Drumcircle Intro

Drumcircle | 617-395-1636 No. 58, Pier 7. Boston, MA 02129

People are messy



They refuse to behave in ways that are convenient to marketers.



They ignore facts and follow feelings


We can help with that.


Drumcircle is

an insights and innovation company

We’ve invented proprietary qualitative methods to discover and tap peoples’ Emotivations™, (our term for the emotions that motivate behavior).


We help marketers create new products, services, messages and engagement by understanding what’s in people’s hearts (first) and minds (second).

We translate Emotivations into new, marketable, money-making ideas


Drumcircle has

Three offerings


Emotivation Research and Insights

Using new, creative research tools and techniques to generate really fresh insights.

Ideation

Facilitated sessions that align and inspire teams and turn insights into ideas.

Concept development

Revenue-Generating product, messaging and promotional possibilities.


Call Drumcircle in when

• You’re birthing a new product, brand or service — we can add insights and ideas that will help differentiate your new offering from the competition in ways that are both relevant and resonant to the people you need to move.

• You’re launching a new marketing strategy or ad campaign — we can help eliminate false starts and help all parties involved create, and accept, more innovative work.

• A previously successful product, brand or service runs out of steam — we can help figure out why and what can be done to fire it up again.

• A new product fails (but the focus groups loved it!) — we make the resuscitation-versus-euthanasia decision easier.

• Somebody feels like “you’re just missing something” — you may be missing an understanding of the Emotivations that propel or inhibit purchase.

• You need fresh inspiration, a clean space for innovation — we liberate your team’s thinking so you’ll be able to see the people you’re selling to in an entirely new way.


Why this approach?

Blame it on neuroscience.


FeelThink Do

They respond in a matter of milliseconds. Only then do they begin to rationalize the emotions.

Neuroscience has proved that people first make decisions emotionally.

Drumcircle has developed tools and techniques to help you tap into the emotions that are the foundations of decision-making.


Why this approach?

Blame it on neuroscience.


Feel Think Do

They respond in a matter of milliseconds. Only then do they begin to rationalize the emotions.

Neuroscience has proved that people first make decisions emotionally.

Drumcircle has developed tools and techniques to help you tap into the emotions that are the foundations of decision-making.


A few


examplesour work


Creating an

Emotivation-Based Value Proposition

Their value proposition was based on 3 pillars: offering a trusted brand; offering the widest range of automotive and offering on-line and face-to-face access. They wanted a new approach.


A national, branded auto service company was watching their business slowly decline.

What we did: Using b.frank and Create/Debate groups to uncover Emotivations, we redefined the value proposition based on how people felt..


The new value proposition


Our brand’s Auto Center will earn customers’ trust by making people feel:

• We respect your time.

• Competitive price comparisons

• Car concierge• Impeccable

cleanliness• Seek feedback

• Our technology is up to date – including web-site, on-site access

• Fresh coffee and snacks in waiting area

• email notification of impending service/inspections

• roadside assistance• Zipcars• Clean vehicle after service• reward loyalty program• “Go the extra mile”

• We make customers smarter car owners by giving clear information in multiple ways.

• Our work is guaranteed.• Our customers receive clear explanations of

our recommendations • Knowledgeable staff keeps customers

informed every step of the way• Certified techs treat customer cars like their

own • Service records available online

Competent RespectedPleasantly Surprised

Competitive everyday prices. Available online and in store.

The new value proposition showed them how to build trust (in a category that universally lacks trust) by focusing on how to make people feel competent, surprised and respected.


Creating a more effective

Human-Centric Relationship Strategy

The firm deeply believed that investment decision-making should be rational, yet took a chance on looking at their customers from an emotional perspective.


It was the height of the financial crisis. Investors were in trouble. A leading investment firm wanted to rebuild its relationship strategy to better address the new reality.

What we did:Conducted research and eveloped an Emotivational™ profile of customers and the type of relationship service and products they wanted.


We explain how

Emotivations connect


We identified the different emotional priorities of customer segments and linked the Emotivations to specific relationship offerings.


A dictionary to translate

“Company speak” into “people speak”

You said: They said:Plan, invest, manage Gather information; consult

others; make decisions, evaluate/make mid-course corrections

Invitations to exclusive/fun events like golf outings.

A company – and employees – who know how to LISTEN!

A dedicated rep who builds personal relationship with me and sends me information/ideas I want and need to know based on previous conversation and what he/she knows about my portfolio.

An advisor who knows enough about the choices and has the savvy to help me make the right decisions

Representatives who check in quarterly with feedback and recommendations

An advisor who reaches out to me when there’s a storm brewing and lets me know my options as my situation changes.

A dedicated rep assigned to me An advisor I like and feel comfortable with.

Reaches out to me about upcoming events that might affect my decision-making

An accessible advisor who never pushes


A CPG marketer wanted to refresh the positioning of its leading brand of eye drops. Current positioning promised to get the red out.

Discovering and tapping

The emotional aspects of eye drops

What we did:Using our online tool b.frank, we learned that when asked in an open-ended way how they felt about using eye drops, no one mentioned getting the red out. We quantified Emotivations and developed concepts that addressed eye drop-users’ real, emotional needs.


Gap Maps quantify Emotivations and identify strategic opportunities.


Gap Maps quantify Emotivations and identify strategic opportunities.


Rejuvenation

Vibrancy

Optimism(Appreciativeness)

The Emotivations form a continuum. We can convey benefits at every point on the line.

Discovering and tapping

The key takeaway:


We’re not an ad agency. But we’re often asked to take strategies to the messaging or even the concept stage to demonstrate how Emotivational insights might be translated into ideas and eventual solutions.


Positioning international products

for North American success


A global soft drink maker wanted to learn how several products, popular in international markets, might be branded and positioned for success in North America.

What we did: Using Create/Debate Groups, we discovered how people want various types of beverages to make them feel (beyond functional benefits like “refreshed” and “invigorated” and “no longer thirsty”).


Nationwide Create/Debate Groups fostered

Co-Creation with more than 50“regular folks”



Nationwide Create/Debate Groups fostered

Co-Creation with more than 50“regular folks”


Drumcircle | 617-395-1636 No. 58, Pier 7. Boston, MA 02129Drumcircle | 617-395-1636 No. 58, Pier 7. Boston, MA 02129

Drumcircle delivered

more than three dozen test-ready product and positioning concepts


Finding new customers

in a new part of the supermarket.

In response to this trend, they’d created a whole line of fresh, weeknight dinner solutions. With a vast portfolio of branding opportunities available, they needed to know how to brand and position these new products.


Supermarket sales are moving from the center of the store to the perimeter, where the Fresh Foods are. A venerable, Fortune 500 food manufacturer wanted a piece of that action.

What we did: Using b.frank and Create/Debate groups we revealed how people really need to feel when they’re dealing with weeknight dinners,


How people really need to feel when they’re

dealing with weeknight dinners.



Drumcircle’s three-tier,

Emotivation-based Message Architecture.



Translated into

potential creative concepts.



Here are a few other examples of the types of work we’ve done:

•A leading university launching a capital campaign.

•An academic hospital needing help with positioning/branding.

•A farm equipment manufacturer introducing the world’s first Eco-Friendly tractor.

•A worldwide soft drink marketer seeking to understand exactly what “natural” means in the beverage category.

•A children’s television network that wanted to become a force in early childhood education.

•An international brand of office equipment seeking a global branding strategy.

•A CPG marketer who needed to breath new life into a venerable brand of eye-drops.

•A pharma company looking to design the parameters of a new asthma medication.


proprietary tools & techniques

A quick overview of our


Our research tools and techniques are designed to uncover emotional insights that drive meaningful change.

Our research is built on two fundamental beliefs:•Open-ended questions uncover new insights•Pictures are an important tool when eliciting emotional reactions

b.frank: our online Emotivation discovery tool.


We use b.Frank to figure out:

• The specific Emotivations that drive behavior in the category

• The Emotivations linked with you (and/or your competitors)

• Where the gaps, opportunities and white spaces are

b.Frank also works internally (to help align teams) and externally (to uncover new insights and strategies).

b.frank is different from conventional online survey instruments. The questions are open-ended. People choose a picture that reflects their feeling first, then describe their feeling.

You get direct access to their feelings and what they mean for your business.

*Go to www.drumcircleco.com/sauce/index.htm to see a demo of b.frank


1.One set of consumers, who we call Creators, build solutions to your challenge. We’ve used these groups to create new products, refresh brands, evaluate advertising. The technique works with groups ranging from business decision makers to moms; educators to pc users.

2. Creators present their ideas to a second group of consumers, whom we call Debaters.

3. The Debaters decide which “idea” they would buy and why. You can be a part of the debate team.

*There are many ways to organize the groups to meet your particular needs. You can even be in the room with them.

Create/Debate groups are our approach to qualitative research.



Our clients tell us Create/Debate groups are better than traditional groups.

Consumers generate and vet solutions.

Participants are very engaged. The engagement promotes more authentic responses.

The moderator is less of a presence vs. more typical focus groups.

It’s a high energy process and just plain fun (an important ingredient when creating new ideas). Several clients have said: “These groups give me energy and ideas. Most groups are like watching grass grow.”



Other capabilities on offer:

• Emotivational Ethnographies

• Ideation sessions and workshops

• Emotivational concept testing/strengthening.

• More brains! Business needs left and right brain thinking. We’re building a collection of both types of brains to help you develop insights and innovations. Musical brains. Architectural brains. Doctor brains. Graphic brains. They’re all at our disposal.


partnersFounding


Anne Manning

Launched Drumcircle with the dream of helping organizations grow by thinking and doing things differently.

Passion for innovation. Recently earned a Masters Degree in Creativity and Change Management.

A former ad-exec and qualitative researcher

Speaks regularly at conferences ranging from the Advertising Research Foundation to the Creative Problem Solving Institute.


Bill Mount

Co-Founder of Drumcircle in order to deliver to marketing and communications professionals the kinds of insights that he wished he’d had

A former ad agency Creative Director who came to the conclusion that creating insights and strategies is more fun (at least for me) than creating more TV commercials.

Has a passion for marketing that is deep and rare.


A few representative clients


[email protected]

[email protected]

thank you

Documents

Drumcircle Intro