Welcome to a more empathetic approach to research

Achieving brand aspiration through grassroot observations

The key to successful branding is rooted in discovering fresh perspectives from your audience's point of view. What problem can you solve for people and how can you be more meaningful than the endless other options at their fingertips? The path to brand clarity starts here.

LEARN MORE

Tony G. Smith, Founder

Researcher and Branding Consultant

Who is the Insightful Observer?

My career path has allowed me the great fortune of working under some of the most brilliant strategic minds in advertising, at agencies across all corners of the country. With experience in writing brand strategies across a variety of industry types, I know how to find clarity in research that works best for your brand. My decade of experience has in qualitative research has made me somewhat of a guru, even teaching a course at Miami Ad School on the subject. By fusing together the most effective methodologies of big agencies with my own unique grassroots journalistic approach, I launched The Insightful Observer to help brands create better relationships with people.

Within my DNA is a passion for investigating the underlying truth that often goes unnoticed in consumer research. That desires stems from my educational pedigree in Journalism and Behavioral Science with degrees from the University of Minnesota and Miami Ad School. Uncovering genuine insights from your audience starts by gaining a better understanding of who they are as a person rather than just a consumer. Using the “method” planning approach, I will help your agency or brand get deeper into the lives of your audience The Insightful Observer will work with your team to determine how we can immerse ourselves in the environment and lifestyle of the people who matter most to your brand. The best insights don't occur at the moment of when your product or service is in need for them, it spectrums across the desires of their entire lifestyle.

Today having a dialogue with your audience is more important than ever, face communication helps provide the key insights beyond the same surveys and statistic your competitors use. When conducting in-person ethnographic interviews, it is important to observe the environment your audience surrounds themselves in. What pictures do they have on their refrigerator? What do they record on their DVR? What artifacts are they most proud of in their 'man cave'? Questions like this are what allows me to add a fourth dimension to your audiences research, shinning a light on their desires, fears and behavioral drivers that your brand can connect with.