Where culture moves, demand follows.
I work out what’s driving demand, not just what’s changed in the market.This gives teams a clear basis for decisions about products, brands and where to grow next.
About
I am an independent research and strategy consultant with more than 20 years’ experience, including a decade as Principal and Director of Strategy at Gemic, where I established and grew the firm’s cultural strategy practice. My work has informed high-stakes growth and innovation decisions at BMW Group, Meta, Microsoft, TIAA, P&G Ventures and Rolls-Royce.
Much of my work is about making sense of markets when the evidence is ambiguous or existing research doesn’t quite connect the dots. I look for what is driving people’s changing behaviour, helping client teams understand where demand is heading and why.
Companies bring me in when
- Different studies each answer part of the question, but the answers don’t join up.
- Established segments and customer definitions no longer explain changing demand.
- Products, brands or customer experiences need to respond to changing expectations, aspirations and behaviours.
- Research, design, product, engineering, brand and strategy teams need a shared understanding before committing to a direction.
Selected challenges
In a world of electric powertrains and autonomous driving, what sparks desire for a sports car?
As retirement becomes less about stopping work and more about creating freedom throughout life, what role can financial services providers play in helping people shape the life they want?
As people age, how does the loss of bodily control affect their sense of who they are, and how can personal products and technologies help them retain their autonomy and identity?
As luxury markets fragment, what kind of belonging matters now, and what makes a brand worth identifying with?
As people increasingly make sustainable choices to build resilience rather than simply reduce environmental impact, how is this changing what they value in products, services and brands?
Approach
I take a cultural perspective on markets, connecting what people say and do with the wider shifts shaping what they value and choose.
I combine methods to suit the question, from ethnography, qualitative research and semiotics to social listening, quantitative and behavioural analysis.
I work closely with teams to turn insight into decisions about products, brands and experiences. I also develop measures that can be tracked and frameworks that guide decisions across an organisation.
Work
with me
A good place to start is a focused review of the question and existing evidence. Together, we clarify what is already known, where the gaps are and what needs to happen next.
Engagements can then extend into a structured synthesis of existing research, original multi-market studies or longer-term frameworks for understanding and tracking change.
I lead every engagement personally and work closely with client teams throughout. When a project spans markets or calls for broader expertise, I work with a close-knit network of trusted researchers, strategists and specialists.