Capturing the hidden symphony of driving: establishing the power of audio

The BBC wanted to capture the genuine behaviour of people’s listening behaviour while driving and understand the different audio need states of those in the car.

Using a combination of desk research, digital ethnography and in-car dash cameras, we were able to witness the unfiltered reality of driving moments, observing real-time reactions and unconscious behaviour. 

We discovered distinct listener need states that went far beyond demographic categories, but were emotional territories where audio becomes companion, escape, or energiser. This symphony of insights revealed a potential innovation opportunity, showing the BBC that understanding driving isn't about studying transportation, it's about understanding the deeply personal soundtrack to people's car journeys.

Understanding the changing narrative of media consumption

Every generation writes its own story with media. For The Times, a new chapter was beginning.

Times Media had attracted a younger audience, readers with different habits, expectations, and relationships to news. But how are these new readers weaving The Times into the narrative of their daily lives, how long are they engaging with The Times and what are the need state driving engagement?

We became chroniclers of their media consumption journeys. Through digital ethnography, we captured the spontaneous, unfiltered moments of engagement—the morning coffee scroll, the lunchtime verification, the evening reflection. Individual interviews then allowed us to explore the deeper story behind these moments.

What emerged was a revelation of distinct need states driving engagement, each representing a different role in The Times' evolving story. We discovered how The Times had become embedded in their personal narratives in ways that traditional metrics could never reveal.

Our research was launched at an invitation only with senior attendees from all media agencies.

Navigating AI beauty: when innovation meets intimacy

No.7 Beauty Company stood at the frontier of AI-driven marketing in beauty, but venturing into artificial intelligence could result in risking the intimate, personal relationships that define the beauty industry. How do you innovate without alienating?

Through an online community with passionate makeup enthusiasts, we explored not just their beauty routines but also their relationship with technology. Follow-up sprint innovation sessions generated AI product concepts, but more importantly, they revealed the emotional boundaries customers draw around their beauty rituals.

The research uncovered that beauty consumers don't fear AI, they fear losing authenticity. They welcomed AI that enhanced their creativity but rejected anything that felt like it was replacing human judgment about their personal expression.

We provided No.7 with a strategic roadmap that distinguished between AI applications that would feel like trusted tools versus those that would feel like digital intrusion, ensuring their innovation honoured the deeply personal nature of beauty while embracing technological possibility.

The evolution of language: reading between society's lines

The British Board of Film Classification faced a delicate challenge: language that shocked previous generations might feel outdated to today's audiences, while new sensitivities emerge that traditional research methods struggle to capture.

Through homework tasks, targeted focus groups including women-only and Black British sessions, and a quantitative validation survey, we mapped the contemporary language landscape across different communities. What began as a classification exercise became an exploration of cultural evolution and changing social boundaries.

The integrated analysis revealed that context matters, sometimes more than content. Audiences showed sophisticated understanding of nuance that rigid guidelines couldn't capture. Our recommendations enabled BBFC to update their guidance with cultural sensitivity and contextual understanding, ensuring age ratings reflect contemporary values while respecting diverse perspectives across British society.

Gaming motivations: the hidden psychology of players

Glu Mobile's Covet Fashion has millions of players, but what motivates them to play? Traditional gaming metrics showed what players did, but not why they played—the emotional drivers that transformed a simple mobile game into a daily ritual.

Through focus groups across the United States and Germany, complemented by an in-game survey, we uncovered five distinct player archetypes, each with their own relationship with the game. Some sought escape, others craved recognition, while many found community in shared aesthetic appreciation.

Each segment came alive through behavioural data and emotional insights, revealing that Covet Fashion isn't just a game, it is a platform for self-expression, social connection and creative exploration. Players are not just collecting virtual clothes; they were crafting digital identities.

Deliverables enabled stakeholders to see players as complete humans rather than data points, fundamentally shifting how they approach engagement and development.

Decoding Premium: the invisible signals of exceptional products

Google knew they wanted to create premium technology, but premium isn't just about higher prices or better specifications, it's about the intangible qualities that make consumers feel they're holding something extraordinary.

Through accompanied shopping trips and ethnographic home visits, we observed how consumers interact with products they perceive as premium across different categories. Our insight revealed that premium isn't a feature, it's a feeling, communicated through subtle visual, tactile, and functional cues that create emotional elevation. Premium perceptions are formed in milliseconds through details most brands overlook. Consumers couldn't always articulate what made something feel premium, but their hands and eyes knew instantly.

Our insights provided Google with a strategic foundation for their latest device development, ensuring every design decision contributed to an authentic premium experience that would resonate with discerning consumers seeking technology that feels as exceptional as it performs.