How to create bold campaigns using consumer research.

Brand ambassadors dominating TikTok feeds. Pop-up shops luring flocks of followers.  Consumer trends are changing faster than ever, and nowhere is this more visible than in retail brands. From brand collaborations to buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), consumer retail campaigns are rife with possibilities. 

Yet, these opportunities don’t come out of thin air. The most successful campaigns are backed by exhaustive user research and data analysis. Thorough consumer research fuels forward-thinking ideas that, in turn, ignite the most creative, bold, and successful campaigns.

The future of retail marketing is flooded with people and products all vying for consumer attention. To rise above the fray, brands must have a clear understanding of their consumers, double down on user research, and take a chance on creative, bold ideas that make an impact.

What does modern consumer research look like?

Beyond basic demographics, modern consumer research delves into the “why” behind customer behavior. This goes beyond simply knowing who your customers are to understanding why they make their choices. 

While demographics provide a surface-level understanding, psychographics uncover deeper motivations. For instance, a luxury handbag might appeal to someone based on their income (demographics), but their purchase decision is likely driven by a desire for exclusivity, self-expression, or social status (psychographics).

Successful campaigns today leverage a 360-degree view of the customer, encompassing their online and offline behaviors, emotional drivers, and evolving needs. This requires a sophisticated understanding of their digital footprint, social media interactions, and even the micro-moments that influence their purchasing decisions.

What is consumer research that goes beyond surface-level understanding? Try consumer questions like these:

• Instead of: “What are the consumer's pain points?”
  • Try: “What are the top three frustrations consumers face related to your product / service?”
• Instead of: “Why do consumers choose one brand over another?”
  • Try: “What emotional needs are fulfilled by your competitors' products / services that your brand currently fails to address?”
• Instead of: “How do people view your brand?”
  • Try: “What are the top three words consumers would use to describe your brand? How do these differ from their perceptions of your competitors?”

By emphasizing the “why” behind customer behavior and exploring deeper insights, retail marketers can better understand their target audience and develop more effective and impactful campaigns.

Why focus on consumer insights?

You must have a plan before putting time, effort, and money into a creative campaign. Part of that plan includes knowing who you’re targeting, why, and what you hope to achieve. Below are three reasons to focus on gathering strong consumer insights. 

Get a clearer picture of your buyer personas

Getting totally clear on consumers is the foundation of all creative work. Make sure you know what your product or service does for people and why it matters to them.

Uncover evolving consumer values: beyond demographics

While traditional research often focuses on demographics and psychographics, a deeper dive reveals the evolving values that truly shape consumer behavior. These values are often intertwined with societal shifts, cultural trends, and global events. 

Make predictions about future trends

In addition, viewing historical data is useful for predicting future trends. When reviewing consumer information, look for patterns to help decide future campaigns. Incorporating consumer research will be critical in deciding what to focus on and leave behind.

When brand leaders combine buyer personas with data on historic consumer behaviors, they can take calculated risks on bold campaigns with impact.

How to find the best consumer insights 

Now that we’ve discussed the why behind consumer insights, it’s time to review how customer insights can help a business. How does a brand begin to perform consumer research? What are the best consumer research methods? How do you find customer insights?

To answer these questions, we suggest the following steps:

Mine your existing data

When doing customer research, start by looking for the best data. Consider what customer data you already collect. Do you have customer demographics? Have you already gathered answers from customer satisfaction surveys, loyalty programs, or online forms? Are you storing this data properly in an organized, secure way? Start by taking a deep dive into your existing data to find gaps and opportunities. 

Seek out software tools

There are many software tools available for performing consumer research. Look for software tools that are within your budget and can help you access the insights you need. 

For example, tools such as SurveyMonkey, specialize in creating polls or surveys. Others help with audience segmentation or creating data visualizations. 

Many are priced by the user, or charge a monthly subscription. Think with Google offers free tools to help gauge consumer search behavior, track trends, and identify target markets.

Bring on an agency partner

While there are tools to tackle consumer research in-house, bringing on external resources can be a boon when bandwidth is at a premium. Tap the talent and experience of an unbiased agency partner to help reveal data and patterns that can help you make more informed decisions about future campaigns, product launches, and more.

Launch bold campaigns with the confidence of data-driven insights

The most successful marketing campaigns aren’t just guesses but are informed by a deep understanding of your audience. That’s the power of data-driven creative campaigns. By harnessing the magic of consumer data, brands can:

Unleash bold, innovative ideas 

Accessing the right data can spur confidence to experiment with unconventional approaches. For example, if data reveals a strong desire for authenticity and transparency, a campaign could embrace a raw and unfiltered approach, showcasing the brand's human side.

Test controversial ideas with confidence

Consumer data can help predict audience reactions to potentially controversial ideas. By analyzing past responses to similar campaigns or identifying key values and sensitivities within the target audience, brands can assess the potential risks and rewards of a bold move. 

Create hyper-personalized experiences

Consumer data allows for hyper-personalization, delivering unique and tailored messages to individual customers. This can range from personalized product recommendations to customized campaign messaging that mirrors individual values and interests.

Build lasting relationships

By understanding their needs and preferences on a deeper level, brands can build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their customers. This fosters loyalty, advocacy, and long-term brand success.

Examples of data-driven campaigns with impact

Here, we will dive into a few customer-insights examples, starting with Hilton Hotels, Hilton took a big risk with The Ad You Stay In, creating an unthinkable 10-minute-long TikTok, where the average user view time per video is 28 seconds. Why did they do this? Audience insights revealed an unusual opportunity. Hilton found that over a third of travelers who plan to stay in a Hilton hotel in the next 12 months use TikTok at least monthly, and 44% of those travelers have watched a long-form video online in the last week. These two insights combined revealed an opportunity to try something extraordinary.

Another brand known for its bold moves in retail is telecommunications leader Orange France. Their viral ad appeared to be a compilation of incredible football (American soccer) goals by some of the best-known male athletes. But the ad later reveals the viewer was duped. The ad reveals that the sports clips originally featured female athletes, altered using VFX and AI deepfake technology.

Using the insight that 44% of sports fans think the media should highlight women’s sports more—along with the research showing 60% of consumers say they’re excited about the development of AI—Orange France’s bold campaign scored big by reflecting consumers’ views in sport, technology, and media with a jaw-dropping twist.

By embracing the power of consumer data, brands can move beyond generic marketing messages and create truly impactful campaigns that resonate with audiences on a deep, emotional level. This data-driven approach not only drives engagement and ROI but also empowers brands to push boundaries and challenge the status quo.

Tap into the power of consumer insights

Brands must invest in user research and trend analysis to stand apart in a noisy retail world. Garnering insights from research and choosing the right software tools will help leaders understand consumers better, helping them predict with confidence what their customers will want. 

Partnering with the right agency partner can help you dig into data and reveal patterns and trends to help guide your decisions. An experienced agency partner can help you leverage the latest data and analysis technology to optimize your marketing strategy. From there, you’ll feel confident executing the most creative, daring campaigns targeted at the consumers who matter most to your brand.