For years now, most of us have been in the practice of “ask” research.
We create surveys with a variety of questions we want consumers to react and respond to. We give them grids, scales, a set list of attributes and a range of methods to register their response. Short surveys are ideal, 5 minutes is optimal, but many instruments take 12, 15 or even 20 minutes to complete.
The truth is, no matter the duration, respondents eventually just get tired and encounter ‘respondent fatigue’. They’re human, after all. When fatigue sets in, the quality and honesty of responses starts to suffer. Some respondents will even quit the survey if it’s too long, wasting valuable research time and budget.
Nonetheless, for years, this approach has been considered a best practice. And we’ve all gotten this “best practice” down to a science. But if we are being truthful, don’t those 5-minute surveys often end up being more like 15? Is that really leading to the best survey data we can get?
AI Filtered Through Human Expertise
We’re not here to say “ask” research’ is wrong, but rather that strides in technology have already given rise to an evolved approach. An approach enabled by the twin trends in the ever-increasing power of AI and computing, bringing clever academic thinking to life.
Narrative Intelligence pulls metrics and models from conversations, yielding decision-grade data. Instead of forcing consumers into those grids and scales, AI chatbots simply engage in an open-ended discussion with consumers, drawing data along the way. Interestingly, this has the effect of centering the human being on the other side. It takes the data collection out of the limits of the survey-crafter’s point of view and just lets people be people, complete with the messy details—and powerful truths. And it still provides insights on KPIs and metrics, like Brand Consideration or NPS, without actually having to ask, “How likely are you to…?”
It echoes familiar approaches, but it functions quite differently. Similar to qualitative research, the questions are open-ended and discussion-based, leveraging the power of storytelling to reveal important insights. But because it harnesses the power of AI large language models (LLMs), it can be done at scale. We’ve found that it brings unexpected insights into the light and paints a more nuanced picture of the emotional territories associated with brands.
We start with a fixed, open-ended question that we create to get things going. Then, AI that we’ve trained like a focus group moderator probes with wholly original follow-up questions based on the response. The result is an experience that’s a lot more enjoyable and engaging for the respondent, keeping them in the frame of mind that leads to honest, authentic, and discriminating feedback.
What We’re Learning
In our experiences with the tool, we can see that it’s really good at extracting themes, emotions, and attributes/dimensions for brands. These are the essential elements that map your path to reaching consumers, and Narrative Intelligence surfaces them with accuracy and detail.
What about the negatives? They’re just as important for brands, but we never seem to have the room or inclination to include them in our “ask” research. However, they’re going to come out in the course of a conversation. You’ll see all the pain points in a customer’s journey, including the surprise issues that weren’t even on your radar.
What we love the most about this approach is its versatility. You can apply it across the marketing mix to deliver outcomes like:
- Evidence-driven GTM plans and product roadmaps from unvarnished reactions to features and benefits, identifying clear winners and losers
- Capturing brand affinity and true differentiation for breakthrough brand strategies
- Creative briefs and message clarity informed by authentic consumer triggers that inspire RTBs
- Optimized creative, refined through testing consumer reactions, with the depth and rigor of both qual and quant simultaneously
- Complex customer journeys illuminated with the nuances of real stories
We’re constantly amazed by what we can learn from Narrative Intelligence (check out the video on the linked page), and we think you’ll be too. Want to hear what your customers have to say about your brand and products? Get in touch with us—we’re listening.
