Beyond demographics: bringing consumer personas to life

2 week from commission to delivery

When Unilever needed growth insights for new condiment products, they weren't looking for statistics, they wanted to understand the human stories behind purchasing decisions. This meant going beyond buying habits to uncover values, future aspirations, and life priorities that truly drive consumer behaviour.

Through digital ethnography across three markets, we captured the authentic narratives of weekly food rituals. Each participant became a character in their own culinary story, revealing how flavours and cooking techniques transform everyday meals into meaningful experiences.

Our deep-dive interviews added layers to these emerging personas, creating rich character profiles that Unilever combined with AI to generate interactive virtual personas. These digital storytellers could answer questions in real-time workshops, bringing consumer voices directly into innovation discussions.

The result? Living, breathing personas that colleagues could actually converse with, each response rooted in genuine ethnographic insight.

"Great client servicing & flexible to cater to project needs. The Magenta team is fully appreciative of my project needs around timing and the required deliverables, and generously accepted my tight turnaround brief. The outputs from their online community platform were super useful in our cross-country and cross-function workshop. You will be in good hands!"

CMI Manager, Unilever

From Brief to Breakthrough: 7 Days to Product Clarity

When Air Wick needed concept testing for a new product launch, the clock was ticking. Seven days from commission to final report, a timeline that would make most researchers pause.

Through rapid consumer discussion groups, we unravelled the real story behind category usage, explored product naming possibilities, and tested whether concepts truly resonated. Each session revealed new plot twists in consumer perception, helping optimise communication strategies and enhance product appeal.

The narrative emerged quickly: consumers had clear preferences, but the path to market success required precise calibration. Our accelerated approach didn't compromise depth, it concentrated it, delivering actionable insights exactly when our client needed them most.

Sometimes the best stories are told under pressure.

One Week, Four Ranges, Clear Direction

TCC Global arrived with a new wellness proposition and four potential ranges, needing immediate French market validation. The question wasn't just which range would succeed—it was whether their entire brand story would resonate.

Through integrated qualitative focus groups and quantitative surveys, we compressed months of traditional research into one intensive week. Each consumer interaction added another layer to the emerging narrative of brand preference and market opportunity.

The data told a compelling story: one range clearly outperformed, and the proposition showed strong potential as an in-store loyalty programme. Our rapid-fire approach revealed the authentic consumer voice beneath time constraints.