Millennials are not Monolithic: Dispelling the Millennial Myth
March 9, 2020
What do you think when you hear the term millennials? Maybe you are a millennial yourself. If so, you know that not everything they say is true about all Millennials – or even most. Today, we are going to debunk some of the common myths about the millennial generation, starting with the myth that it Read more
Adapting and Coping with Cultural Change
January 15, 2020
COPING WITH CULTURAL CHANGE It’s said that death and taxes are life’s only certainties, but we’d like to add shifting cultural attitudes to that list — after all, the things people embrace or reject change over time, often in unexpected ways. And even the most successful businesses need to be able to cope with these Read more
What Drives Positive Product Reviews?
July 11, 2019
There’s no question that online product reviews are a great way to measure consumers’ reactions to a product. But while the average rating score might tell us what consumers think about a particular product, it doesn’t tell us why. And how can a company improve a product or its messaging without knowing why it’s satisfying Read more
The Difference Between Strategy and Tactics
June 12, 2019
Businesses always talk about strategy and tactics, but sometimes the terms get confused and are thought to be interchangeable. It is important to understand that the two terms are different, but both are equally important for successful branding. So what exactly are the differences between strategy and tactics? Strategy vs. Tactics Strategy defines your brand’s goals Read more
Where Did Game of Thrones Go Wrong?
May 29, 2019
As the dust settles on the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones fan reactions are sharply divided, with some calling the conclusion rushed and nonsensical, while others seem perfectly satisfied with it. But the numbers don’t lie — season eight is generating much lower scores on both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes than any of Read more
Should A Brand Care About Social Currency?
May 9, 2019
Social currency is a buzzword you may have heard before, but few businesses really understand what social currency is and how they can lever it to generate awareness and sales. But a brand that can translate social currency into sales may have found how to spin straw into gold. Social Currency: What Is It, And Read more
Can Today’s AI Speak English?
April 25, 2019
We can communicate instantly with anyone in the world, which means quick and automatic translation has nearly become a necessity. Over the past 15 years, services like Google Translate have brought machine translation into our lives, and have improved communication across the globe. But even as machine translation technology gets better, there’s still a lot Read more
What Final Twist Does Game of Thrones Have In Store?
April 11, 2019
A Social Media Analysis of Fan Expectations (Note: This article may — or may not — contain spoilers for the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.) With the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones upon us, fan speculation has reached a fever pitch. How will this epic tale, 8 years in the telling, Read more
“Bottoms-Up,” Amazon, and Google: Eyes Wide Open
March 14, 2019
Steve Jobs once famously said: “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” These words have been quoted and re-quoted thousands of times, often framed as a visionary pronouncement from an idealistic genius. And yet, apart from the perhaps self-deceptive conclusions that many entrepreneurs have drawn from them, they contain an Read more
Emotion Marketing: Using Emotion to Carry Your Message
February 28, 2019
The last time you went car shopping, did you notice something interesting about the front of all the cars you saw? How some cars looked like they had friendly faces, with upward curving grilles and wide headlights to make them look like they were smiling at you? Or how other cars have a glaring headlight and angry Read more
Drinking with Feeling: How Emotions Impact Spirits Consumption
February 12, 2019
MAi Research recently conducted exploratory research to better understand the Millennial consumer’s shifting consumption patterns in the alcoholic beverage category — particularly the emotional aspect of the drinking occasion and how it affects beverage selection.
Introducing Pathfinder
January 25, 2019
Too many solutions and research firms remain very good at answering the questions related to the who, what, when, where, and how. However, they often fail to answer the most important question: the why.
Challenges and Implications during the COVID-19 Outbreak
March 27, 2020
Observation: Prior to the outbreak, many companies were focused on how to encourage more online shopping. During the current situation, consumers are shopping and communicating using online channels like never before. Observation: These changing behaviors are bringing not just new consumers to the table, but new segments. Significant numbers of consumers – across ages, genders, Read more
The Goldilocks Principle: Finding the ‘Just Right’ Spot
February 20, 2020
Much of the human experience resembles a bell curve: things on the upward slope might not be interesting at all, while move too far to the right and things can get downright scary. This is true for brands and products as well. What is a brand’s sweet spot? How can a company assess factors like Read more
A Brand Apart: How Brands Can Stand Out from the Competition
February 5, 2020
Rising above and standing apart are critically important in today’s increasingly crowded market. Going with the flow and being part of the crowd are recipes for a failing brand. But how, specifically, can a brand set itself apart? Be Different We often associate products with a particular feeling or attitude. Mattresses = comfort. Roses = Read more
Why Some Stores Thrive In a Tough Retail Environment
December 19, 2019
The holidays and retail shopping go together like hot chocolate and marshmallows. But recent trends have not been kind to retailers. We read about the impending death of retail channels nearly every day. We’re told that brick and mortars retail is in a steep decline, that consumers are buying everything online, and that Read more
Super Powering Your Business: Lessons from Superheroes
December 4, 2019
Super Powering Your Business: Lessons from Superheroes Teleportation, X-Ray vision, time travel, telepathy, regeneration—let’s face it, superheroes are cool. They can do things we only wish that we could. It’s a fun, escapist adventure to see life through their eyes. But even superheroes have their weaknesses, which just makes them that much more endearing. While Read more
Wanting Less: The Simplicity Trend
November 20, 2019
When we think of innovation we often think of more buttons, more features, and greater complexity. But things don’t have to be bigger and flashier to be innovative; innovation can mean making things simpler, too. In fact, we’re sitting at a cultural moment that leans toward the simple. In everything from clothing to housing to Read more
Why is Whiskey Winning?
November 3, 2019
When you look at spirit sales, whiskey is right there at the top of the heap in terms of success. According to the New York Post, in 2016, sales of whiskey were up 7.7 percent, which outpaced the rest of the spirits industry quite handily. With those numbers staying on track, the question everyone Read more
The Flat Internet: Social Media’s Questionable Content
October 16, 2019
The number of people using social media around the globe is projected to hit 3 billion by the end of 2019 — and the average amount of time spent on social media is nearly two hours a day and increasing. People use social media for different reasons, from staying in touch with family and friends, Read more
