Specialty Areas

RESEARCH MEETS COMMUNICATION

Organizations across all industries look to Research Narrative not only to conduct rigorous research about communication strategy, but to translate data and communicate insights clearly and persuasively. Throughout our 13 years in business, we’ve helped clients answer questions like:

• How can we best differentiate our brand identity in marketing activities?
• How can we more persuasively convey our unique value proposition?
• How can we create a cohesive messaging strategy? How can we best align the right audience with the right products and messaging?
• What is the best way to communicate a change in product or content strategy?
• How might we shift our messaging to drive wider appeal, without sacrificing momentum with our current audience/customers?
• How can we best illustrate and share the impact of an initiative to stakeholders and funders?
• How can we translate existing data and insights into organizational action steps, implications for industry, or pillars of a strategic plan?
• What can we learn from our data to prepare for an upcoming merger discussion, acquisition announcement, or partnership negotiation?

AUDIENCE & ENTERTAINMENT

From emerging streaming video services to established TV networks to podcasts, we’re experts at understanding the insights and opportunities for a diverse range of audiences.​

• Audience: Who is the current vs. growth audience? What do they seek and value? What mindsets and need states drive their choices? What resonates and drives engagement; how can we better deliver?
• Brand: What is the brand promise and value proposition? How is that evolving as new entertainment platforms and offerings emerge?
• Content: How might we heighten storylines, characters, pacing, or even a core concept/premise? What can different data sources tell us?
• Behaviors: How do audiences consume our content, and why?
• Marketing: Which promotional strategies are most likely to attract new audiences while appealing to the existing core fan?
• User Experience: How can we balance integration of advertising / revenue with user satisfaction and discoverability on different platforms?

DIGITAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY

Questions like “What is the future of media” and “How will consumers integrate new technological innovations into their lives?” don’t scare us; they inspire us. We’re passionate about the powerful intersection of digital media, innovation, user experience and consumer insights.​

• Audience: Where’s our digital audience trending, and how can we excel on different platforms? What drives engagement, loyalty, and virality?
• Product: How can we expand our digital product offerings? How will products and content differ on various platforms? How can we improve user experience, but also keep brand consistency?
• Monetization: How can we better monetize our platform(s)? Where might we explore the opportunity for new revenue streams?
• Business Preparation: How can our data and insights prepare you for a merger or acquisition?

PUBLIC & NON-PROFIT MEDIA

In non-profit organizations such as public media, our work combines strategy and audience insight with organizational mission – whether we’re developing a strategic plan, evaluating the impact of initiatives, or assessing audience needs and opportunities.​

• Audience: Who is the public media audience, and how do they differ in mindset, needs, content preferences, cultural perspective, and demographics from the broader growth audience? How can we more effectively navigate the multiplatform landscape to grow our audience?
• Business Model Evolution: What revenue opportunities emerge as broadcast membership revenue streams decline? How could we better monetize each initiative to ensure sustainability?
• Multiplatform Content: What stories resonate with our communities? How might we reformat and refresh the content we already do best, so we can successfully leverage emerging distribution channels or develop a long-term relationship with our audiences?
• Community: How can we better serve our stakeholders and community, through thoughtful strategic objectives and community engagement?
• Impact: How can we measure, evaluate, and validate progress, both to guide efforts and to unlock additional funding? What can we learn throughout the evaluation process, to iterate toward a successful set of outcomes?

MOBILE WIRELESS & UTILITIES

Whether developing a new mobile app or launching a new wireless service, our clients in the mobile, telecommunications and utilities industries rely on us for insights into product design, user experience, customer experience, market trends, and competitive analysis.​

• Value Proposition and Differentiation: In a competitive or changing business landscape, how can we best differentiate our brand perception and deliver value?
• Customer Segmentation: Who is our target customer, and how do they differ from our competitors? Why will they choose us?
• Promotion: Which campaign strategy and promotions best attract new customers? How might that differ for different segments?
• Pricing: Which pricing model or price points best drives appeal among our consumer target? What do our price points signal about our brand? What bundled services drive the greatest value in our pricing models?
• Experience: How could we optimize the customer journey, to facilitate ease of purchase, subscription, or app utilization? How could our onboarding and activation process be smoother?

EDUCATION & ED-TECH

In the education and ed-tech industry, research needs often revolve around improving educational outcomes, enhancing user experience, optimizing product offerings, and program evaluation.

• Learning Outcomes: How do we validate and persuasively communicate how much our tools or services improve student outcomes?
• Landscape Analysis: Which trends and innovations in learning should we mind, adopt, or champion? What are the current perceptions of our activities – from DEI to mental health initiatives to digital learning – and what steps can we take to improve both performance and perception?
• Engagement: How can our organization best engage each stakeholder group – students, parents, alumni, teachers/faculty, etc.? Where are we currently exceling vs. falling short of expectation?
• Technology: How might we optimize technology to support our efforts, including for objectives like student retention and alumni engagement? How can we best measure the impact of different tools? In EdTech, how can tools be made more effective, usable, and appealing to learners?