For many years, we’ve helped clients shape early-stage strategic innovation by generating foundational insights and uncovering new opportunities. Our work brings fresh outside-in perspectives that complement internal expertise, challenge assumptions, and guide better decision-making.
Our projects typically arise from three types of strategic needs: integrating emerging technologies, exploring new customer behaviours, and gaining a deeper understanding of cultural or market context.
Technology-led insights
Sometimes these projects are triggered by early signals of potential added value from upcoming technologies. For instance, in a project for an international appliance manufacturer, we explored concepts and prototypes for products that are more responsive and personalised through integrated sensors and data analytics. Or the project for an international digital services provider, where we identified opportunities for further enhancing online collaboration tools and features by integrating adaptive machine learning that made separate tools work better together
Behaviour-driven insights
Other times, these projects are triggered by a wish from strategy and design teams to gain a deeper understanding of emerging behaviours of specific customer segments. For instance, in a project for a global streaming service that wanted to better understand the preferences and routines of young audiences who approach their digital platforms in different ways than before. Or the project for a global entertainment platform that wanted to better understand the relationships between several professional and non-professional stakeholders in a specific ecosystem relevant to their business.
Market and cultural context
And finally, other projects are triggered to gain a better contextual understanding of new strategic markets. For instance, the project for a digital financial service provider who was considering extending their services to new geographic areas and wanted to be sure they were sufficiently aware of the relevant cultural context around money. Or the project for a global digital platform that wanted to sensitise their upcoming product managers to different countries and cultures around the world, and asked us to guide them in engaging in cultural immersions.
International perspective
These strategic innovation projects usually have an international scope. The client team might be based in Europe, the US or Japan, while the areas of interest are related to India, China, Latin America or Africa. With our long-term partners from the amazing Reach Network, we are able to provide the required international expertise and sensitivity.
Blended empathic methods
Looking across a range of individual projects gives a good sense of our overarching strategic offering of informing and inspiring the early stages of strategic innovation processes of our clients. In these projects, our role is to make sure that client teams gain from fresh outside-in perspectives, insights are illustrated with rich empathic evidence, as well as strengthened by blended use of qualitative and quantitative data.
Collaborative approach
We work closely together with core client teams throughout the project with the aim to involve a wide range of internal stakeholders in immersive fieldwork and co-creative workshops, ensuring that the final strategic insights, opportunities and recommendations are co-owned and carried forward.
Delivering added value
By the end of our engagement, teams are equipped to make confident, informed decisions and pursue innovative strategies with clarity and cultural awareness.