Coronavirus COVID-19 Resources
March 23, 2020Get the answers you need to help you navigate the ever-evolving marketplace.
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About Us
We are independently recognized as a top business decision insight firm. Our team of experts create flexible designs, and use powerful analytics, innovative data collection, and connected data to inform strategic business decisions. We craft insights into compelling visual stories and deliver them in engaging formats that drive action in organizations.
We excel in innovation & optimization, brand & customer experience, brand strategy, business intelligence, and storytelling & visualization across a wide range of industries, and on a global scale.
Our Company
- 175 Employees
- Based in Cincinnati, OH with regional offices around the US
- Founded in 1988
- Owned by senior staff
Our People
- Industry and category experts
- Average 15+ years experience
- Many with client-side experience
- Consistent staff - 94% retention
Our Mission
- Our mission is to form long-term business partnerships with our clients through:
- Superior design, analysis, communication, and unsurpassed responsiveness
Our approach is CUSTOMIZED. Our tools and creativity are LIMITLESS.
At Directions, we believe you deserve to have research and analyses designed with your needs, situation and category in mind. While we have many proven tools to meet business needs, we don’t force “canned” products or “black boxes.” We offer flexible solutions that drive actionable insights.
Innovation is the key to success and it’s never been easy, but it’s getting harder. We know you need a supplier who can move quickly and is willing to go beyond traditional rigid approaches.
Every day, our seasoned researchers deliver solutions to help the world’s biggest brands innovate and optimize their offerings. So whether it’s a large scale testing system, an ad hoc project, or volumetrics we can help.
Innovation & Optimization
From idea creation to launch and beyond.
How consumers experience and interact with brands is quickly and drastically evolving. Thus, truly understanding consumers is more critical than ever.
From customer experience to brand tracking, we have sensitive tools that deliver meaningful insight to inform your strategy to win with current and potential customers. We bring the consumer to life for you so you can bring more to them.
Customer & Brand Experience
Evolving with today's consumers.
Our experienced Data Engineers combine industry leading marketing research know-how with modern data management tools to extract value from Connected Data.
We draw from operations research, direct-to-consumer modeling, web/social media analytics, point-of-sales/syndicated data to provide marketing focused predictive analytics.
When this knowledge is applied to Connected Data, stand back and watch the sparks fly!
Business Intelligence
Insight and connecting data to move your business forward.
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AMO
The Best Tool in Your Toolkit -
Restaurant
Innovative Effective Solutions -
Menu IQ
Your Best Plate Is Served -
SmartTrac
A Validated Tracking Solution -
Visual Storytelling
Deliverables to Engage and Wow! -
Health & Wellness
Global. Innovation. Economic Insights. -
Financial Services
Banks. Investment Services. Insurance. -
CEM
Delivering Insights to Customer Interaction -
Qualitative
Beyond Focus Groups -
Tech & Telecom
Edge of Innovation Partners -
IdeaSprint ™
Innovate with Creative Confidence -
Customer Driven Solutions
Make Needs Assessment & Segmentation Work For You -
CPG
Innovation Pipeline & Beyond -
Retail & Shopper
Custom Shopper Solutions -
CrowdSight™
Foresight To Spot & Shape Commercial Ideas -
R2 Ratings and Rankings
True Differences With Differentiation -
Portfolio Price Optimizer
Optimize Category Portfolio Pricing In Weeks -
Emotion
Assessing Emotion Through Imagery
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AMO – Adaptive Marketing Optimizer
The Best Tool in Your ToolkitWhen it comes to testing concepts, packaging, promotions or marketing materials, we understand there are more ideas and iterations than you can feasibly test. You have two choices: spend a lot of time and money using a complex trade off design or pick what you think are the best ones to evaluate. Directions has an alternative solution: Adaptive Marketing Optimizer or AMO.
It’s like getting conjoint results without the complexity and costs. You provide the initial content and options. The variations can be anything – benefits, images, claims, packaging and more. Respondents build their most and least desired configuration and we model the data to identify the optimal combinations.
AMO eliminates the restraints of monadic testing and gives you the precision to uncover winning combinations. You can test the fringes of innovation efficiently, bringing bigger and better ideas to market.
View our AMO Video -
Restaurant
Innovative Effective SolutionsOur solutions leverage nearly 30 years of experience working with top restaurant brands, in all segments including: Fast Food, Fast Casual, Family Dining, Casual Dining, and Fine Dining.
From strategic initiatives to ad hoc projects, we have unique approaches and systems to gather guest and operator opinions in-restaurant and online, and then put them into context.
Our multi-faceted approach to menu development, Menu IQ, offers you solutions for each step of the process to help ensure your menu items are optimized.
We understand the challenges facing your management teams, operators and franchisees, and are able to get answers to even the toughest questions in creative, efficient and action-oriented ways.
Visit our restaurant website -
Menu IQ
Your Best Plate Is ServedDiners today have more options than ever before. To maximize your share of wallet, you have to offer and execute the best menu for your concept.
Leveraging insights from nearly 30 years of experience working with the top restaurant brands, Directions developed a comprehensive suite of insight solutions. Menu IQ is a multi-faceted approach to menu development that includes:
- Ideation & Concept Development
- Sensory & Taste Profiling
- In-Market Testing
- Satisfaction & Optimization
Want to know how you compare to the competition? Directions is one of the only firms to offer competitive context through menu satisfaction norms. We can also consolidate these menu insights with other financial and brand findings into a custom integrated digital dashboard.
From baseline assessment of your current menu to identifying new opportunities, Menu IQ will help you to ensure your best plate is served.
View our MenuIQ Video -
SmartTrac
A Validated Tracking SolutionQuality tracking is essential to managing and maintaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. All too often, though, trackers are not sensitive to changes in the market, don’t line up to sales data, and lose their value over time.
Direction’s approach to brand tracking – SmartTrac – incorporates key elements of traditional brand tracking, but it also integrates truly discriminatory brand evaluations, attributes that cover both strategic and tactical brand considerations and overlays market conditions. The results align with sales and engage business partners.
You get a high degree of brand change sensitivity through our R2 ranking and ratings system and we fuse multiple data streams (social, scanner, POS, etc.) to give you one cohesive view. SmartTrac incorporates custom and interchangeable modules. This approach helps position your tracker as the go-to-resource and keeps it fresh and relevant for your business partners year after year.
SmartTrac is a brand tracking investment that maintains relevance and your ability to go beyond reporting to real brand advising. -
Visual Storytelling
Deliverables to Engage and Wow!In this new digital age, words and charts alone won't cut through the clutter to allow your business partners to see the real insights of research. Deliverables need to grab attention with an engaging and easily understood story.
Every day, our analysts take complex data and carefully craft deliverables that distill and present key insights to draw in our clients’ business partners. All Directions analysts have been trained in storytelling and visual design and can collaborate with one of our on-staff graphic designers for more complex visualization.
Not only that, we can go beyond typical PowerPoint and Excel deliverables including:- Animated motion graphics
- Interactive online and mobile dashboards
- Text analytic animation
- And more
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Health & Wellness
Global. Innovation. Economic Insights.Our healthcare division has a deep understanding of the industry dynamics and the impact it has on the behavior of physicians, surgeons and hospitals.
In the healthcare system today, it is crucial to understand the influence of the economic stakeholder as well as the clinician. Synthesizing this data is necessary to truly understand the size and impact of an opportunity.
Directions utilizes foundational and multi-faceted research approaches to answer your global business questions.
And we are very serious about the security of your data. Directions regularly completes a SOC 2 Type II audit and a HIPAA/HITECH review.
Visit our Healthcare website -
Financial
Banks. Investment Services. Insurance.Optimizing financial products, services and customer experiences is not easy in an ever changing digital world.
Our experience is deep. We work in a wide array of business verticals: credit/debit cards, loans, taxes, financial planning and insurance. Consumer targets range from underbanked to affluent. Digital bankers and Millennials are current hot targets. B2B include SBOs, financial planners, and the C-Suite.
Our solutions go even deeper. We apply a number of conventional and new techniques to answer a myriad of business questions.
And we are very serious about the security of your data. Directions regularly completes a SOC 2 Type II audit and a GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) review. -
Customer Experience Managment
Delivering Insights to Customer InteractionDirections' CEM program offers clients critical insights across all the various customer touchpoints.
We have a host of data collection options, including mobile, PC and phone, that allow customers inputs from a variety of sources.
Our creative and flexible analytical approaches provide clients with both the key influencers on overall impressions, as well as consultation and recommendations on how to improve overall guest experiences. -
Qualitative
Beyond Focus GroupsWhy Directions for Qualitative? We know your business. Our overall perspective on your needs means better designs, better insights and better direction across the whole discovery process.
We are not just focus groups. Our expertise in full spectrum of methodologies, including hybrid and online methods to maximize time with your target and get deeper meaning. Everyday, we leverage creative techniques and approaches to go beyond standard rational answers and tap into the underpinning emotions and drivers. And our reports tell the real story and are always insightful and action-driven. -
Technology & Telecom
Edge of Innovation PartnersDriving change in this dynamic market space demands flexibility, innovation, and speed. We bring custom research and analytic solutions to help global clients stay ahead of changing market conditions and customer needs. Our knowledgeable tech and telecom researchers have decades of experiencing helping some of the largest brands in the industry. Everyday, they use their expertise to see beyond the data; developing actionable insights to drive your business forward.
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Customer Driven Solutions (CDS)
Make Needs Assessment & Segmentation Work For YouWe have taken the latest thinking in the Jobs to be Done world and combined it with our advanced approach to customer segmentation and innovation.
This approach enables you to determine what unmet needs resonate with your target groups and resolve the best message(s) to communicate to your market as well as key targets.
Objectively and quantifiably conclude which segments should be targeted based on their unmet needs – not just on demographic, attitudinal, psychographic or behavioral elements. Analyze opportunities for innovations for future development.
Already have a segmentation? We can use your segmentation and add the power of CDS to it! -
Consumer Packaged Goods
Innovation Pipeline & BeyondConsumer habits, needs and interaction with brands are evolving and you need a supplier that really understands CPG but is thinking outside of the traditional research box to get to the deep meaningful insights.
Everyday, we arm our CPG clients to help them better innovate, and deploy effective strategies across numerous categories including:- Food and Beverage
- OTC/Nutraceutical
- HH Care and Goods
- Personal Care
- Pet Care
- Baby & Kids
We have flexible custom solutions for brand strategy and all along the innovation pipeline. And if you need an efficient turn key system or normative databases, we can customize that especially for you to quickly get you from the “so what” to the “now what.” -
Retail & Shopper
Custom Shopper SolutionsHow consumers shop is rapidly changing because of the web, smart phones, social media and numerous other factors. Thus, it’s critical to work with a supplier that truly understands the current issues and is experienced along all points of the shopper journey .
We have 25 years experience working with numerous manufacturers and retailers, including grocery, drug, dollar, mass and class. From large scale segmentations to in-the-moment shop alongs to merging multiple data streams, we know how to uncover insights to drive action. -
CrowdSight™
Exploits the instinctive foresight of crowd wisdom to spot and shape commercial ideasDIRECTIONS has tested 60,000 ideas and concepts in traditional monadic, sequential-monadic and choice-based platforms. Through this, we have found the best way to achieve maximal discrimination while minimizing relative bias is to use a hybrid of both comparative and absolute consumer response.
CrowdSight™ is a solution designed with hybrid rigor and exploits instinctive social foresight by asking people to project market success rather than their own intent.
Projective “Crowd” technique is more intuitive and less biased than self predictions. It is also easy for respondents and extremely flexible to use. Any type of idea can be tested from product ideas to positioning/messaging routes, taglines, names, pack designs, claims, ad ideas, and more.
Learn more about CrowdSight™ -
R2 - Ratings & Rankings
True Differences With DifferentiationTraditional rating scales often don’t tell the whole story of attitudes or behavior. Well, we have an approach that captures real differences and forces differentiation. Directions’ Ratings and Rankings or R-squared is a simple yet powerful approach that uses an interactive, 100-point drag-and-drop scale.
Users can click and drop concepts, names, brands, attributes – really anything you need to test or compare. The 100 point scale is large enough to accommodate many similar ratings, but still allow for a forced rank order.
The dynamic and intuitive interface makes for an engaging respondents exercise that can improve data quality. Even better, preference offers an un-biased way to compare results across ethnicities and geographies where rating scale usage alone isn’t comparable.
R-squared is a robust tool that combines the power of preference with the perspective of ratings.
View our R2 Video -
Portfolio Price Optimizer
Optimize The Pricing For Your Entire Category Portfolio In Weeks Not MonthsDirections has created a technique that goes beyond the constraints of typical pricing and portfolio optimization research to allow for limitless combinations.
Most approaches require that you either severely limit the features and levels tested or wait for the data to process for weeks or even months.
Our approach uses a Sequential Search Heuristic that searches through the trillions of possible combinations quickly identifying optimal prices across the portfolio. -
Emotion Research
Assessing Emotion Through ImageryAsking someone outright how they "feel" about a brand or product can lead to socially acceptable responses instead of their real feelings. Getting at their true emotions requires a more creative approach.
Directions has developed an approach that lets people express how they feel through an imagery technique. By associating their reaction to a brand or product with an array of imagery, we capture the unspoken feelings.
Client Testimonial
Based on an annual survey of research buyers conducted by Prevision and Inside Research, Directions continues to outperform the competition on all attributes, including on-time delivery, value, and relative cost.
What’s New
Directions Hires Operations Veteran Jason Ebbing
February 10, 2020Directions announced today that Jason Ebbing has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Executional Excellence.
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Introducing Ideasprint™
August 19, 2019A breakthrough way to fill your pipeline with absolute creative confidence
more detailsDirections Expands Board of Directors
July 11, 2019Directions announces the expansion of its Board of Directors with the election of Tim Laake and Carley Metsker.
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2019 Top Workplace!
June 10, 2019Directions and SEEK have been recognized as a 2019 Top Workplace by The Cincinnati Enquirer!
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Brian Major Joins Directions’ Restaurant and CPG Team
March 18, 2019Directions Research announced today that Brian Major has joined the firm as Vice President, Client Service. In his role, Major will leverage his digital media expertise to develop new business and create custom solutions for clients in Directions’ Restaurant and CPG practices.
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Seek Joins Directions, Adding Empathy To Insight
December 3, 2018Directions Research, Inc. announced today its acquisition of SEEK, an insights and innovation consultancy focused on connecting brands and humans through empathy. Together, the companies will provide clients a fully integrated, multi-approach solution set to address their business issues.
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Eric Schauble Joins Directions’ Healthcare Research Team
July 24, 2018Directions Research announced this week that Eric Schauble has joined the firm as Vice President, Client Service. Schauble will add depth to Directions’ already formidable healthcare research team with experience in medical devices, vision care, pharmaceuticals, and consumer health on both the client and supplier side.
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Directions Sharpens Technology Focus with Dedicated Group
June 6, 2018Directions Research announced today organizational changes to sharpen its focus on technology solutions. These solutions are being implemented to build an industry-leading flow of data through the organization, elevating Directions’ ability to deliver quality insights to clients at increasingly fast speeds.
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Directions Research promotes Tim Laake to CMO
March 14, 2018Directions Research is pleased to announce the promotion of Tim Laake to Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Tim will be responsible for all aspects of the Directions brand, from its digital footprint to speaking engagements at industry events.
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Foresight To Spot And Shape Commercial Ideas
March 9, 2018Directions is pleased to announce the launch of CrowdSight™. Our new solution to test product ideas, positioning/messaging routes, taglines, names, pack designs, claims, ad ideas, and more.
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2017 TOP WORKPLACE
June 11, 2017Directions has been recognized as a 2017 Top Workplace by the Cincinnati Enquirer!
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Expanding Our Shopper Practice
December 1, 2016Directions Research is pleased to announce that Beth Finn has joined the firm as Vice President, Shopper Practice Lead, Client Service.
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Introducing R2
Ratings and Rankings
Introducing AMO - Adaptive Marketing Optimizer
Conjoint Results without the Complexity and Costs
Introducing Menu IQ
Comprehensive Suite of Insight Solutions
Directions Research Announces New President
May 14, 2015We are pleased to announce that Jim Lane has been elected the new President & Chief Marketing Officer of Directions. Jim, who is currently CMO, will be taking over for Randy Brooks who, after serving as Founder and President for the past 27 years, will assume the role as Chairman of the Board.
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Careers
Directions is an award-winning employer and one of the most respected names in the industry. This success is because our talented people make it happen. We attract, promote and reward people who have the passion to make a significant contribution to our clients and our firm.
We offer a highly competitive compensation package including bonus potential, medical/dental/life/disability insurance, 401(k) match, paid vacation and holiday benefit, and an energetic, supportive work environment. And we have been awarded numerous awards for being one of the top places to work and the healthiest employer.
View our current career opportunities
WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
EEO, including disability/vets
If unable to use online sources due to disability, please contact Human Resources 513-651-2990.
Security
At Directions Research, we understand what it means to be a trusted, strategic partner. We take the obligation of protecting client confidential information such as product concepts, marketing plans, personally identifiable information (PII), and industry regulated data very seriously.
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you no matter what the business or research challenge.
Cincinnati
401 E. Court Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1379
Chicago
100 S. Wacker Drive #325
Chicago, IL 60606
Greensboro
6520 Airport Center Drive #200
Greensboro, NC 27409
- 513 651 2990
- 513 651 2998
- info@directionsresearch.com