Accelerating market penetration and branding requires research beyond industry expert and traditional market analysis offerings . . . which is why we use anthropologists. Seeing deeper issues that competitors and experts miss drives companies like Southwest Airlines, Progressive Insurance, Boeing, and Wal-Mart to their industry positions. The Institute uses anthropological methods to drive penetration, branding, and product development via deeper insights into consumer preferences, motivations, and wants, and then integrates these findings into formidable strategy and leadership efforts. 

We facilitate this by:

• Examining the target customer's habitat: Consumer observation produces highly valuable  data often missed by typical market analysis firms. Instead of market surveys or focus groups, anthropologists enter into the market environment to observe them directly; examples: tailgating with football fans, eating pizza with the family after delivery, etc.
   
• Interacting with targets directly in their habitat: Approaches developed from existing brand/market analysis, consumer research, and anthropological literature review (e.g., psychological, medical, symbolic anthropology, and international culture specialists) occur in the context of consumer's homes, business environments, and spaces where consumers use the client's product or service, as well as testing reactions to various "stimuli" to draw out implicit conceptualizations and emotional attachments to particular brands and experiences.
   
• Video-ethnography: Consumer perspectives and behavior captured by videotaping or photographing qualitative interviews and events.
   
• Consumer Journals/Diaries
   
• Meta-Analysis: Higher order analysis of a existing consumer research, market research, and brand strategies to identify patterns that may have been overlooked yet provide key strategic significance for the brand and its consumers.
  
   
• Survey Development and Refinement: Far too often corporations launch surveys that ask questions which do not match how consumers implicitly think about a brand, product, or experience. We strongly believe standardized questionnaires and quantitative surveys must be developed for cultural appropriateness. It is first important to ask the right questions, then provide consumers options that best capture their existing worldview.

“Results come from replacing seduction with timeless wisdom, challenging outsourced thinking
with the blindingly obvious, and debunking quick-fixes with enlightened accountability.”

Each 3-month program uses methods profiled the following unparalleled methods of implementation:

1. Exclusive unique front-end advance onsite assessment and coaching
2. Diagnostics and Materials Development
3. Unique Situational Analysis method
4. Customized Cultural-fit Design Process
5. Unrivaled Offsite Experiences
6. Patent-Pending Methods
7. Executive Sponsor debriefing, feedback, and coaching
8. 10-week e-Learning and Accountabilty Enhancement Program
9. Patent Permission for Internal Usage
10. Additional On-site Accountabilty Implementation Support Options Available:
    1. 45-day Results Evolution and Adaptation Program
    2. 90-day On-Site Samurai Accountabilty Sessions
    3. Individual Leadership Coaching Programs

Once a company is able to uncover the socio-cultural influences on consumer behavior their development and marketing efforts accelerate. Customers our affiliates have helped include: Pfizer, Pizza Hut, Adobe, American Express, Boise-Cascade, Bristol-Myers, Campbell Soup, Eastman Kodak, ExxonMobil, Fisher-Price, Guinness, Herman Miller, Jiffy Lube, Johns Hopkins University, LeapFrog Toys, Microsoft,
National Association of REALTORS, Procter & Gamble, RE/MAX , Sapient, Tyson Foods,
W.L. Gore (makers of GORE-TEX®)

A customized program consists of field work as described above, workshops, retreats, published deliverables, and presentations.

Contact the Institute for case studies and examples, as well as investment levels.