Kadence is the best Market Research agency in the world (probably).

Admittedly word ‘probably’ in the headline is ‘doing a lot’ – but it does in fact play a lovely dual role. Firstly, to hark back to the glory days of Carlsberg’s branding, a series of fantastic ads that ran for many years, in many parts of the world (have a Google, if you don’t already have a favourite!) – and secondly to ensure that there is not a legal outcry from others. As a diligent researcher, I have of course checked on the Advertising Standards of the claim ‘best’ and so I shall be providing the ‘objective claims’ required.

Earlier this year, ESOMAR released their Global Market Research report – their annual look at the size of market research across the world. For the first time, within this report they released the IMDI (Insight Market Development Index) ranking – an inaugural ‘look at various aspects that affect the industry, and informs the reader about the degree of development of the sector in any country compared to others’.

There are 3 parts that make up the index:

  • The Global Prices study – a biannual report that informs what prices, on average, are to be expected in each country and for a wide variety of projects
  • The Global Market Research Report – the document listed above, a yearly publication that presents in detail the state of the insights industry
  • The Representative Index – an indicator for the representation of the professionals both within the country and at a global scale, extracted from ESOMAR’s worldwide member base

According to this index, there are a ‘group of countries that belong to the High Industrial Development, enjoy a highly developed industry with decent per capita turnover, strong representation of end-clients and specialized workforce and above average price levels’

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The country that tops this list? Singapore. So Singapore is the most ‘developed’ research country in the world. So, we need to look at Singapore, we need to find the ‘best’ agency in Singapore. Well. As it turns out Kadence won the Gold Award at the ‘Agency of the Year’ Awards in 2019 presented by Marketing Magazine – these are the only awards in the country that specify the ‘Market Research Agency of the Year’.

So, if Kadence is the Agency of the year in Singapore – which is the most developed market in the world for Kadence – it is quite clear that Kadence is the best agency, in the best market in the world.

So there we have it. Proof. I am privileged to run the best research agency in the whole world.

Although, if I am honest (and I am hoping you have picked up on the tongue in cheek nature of this post), there is no such thing as a ‘Best Agency’. There is a huge collection of brilliant people, working for brilliant research companies. I have often said that as an industry we are too hard on ourselves – always looking over our shoulder and proclaiming that AI, Big Data…the Internet…will change everything! As an industry, market research is here to stay – and the successful companies of the future will embrace the new – as well as adapting the old. For Kadence, much like the focus of Carlsberg in 2019, we will be starting this next decade by looking to do what we do….only better. No probably about it!  

Have a great Christmas and New Year all!

P.S. If you want to hear some of the reasons why we made it to Agency of the Year in Singapore – check out this video.

As Greenbook endeavors to expand its presence within Asia, Kadence International identified with that desire to spread innovative market research practices across the world, for the betterment of the industry. With that in mind, Kadence International stepped up and became Title Sponsor for its third IIeX Conference in Dec 2019.

IIeX Bangkok 2019 - logo

The two-days conference brought together both clients and agencies in Thailand and within the region, and the Kadence booth was at the center of all ‘buzzworthy’ interactions and conversations, discussing what interesting methodologies are being carried out, and what kinds of possibilities and potential the future can hold, when clients and agencies achieve perfect synergy.

IIeX Bangkok 2019 - venue with groups of people

To that point, Kadence’s presentation at the conference was great proof of that: it worked with Bloomberg on a project, the first of its kind in Asia, by marrying neuro-centric measures of respondents and traditional quantitative surveys, to understand consumer reactions to the same ads placed on different platforms. Results of the study will be released in the public domain in Q1 2020, but the study proved how traditional research methodologies, in the face of evolving technologies, can still play a complementary role in enhancing outcomes and strengthening gained insights 

IIeX Bangkok 2019 - speakers presenting

The presentation was part of a larger series of sessions that covered other interesting subject matters: from Google’s sharing of what makes a fad a trend (or, when does a ‘thing’ actually become a THING) and the commercial potential that brands can tap into when thinking about the urban phenomenon of loneliness, to why the over-60-year-olds are brands’ best bet for market growth in Asia and how visual communication partially explains chat platform Line’s success in Thailand, there were food-for-thought aplenty, and many topics that sparked discussions during lunch and networking breaks

Kadence also noticed 3 phenomena during the conference, which it believes is evidence that a larger trend is taking shape:

  1. Greater willingness to appreciate research from a multitude of angles – Google’s own study on the formation of trends highlights how data analytics, however advanced and wide in reach, can only explain part of the story
  2. Greater access to research respondents outside of traditional channels – on top of reaching out to online panels for respondents to complete online surveys, there’s increasing experimentation to access data from a brand’s own users (e.g. True Mobile in Thailand and its millions of subscribers), or new vendors that are using different platforms to offer agencies that reach (e.g. crowdsourcing, social media, etc.)
  3. Distinction vs. differentiation – precisely because of the plethora of new partners for both agencies and brands to work with (e.g. in the space of accessing respondents for studies), the ones that work well understand the classic marketing notion of ‘distinction’: what they offer may not be different to their competitors, but they are at least clear about what it is that allows them to stand out from the crowd
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In summary, that larger trend is the notion of ‘connections, not alternatives’; this is at the heart of Kadence’s strategy for 2020, as it believes in order to raise the impact of research within the region, through meaningful insights and business-relevant recommendations, it will benefit by playing that ‘matchmaking’ role, working with partners who’s business is in making sense of cutting-edge research technologies, and deciphering that to put it together with traditional research, in service of answering clients’ strategic questions. Kadence is certain that the industry will certainly benefit from the notion of ‘this-AND-that’, rather than ‘this-OR-that’

IIeX Bangkok 2019 - presenting with data

Kadence Singapore has recently completed refurbishments to the office, with new spaces for relaxation and optimal collaboration, to celebrate our 15th anniversary in Singapore. To further commemorate the occasion, Kadence Singapore brought together our clients and strategic partners to join us in an office warming party last month. We took the opportunity to showcase the new office space, some strategic partners we work with, as well as the innovation-led methodologies and studies we do here in Kadence.

To mark our 15th year in Singapore, we showcased 15 innovative research tools and techniques used in Kadence during the Open House, including virtual reality, neuromarketing, eye-tracking, Emotional Connection Matrix, etc. We also invited some of our partners, Dynata, Sight-X, and Outside Voice, who shared how research can be enhanced by some of their latest tools. These 15 innovations are grouped into 6 different zones in the office, which allowed our clients to learn about these initiatives, while exploring the new areas around the office.

Open House 2019 poster

The half-day event has sparked many interesting ideas and conversations on the future of market research, and how innovation and traditional research methods can work hand in hand to enhance insights.

In addition to great food and drinks, Phil Steggals, MD of Kadence Singapore, also gave a speech thanking everyone for coming, clients and partners for supporting us through the years, and the Kadence team for delivering insights worth sharing to our clients. After the event, $15 per guest who joined us at the event, was also donated to SPCA on their behalf.

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Looking forward to 2020, we are optimistic to establish closer relationships with our clients, and utilize more innovations, coupled with traditional research, to deliver insights addressing their needs.

Kadence Singapore Open House 2019 - office with people
Kadence Singapore Open House 2019 - 2 professionals sitting together
Kadence Singapore Open House 2019 - presenting to crowd

We are delighted to announce that Kadence has been Highly Commended for the Global Agency of the Year award at the 2019 Market Research Society Awards.

The Market Research Society Awards are the most prestigious awards within the UK research industry. They recognise the key achievements of individuals and organisations within the market research sector. Kadence was also a finalist in the Young Researcher of the Year category in recognition of the accomplishments of Kadence employee, Carolina Starkhammar.

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Kadence has been recognised by awarding bodies in all three regions that it operates in this year. In May, Kadence was named Market Research Agency of the Year at Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year Awards in Singapore. In September, it was Highly Commended for the Best Training and Development award at the Market Research Society’s Operations Awards in London. Finally, in November, Kadence was named Market Research Supplier of the Year (revenue under $10 million) at the Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards in New York and Kadence employee Carolina Starkhammar was named Outstanding Young Researcher.

Commenting on the award successes, Miki Igarashi, Group CEO of Cross Marketing Group, Kadence International’s parent company said “We are delighted to see Kadence’s successes being recognised at a global level. It’s testament to our commitment to delivering work that raises the impact of research and empowers decision-making.”

Market Research Society Awards - holding award

We are thrilled to have been recognised as Market Research Supplier of the Year (<$10m) at the Quirk’s Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards in the US. Kadence was also awarded the Outstanding Young Researcher (supplier) trophy, in recognition of the achievements of our very own Carolina Starkhammar.

The Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards recognise the individuals and companies adding value and impact in the industry and are powered by Quirk’s, the leading market research publication in the US.

“We are thrilled to be named Market Research Supplier of the Year at the Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards in the US, one of the key markets for Kadence globally” said Miki Igarashi, Group CEO of Cross Marketing Group, Kadence International’s parent company. “It’s our mission to raise the impact of research – and this award is testament to the fact that this is being recognised within the industry.”

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The award win in the US means that Kadence has now been recognised as market research supplier of the year by awarding bodies in two of the three regions it operates in. In May, Kadence was named Market Research Agency of the Year at Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year Awards in Singapore. We are also a finalist for Global Agency of the Year at the Market Research Society Awards, the leading industry awards in the UK. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 2nd December so we’ll be keeping our fingers tightly crossed!

Market Research Supplier of the Year event - employees with drinks

We have all fallen into the trap at some point in our lives. It could be at an important client meeting, an internal discussion, or even a family gathering. We speak for a while, throwing in some fancy or elaborate words or dropping in some acronyms or jargon so that we can confirm to our audience that we are speaking with authority. Then, the dreaded question. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand, what does that mean?”

Within any professional service, there is a tendency to think that the ‘methods & language’ that we use, and our internal jargon is of vital importance. I fear that market researchers might be some of the worst culprits. In my years, I have seen so much emphasis put on the ‘look how smart we are’ that people lose sight of what we should be discussing (thankfully this is not the case at Kadence). 

As a father of a 2-year-old daughter, I have started to have to communicate in a completely different way, often in response to the phrase, “No, I don’t want to”. Slowly breaking down what I am saying and using simple language has become the norm. I have recently read a book that really brought this to life for me. Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece and renowned Economist has written a book called ‘Talking to my daughter, a brief history of capitalism’ that takes this example further. In his book Varoufakis using simple language and analogies to explain to his teenage daughter the history (and implications) of the global economy. It is a very accessible, enjoyable read, and makes complex geopolitical arguments easily accessible. 

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What we come to recognize, is that it takes a greater confidence to be able to speak without the use of jargon. If you can get your point across in the most basic terms, in an engaging and clear way – your audience will recognize you for what you are. A storyteller. If you hide behind jargon, then you will quickly be found out as someone that cannot get their story across. 

At Kadence, we work with many nationalities. We are a multicultural office in Singapore, and we work on multi-market studies for many multi-national companies. As such, we have to recognize the best way to get our points across. Whenever I speak to an audience, I try to keep the following tips in mind.

4 top tips for communicating information clearly and simply

  • Understand your audience. Who are you speaking to? Are they researchers or are they clients with a limited understanding of research terms?
  • Relatable Examples. Perhaps the most powerful tip of all: equating a complicated situation to a more simple process or example (ideally one that is universal and not dependent on cultural nuance) 
  • Pay attention to how you are received. Are people nodding along, or staring blankly? Asking questions as you go is a great way to gain understanding about what is being taken in
  • Practice with people outside the industry. The fail-safe. Check with a friend or loved one to see whether they can understand what you are trying to say! 

As you put the Halloween decorations away for another year, are you one of the many people thinking twice about that age old tradition of carving a pumpkin? 

#pumpkinrescue is trending on social media as organisations and consumers alike raise awareness of unnecessary food waste that the Halloween tradition creates. According to Hubbub, in the U.K., 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin go to landfill every year (that is the equivalent of 360 million portions of pumpkin pie) and many people have had enough, using the hashtag to encourage consumers to eat the remains of their pumpkin instead. 

Concerns around food waste are no fad. Our latest research, The Concerned Consumer, found that food waste is a key issue globally, with 63% of consumers telling us they do their bit to address food waste. This is particularly important for consumers in the UK and the US, where the figure rises to 71%. 

Keen to explore this topic in more detail, we’ve been digging into the conversations around food waste on Twitter, using a comparative analytics tool called Relative Insight. 

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So aside from discussions around #pumpkinrescue, how is food waste being discussed online?

Freezing food is a key topic of conversation. It is seen as a sustainable way to keep food fresh for longer, minimising food waste overall. And while thinking about pumpkins (which is a fruit by the way – yes, we googled it), we found that consumers are generally confused about whether they can or can’t freeze certain vegetables and fruit.

Another popular topic around food waste is finding a purpose for food scraps. Consumers are calling for more recipe suggestions incorporating vegetable scraps, or ways of composting it. Take a pumpkin as an example; the flesh can be used in pies and bread, the guts can be used for broth and mulled wine, the skin is edible in small varieties, and the seeds can be roasted. 

Want to discover more about the environmental, ethical and health concerns driving purchase behaviour in food and drink? Download our Concerned Consumer research.

The role of leadership is not what you think. The likelihood is, the more you think of yourself as an expert in leadership – the less likely you are to be a ‘great leader’. If, when you try and picture a great leader you see Steve Jobs, Jack Ma, Nelson Mandela or Elon Musk. You are probably even further away. Let me explain.

The Rugby World cup is currently on in Japan. A feast of games that has already thrown up an unlikely result such as Japan beating Ireland. The Premier League is also in full swing and it brings an interesting contrast to what a ‘Captain’ looks like for each. I have been lucky enough to captain both a rugby team and a football team (in my younger, fitter days). And the difference is huge. In rugby, you must choose a strategy. When given a penalty, you pick from 1 of 4 potential restarts. It is the captain’s choice and the right decisions at the right time can hugely influence the result. For football, as a recent article talking about the potential for Maguire to be a future captain of Manchester United said, you just have to shout loudly.

So is Elon Musk or Steve Jobs more of a rugby or football captain? Probably neither. They are perhaps more of a Tiger Woods (let’s keep the sporting analogies going!). Tiger Woods has a caddy who helps him immensely. But he has to have his own strategy, play his own way. And he has to execute every shot. That is Elon Musk. He knows more about his products than anybody else. Steve Jobs knew exactly what he wanted to do with his products.

So a leader has to be an expert, know the strategy or shout loudly? According to a new book from HBR – a leader is simply someone who has a follower. This is perhaps a better reference for the workplace – rather than sporting analogies. I am sure there are many people that we have all worked with over the years that have been put into a position of ‘leadership’ that makes you question … why? The problem, in a larger organisation, is that people are mandated to follow. They HAVE to do what their boss says. They don’t follow willingly. They are forced. But that person is still a leader, because they have a ‘follower’.

There are so many books, publications, articles and how tos about leadership, that it is almost impossible to navigate the viewpoints with a clear understanding of what makes a great leader (and I do realise the irony of writing this within a blog about the role of leadership).

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How do you identify a leader?

Within an organisational context, how do you find the ‘next great leader’? If the ‘bosses’ are not great and their ‘followers’ only do as the boss decides – how do you identify the next best? For me, that is the opportunity for the organisation. If the company culture and initiatives can be geared up to provide everyone with an equal opportunity – then does the cream naturally rise to the top?

In the past, Kadence has worked with ICLIF – a not for profit that specializes in leadership development. Part of a piece of work that we did was a 28 market study on leadership. It was part of the context for a book written about open source leadership. Within this book it was argued that because of a 24/7 world of connectivity, true leadership can not be done in the same way as before. That at the end of the day ‘leadership is more than an art than a science’ . As such, books on ‘how to lead’ simply don’t work.

One of the key areas of the book raised the question about how to find leaders within your organisation. The suggest was ‘Throw out challenges to the entire employee base and see who comes forward to showcase their talent and energy. Those who raise their hands year after year to solve company problems or exploit revenue opportunities are your natural leaders for tomorrow.’

This is great leadership. Having an organisation that allows those with passion and desire to showcase it off. It is not about forcing Harry Maguire to shout, it is about giving a voice to those that want to. So instead of thinking about individuals that are great leaders, perhaps we should be thinking about cultures that allow innovation to thrive? That the role of leadership is not to lead, but to set up a system that allows people to work on their best ideas.

At Kadence, one of the key traits that we look to develop in all of our team members, is the ability to think creatively. The term ‘creativity’ is often misunderstood. It can be seen by some as a trait that only ‘artistic’ people possess – and not something to improve over time. Whilst it is true that some people perhaps have a more natural leaning towards creative outputs (and why we employ dedicated designers to help with the visual appeal of our output) at its root, thinking creatively is of vital importance for the growth of a business.

If you have not read Ed Catmull’s book ‘Creativity Inc’ – Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration – I would highly recommend it. Firstly, it is a fascinating story about how a person who dreamed of becoming an animator, but could not draw, ends up as the President of Walt Disney Studios and Pixar! However, more importantly is that Catmull brings forward usable, relatable stories of how they could foster an environment of creative thinking. “For me, creativity includes problem-solving. That’s the broad definition of it”.

Thinking outside the box

Whilst it may be easy to associate creativity with a movie studio – much of the lessons learned are hugely practical for any business (or team within a business) that are tasked to ‘think outside the box’ to solve a problem. For me, the largest problem with the term ‘thinking outside the box’ is that it is a cliché, with no clear meaning or benefit derived from doing so. Sometimes, thinking ‘within the box’ is effective. By the purest definition, it was ‘thinking inside’ that you got you to where you are today. ‘The box’ is often a negative, the norm, staying with what you know, how a company operates, and there is often nothing wrong with optimizing this as a starting point.

However, there does come a time where you need to look for new ideas and inspiration. You could Google ‘how to think outside the box’ but there are many, many results that come up – and whilst some claim to give you advice (Forbes for example) it is not as easy as that to implement.

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Using research as a tool to think creatively

This is where research companies can play a pivotal role … not just by collecting data, but by helping you think about a problem differently – creatively!

At Kadence, we look to help companies make sure that they are focused on the impact that research can have – and we work creatively to be able to do that. Our starting point is always making sure that we are thinking about the business goal. A great example of this (and an interesting read regardless) is in HBR’s article on ‘Are you Solving the Right Problems’. The author describes framing a problem, an elevator being too slow in an office building – with disgruntled tenants – with the list of potential solutions geared up around making it faster (new lift shaft, upgrade motors, change algorithms etc). However, the problem is really that ‘the wait for the elevator is annoying’. This then presents a much different list of potential solutions (provide entertainment, TV screens, mirrors to check appearance, etc) – all of which are much cheaper than construction of new lift shaft!

This correct framing of the problem brings us back to creativity as a tool. If we are tasked with thinking ‘creatively’ about a problem, how do we do so. Particularly if we have been ‘in the box’ for a long time. The rest of the HBR article continues with suggested ways of re-framing the problem, but at Kadence – we go searching outside the box!

Harnessing ‘spheres to influence ‘ to find new solutions

We use a term called ‘spheres of influence’ to assess what are the associated, but distinct industries, or experts that might be able to give an opinion on the problem or potential solution. We draw this up with our clients, then we go looking for our creative solutions. For example, when working with an airline, whose goal it is to create the best in-flight experience possible we would create a map of the ‘spheres’

Spheres of influence - What is the best inflight experience we can create?

By looking at the spheres of influence on a brand, and by speaking to people who have a viewpoint on this (e.g. for an airline, understanding views on what makes best in class bedding or a best in class luxury car seat etc) we can reframe the problems creatively and therefore focus our proposed solutions on something that is likely to be more relevant.

Increasing creativity in your organisation

As a first step, you could always look to assess how creative you, or your teams are. There is a test called the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking (which we recently carried out on our team in Kadence) that allows you to assess how creative individuals are. If you do find that you or your team score low on this, don’t fret. Either give Ed Catmull’s book a read….or simply get in touch with Kadence*

 *ideally you should do both

We’ve all been there. That moment of frustration when you visit a store or restaurant or hotel and are so entirely and completely underwhelmed by the experience. Perhaps it was the inattentive or poorly trained staff. Or the unclear and confusing information. Or the restricting opening hours. But what makes the whole thing worse is that this is not what you were promised – the ads; marketing and branding all suggest a very different experience. As an extreme example, the hot water that United got into for forcibly removing a passenger is a complete mismatch of its brand promise of: “connecting people. Uniting the world.”

On the flip side, there are golden moments when the unexpectedly wonderful happens. The barista remembers your name and favourite order; you’re given a hotel room upgrade; the restaurant goes out of their way to accommodate your food allergy.

The reason for both of these reactions is because of the unexpected. The experience you were primed for by the brand promise is different. Causing an emotional reaction as we deal with that.

Experiences have become perhaps the most important aspect of shaping the brand. Not only can experiences be documented and shared more easily than ever with camera phones and social media; but an experience is more visceral and powerful than any marketing and will live on much longer in the memory.

However, a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Marketing suggests that only 53% of marketers claim successful alignment between brand promise and experience; just 37% believe their employees understand how to deliver this brand promise; and a measly 17% feel they enable their employees to suggest way to improve brand experience.

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Part of the reason for this is that it’s hard to measure the brand experience. Brand health studies measure the brand promise not experience; Satisfaction studies test the brand’s SOPs rather than the consumers’ experience; and mystery shopping relies on a small sampling of outsiders’ opinions. Relying on these studies alone is not enough for the CXO to draw any kind of conclusions about how their customers are experiencing the brand. Also, is it even relevant?

After all, while ‘satisfaction scores’ and ‘likelihood to promote’ a brand can be assumed to imply that the customer ‘likes’ the brand, that inference does not necessarily show the CXO what is the nature of the experience, and what specifically about it created the ‘emotional hook’ strong enough for the customer to want to ‘promote’ the brand to other users or have been satisfied. In short, it will likely leave more questions than answers, rather than illuminating actionable next steps for improving the process.

Rather, you need a measurement tool that tells you what customers of your brand (as well as your competitor, and even category) value when it comes to experience. Something that complements current studies you already have; but offers deeper insights that can help you create a strategic plan of action. A piece of research that sheds light on not just the ‘what’, but the ‘why’ of your customers’ emotional connection (or disconnection) with your brand based on their experience.

In short, Kadence’s Emotional Connection Matrix (ECM) is what you need. We have completed a study amongst Singapore consumers across categories on how individual brands scored in terms of emotionally-connecting with them, how these brands compare to others, which product category has the highest tendency to provoke positive emotional connections based solely on brand experiences, and what kinds of actions actually lead to said positive emotional connections. Drop by the CX Conference 2019 at Four Seasons Hotel on 26th July to satisfy your curiosity, as we talk more about the Emotional Connection Matrix.