In an extremely competitive handphone market where communication was dominated by features and functionality, our client wanted to make a difference. They wanted to create communication that breaks away from convention and creates a deep emotional connection with consumers.
The Central Question: What emotions can we showcase in our communication to build a brand that will resonate and connect deeply with consumers?
We designed an approach that leverages the power of real-life stories to uncover emotional levers and inspire communication. While the task seemed simple, experience had taught us that getting consumers to open up and share personal stories was not as easy. Conventional research approaches are designed to be scientific, limit bias and encourage spontaneity. Participants invited to the research are those who do not have a recent history of participating in other research and research topics are not shared with them beforehand so as to not bias them. We decided to challenge this convention and push the boundaries in the approach we designed:
First, we designed a rigorous selection process involving personality profiling, ‘video audition’, and creative story writing to select respondents who are in touch with their inner feelings and able to articulate the same.
Second: We sensitized them on the discussion topics beforehand through a pre-task that asked them to provide a trailer of their story with photos or videos to make their stories more vivid!
This approach allowed us to go deeper and uncover stories that are deeply personal. The stories were then analyzed to create a framework of emotions which the client then used to develop future communication. What started as a 3 markets pilot study was then replicated in other markets, based on the results that it yielded.