools often leads to the best depth of insights and actionable next steps. Hybrid research is taking on a variety of new forms (in addition to the traditional quant/qual format) and growing in popularity. Qualitative and quantitative research lines continue to be blurred as combining both provides the client with both hard data and the context of consumer voice-over. In addition, we have and will continue to see the acceleration of layered qualitative approaches to achieve more meaningful insights. Regardless of the research methods employed, hybrid research is here to stay and will continue to serve as both a creative and impactful research strategy.

6. Keeping It Simple & Actionable

The need to inspire action will result in the increased importance of research deliverables. We have all heard about the trend toward storytelling in marketing research deliverables. It's no longer sufficient to just provide consumer data, analyze and share insights. Instead, clients are increasingly strapped for time and are bombarded with information. They no longer have the time to re-write or edit reports and will expect their research partners to deliver information in a simple, easy-to-digest manner that can be easily shared throughout their organization. From infographics, to storybooks, to video deliverables and more, researchers will increasingly compete with one another to tell the best story, inspire action and win client business.

For more information on Insights in Marketing, LLC visit http://www.insightsinmarketing.com.

About Insights in Marketing, LLC
Insights in Marketing, LLC (IIM) is a full-service marketing research consultancy dedicated to uncovering and translating consumer insights into clear, actionable direction. IIM's experienced, senior-level consultants leverage creative qualitative and quantitative research techniques to help clients better understand consumers and gain a competitive edge. For more information about IIM, visit the IIM website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

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i on Women research reveals that 91 percent of women do not feel like marketers effectively market to them.

Chicago, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/28/2012 -- With the launch of its new division, Insights in Marketing, LLC, a marketing research consultancy based in the Chicago area, is revolutionizing how marketers market and sell to women. i on Women is a unique team of social scientists and marketing research experts dedicated to uncovering valuable insights about women and translating them into more impactful and effective marketing strategies for its clients.

Women control more than 80 percent of purchase decisions for a variety of categories. Yet, results from a recent i on Women survey of 1,300 women suggest that an overwhelming majority of women say companies are not marketing to them effectively. By leveraging proprietary insights, i on Women seeks to change that. The team's research has been guided by nearly 25 years of experience speaking with women about some of the nation's most prized brands.

"All marketing is not created equal," says Tinesha Craig, Division Director of i on Women . "Our goal at i on Women is to help our clients effectively market to women, and to do that, they must truly understand what drives them. We can help build that bridge and help clients communicate and connect with women more effectively than ever before."

Bolstered by a rich set of proprietary insights on women, the team leverages a variety of approaches and tools to help its clients better understand and market to women. Perhaps the most unique resource, FBI Profiles™, consists of comprehensive snapshots that categorize women into different psychological and behavioral profiles. These profiles take into account household dynamics, personalities, motivators, habits, values, influencers, behaviors and more. Each FBI ProfileTM contains rich insight about how to engage and persuade women. By applying these powerful insights to relevant everyday business challenges, IIM's clients can more effectively deliver proven strategies to reach women and produce compelling, impactful results.

In addition, i on Women provides a broad range of market research products and services customized for women such as segmentations, need gap analyses, marketing assessments, i on Women Forums, co-creation workshops, ideations/brainstorms and trend/social media monitoring and reporting.

The goal with i on Women , says Craig, is to make marketing matter. "If women haven't been listening to you or your brand messages, there's a reason. i on Women works to make connections, so that listening — and hearing — will naturally follow."

The team's unique approach and insights are applicable to a variety of industries and products including: wine, spirits and beer; food and beverage; financial services; household goods; beauty; automotive; durable goods; retail; travel and entertainment; personal care; insurance; health and wellness and more.

To learn more about the i on Women team, visit its webpage.

About Insights in Marketing, LLC:
Insights in Marketing, LLC (IIM) is a full-service marketing research consultancy dedicated to uncovering and translating consumer insights into clear, actionable direction. IIM's experienced, senior-level consultants leverage creative qualitative and quantitative research techniques to help clients better understand consumers and gain a competitive edge. For more information about IIM, visit the IIM Website, Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

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91 percent of women feel like marketers are not marketing effectively to HER!

Chicago, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/28/2012 -- A recent study by Insights in Marketing, LLC's i on Women team reveals that marketers are failing to connect with female consumers. The survey of 1,300 women found that 91 percent of women do not feel as though marketers are marketing effectively to them. Considering that women control more than 80 percent of purchases across a range of categories, marketers are missing a valuable opportunity.

"10 years ago, a study much like this was conducted to determine whether advertisers were reaching women, and the answer was a resounding, 'No,'" says Tinesha Craig, Division Director of . "In the past decade, nothing has changed, according to our study. We're not reaching women any more now than we were then. We are doing the same things over and over and expecting women to respond. i on Women is here to help change that."

Launched in the fall, Insights in Marketing's i on Women team is revolutionizing how marketers connect and win with women. This unique team of social scientists and marketing research experts leverages rich proprietary insights and innovative techniques to assist clients in effectively engaging and persuading women. The team's expertise is guided by nearly 25 years of experience speaking with women about some of the nation's most prized brands. This study is the first of the team's research to be published, and its results underscore the need for 's approach of understanding what drives and motivates women.

The i on Women study, which included U.S. women from a variety of age groups, incomes, ethnicities and geographic locations, also found that:

- Women are more likely to say that companies market more effectively to men than to women.
- Women are more likely to say that companies market to other women rather than to themselves.
- Even moms, a key target for many companies, do not feel that companies effectively market products to them.
- Baby Boomer women, who, along with Baby Boomer men, have $1 trillion in spending power, feel disconnected from marketing messages.
- Millennials were most likely to connect with today's marketing messages, but their spending power is less than older generations.
- Ethnicity does not appear to have a noticeable impact on perception of marketing effectiveness. English-speaking Hispanic and African American women felt similarly disconnected from marketing messages.

To learn more about i on Women and this study, please visit their webpage.

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