Market Research Agency Los Angeles

From consumer segmentation to brand strategy, product development research and creative testing, Kadence supports organizations in Los Angeles with a comprehensive suite of research services. Over 30 years of global expertise, applied to one of the world's most influential consumer markets.

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With offices across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, Kadence brings a global perspective to a city that sets trends for the rest of the world. Los Angeles's unmatched combination of entertainment industry influence, cultural diversity, innovation economy and sheer scale makes it essential for any brand with serious ambitions in the US market.

 

Research services for Los Angeles

Kadence provides a full range of research services for organizations targeting Los Angeles and Southern California.

Customer and market understanding research helps brands navigate LA's extraordinary consumer diversity. The metropolitan area of over 13 million people encompasses hundreds of distinct communities across Los Angeles County, Orange County, the Inland Empire and beyond, each with its own cultural identity, spending patterns and brand relationships.

Brand and advertising research in Los Angeles carries global significance. Consumer attitudes formed in LA often spread nationally and internationally through the city's entertainment, fashion and social media influence. Testing creative here provides insight into both local effectiveness and broader cultural resonance.

New product development research benefits from LA's role as a launch market for consumer trends. From food and beverage to beauty, wellness, fashion and technology, Los Angeles consumers are early adopters whose preferences signal where markets are headed.

Our fieldwork spans qualitative and quantitative methods across Greater Los Angeles and Southern California.

Our US Offices

Kadence operates from offices across the Americas, with our US presence anchored by teams in New York and San Francisco. Our global network spans London, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, Jakarta, Mumbai, Bangalore and beyond.

For Los Angeles-based organizations expanding internationally, particularly in entertainment, technology and consumer goods, our network provides seamless coordination and genuine local expertise in each market. For global brands entering the US through LA, our team provides the cultural understanding needed to connect with the world's most diverse consumer market.

We’re consistently recognised as a leading market research agency across multiple markets.

AURA Innovation of the Year award

Innovation of the Year

Finalist

— The AURAs, 2021
Agency of the Year Awards, 2021

Market Research Agency of the Year

Winner – Gold

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2021
Marketing Interactive Agency of the Year, Winner - Gold, 2021

Consultant of the Year

Winner – Gold

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2021
Kadence team collecting Agency of the Year award

Consultant of the Year

Winner

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2020
Agency of the Year Awards, 2020

Market Research Agency of the Year

Finalist

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2020
Quirks Supplier of the Year Kadence International

Market Research Supplier of the Year

Winner

— Marketing Research & Insight Excellence Awards – 2019
Kadence International Market Research Agency of the Year Singapore

Market Research Agency of the Year

Winner

— Agency of the Year Awards, 2019
Kadence International is Highly Commended for Global Agency of The Year

Global Agency of the Year

Highly Commended

— Market Research Society Awards, 2019
Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019

Best Data Collection (face-to-face)

Finalist

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards – 2019
Best Data Collection, Finalist — Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019

Best Data Collection (telephone)

Finalist

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019
MRS Opperations Awards Trophy

Best Training and Development

Highly Commended

— Market Research Society's Operations Awards, 2019
MRS Young Researcher of the Year

MRS Young Researcher of the Year

Finalist

— MRS, 2023
ESOMAR Best Congress Paper

ESOMAR Best Congress Paper

Winner

— ESOMAR, 2023

Los Angeles Market Research

Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States and one of the most economically significant metropolitan areas on the planet. The entertainment industry, international trade through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, aerospace and defense, technology, fashion and tourism all contribute to an economy of enormous breadth and global reach.

The city's demographic diversity is staggering. LA is home to the largest Mexican, Korean, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Filipino and Armenian diasporas in the US, alongside significant Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Iranian, Ethiopian and many other communities. No single ethnic group constitutes a majority across the metropolitan area.

This diversity creates a consumer market of exceptional complexity. Brand perceptions, media consumption, purchasing channels and cultural values vary enormously across communities and geographies. Research designed for the Westside will not capture the realities of East LA, the San Gabriel Valley, South Central, Koreatown or the San Fernando Valley.

LA's influence on global consumer culture is difficult to overstate. Trends in entertainment, fashion, food, wellness and digital content that originate in Los Angeles shape consumer expectations worldwide. Research conducted here provides insight that extends far beyond the local market.

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FAQs

How diverse is Asia Pacific culturally?

The short answer is that Asia is incredibly rich and nuanced from a cultural standpoint: the multitude of religious beliefs, histories, languages, and other cultural markers means that each market is more different than similar. This can make Asia Pacific market research challenging without the right partner to help you understand the intricacies of each country. That said, though, the ‘urban Asia’ experience is similar to some extent, and popular culture does form the basis to link up a couple of the Asian markets, so there can be ways to seek out common threads amidst the vibrancy of difference.

Do I need to do all my market research in Asia in local / vernacular languages?

As a rule yes. By conducting research in the local language, consumers will have the capability and confidence to express their thoughts and feelings toward the brands, products or services in question. Unlike some market research agencies in Asia, Kadence has a range of languages in-house thanks to our network of Asian offices, so local language moderation is a service we can provide. That said, it is possible to carry out research in English in some markets (e.g. Singapore, India, Philippines), depending on the subject matter and education level of the respondents you want to reach.

For large Asian markets like China and India, how many cities do we need to cover with our research?

We recommend at least a combination of 1st tier and 2nd tier cities, as well as 3rd tier and rural locations, if possible. On top of getting a read on geographic and demographic differences in the reactions to your products and services, lifestyle / intra-market attitudinal variations exist, so the wider you are able to carry out your research, the more comprehensive your resulting understanding of the market will be.

Are there certain research approaches or methodologies that work better in one Asian market, compared to another?

Yes. Cultural differences between Asian markets mean that you need to carefully consider your methodology. For instance, we find that in-depth interviews, rather than group-based discussions, can work better for some topics in markets like Japan, where there can be a tendency to ‘self-censor’. In contrast, the one-on-one format lends itself better to building trust and establishing bonds between interviewer and respondent, often leading to more productive conversations. 

You’ll also need to consider the technological infrastructure of the markets you’re researching. In India, for instance, you’ll need to take a mobile first approach for reaching those outside metros and tier 1 cities. This is also true of mobile-first markets like Indonesia and China. Whilst cultural considerations can be diverse and numerous, we’re on hand to help, based on our long history of conducting market research in Asia.

Does the sequence of which markets I do my research first in Asia matter?

Unless there are specific roll-out plans that have strategic importance for your product or service across markets, our experience has taught us that any order comes back down to organizational preference. Your internal stakeholders may want to start the research in a market that is a stronghold for the brand to establish ground understanding, then venture into unfamiliar grounds to gather ‘new news’, or vice versa. Ultimately, Kadence is flexible in terms of how / when / where to start a piece of research, and in the absence of real preference, is willing to provide our suggestions and justifications for any arrangements.

Our Customers

View all case studies
Bloomberg
Unilever
Samsung
Panasonic
Mitsubishi
Mars
Arla
Discovery Networks Asia Pacific
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FAQs

Why is Los Angeles considered one of the world's most important consumer markets?

LA's combination of demographic diversity, entertainment industry influence, economic scale and role as a global trendsetter makes it essential for consumer research. Brands that understand LA consumers gain insight into both the local market and the broader cultural forces that shape consumer behavior nationally and internationally.

What industries does Kadence research in Los Angeles?

We work with organizations across LA's key sectors, including entertainment, technology, fashion, beauty, food and beverage, healthcare, aerospace, logistics and consumer goods. Our researchers understand the competitive dynamics and cultural nuances specific to the Southern California market.

How does Kadence handle Los Angeles's geographic and demographic complexity?

Greater LA spans multiple counties and hundreds of distinct communities. We design research with sampling strategies that reflect the market's geographic and demographic reality, ensuring insight captures the full breadth of consumer behavior rather than defaulting to a single neighborhood or demographic segment.

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