FSi (a division of Fresh Squeezed Ideas)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Astellas is an innovative pharmaceutical company based in Japan. The regional office here in Canada handles Astellas Pharma Canada (APCA), managing all Canadian businesses. In my role as marketing operations manager, I handle primary market research for all business units.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Squeezed Ideas?

We wanted to understand the challenges from which patients and caregivers are suffering.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They managed to map out the patient's challenges. They have a one-stop-shop where they built the whole story, including both professional and emotional components, and created a full business need and meaningful insights. Most significantly, they held a workshop for all the stakeholders and put the insights into action.

Providing recommendations and insights is the most important part of the research. We challenge those insights and recommendations based on our expertise, capabilities, compliance requirements, and resources. We give each recommended solution ranks and criteria.

Instead of simply filing their basic information and recommendations for review, we developed a call to action at the workshop. That's the key benefit that we got from the research.

What is the team dynamic?

The account manager looked through the business requirements with us holistically. The interviewers on the research team engaged directly with our direct users and our physicians’ patients. The data analysts worked closely with us to understand how we were going to present the data and run the workshop.

This was quite different from the approach used by other market research companies. Usually, you meet with a senior team for business discussions and see junior members for the first time when you run market research.

The beauty of working with Fresh Squeezed is that the whole team comes to you and explains who is responsible for what. You are familiar with their expectations and understand what the outcome should be when managed properly. You aren’t surprised to meet a person that you have never seen before. This is a benefit of working with them.

They helped us prepare the data for the workshop, and even managed the event as a part of the deal. It was phenomenal. They understood stakeholder requirements while recognizing that each stakeholder has different needs. They tailored the results and the recommendations to fit each member differently, which helped us run the workshop accordingly. We came up with phenomenal results and an effective call to action.

How did you come to work with Fresh Squeezed Ideas?

We found them through referral. We called three companies and interviewed the best two. Based on the benefits for the company, we chose Fresh Squeezed.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000 with them. The cost depends on the deliverable. We usually opt for a lower cost, but theirs is not average; it's in the medium to high range. On the other hand, their deliverables are good. You get results and benefits. Compared to what you pay, it's quite reasonable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for four months. We worked on many projects with them, but the project length fluctuated with delays on our side. They have a process to make sure that we are on time, and their project management team kept us on our toes. We finished the project within two to three months after the day we started. We completed two projects with them last year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The overall satisfaction varies from stakeholder to stakeholder, but it was within the average range. The marketing team, which is the main stakeholder from my perspective, rated them highly. Others rated average, and some of them rated even higher than the marketing team. My main goal is to satisfy the marketing team, and the marketing team was very satisfied.

How did Fresh Squeezed Ideas perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent. We had no issues getting in contact with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They built a one-to-one communication channel with every stakeholder and managed the entire team for me. They built an intimate relationship with all the stakeholders. Everyone memorized their names and their functions, and they're fully satisfied with the results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although their cost was a challenge to fit into the budget, we engaged them on every level of the project. Their management of the workshop could have been improved. They positioned themselves as a consultant during the workshop, but their consultancy skills are not strong when compared with their market research abilities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a pharmaceutical company that specializes in HIV research. At the time that we worked with Fresh Squeezed, I was an analytics and insights manager, and have since moved into a global director market research role.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Squeezed?

We were looking to conduct exploratory market research to get a sense of where the current market was, and to confirm whether the assumptions we had about our patients were accurate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started out by conducted an in-depth research study on that provided us with market insights that helped us with strategic and business planning. During our sales training meetings, we had them come in and walk through some of the insights that we collected. They also went on to provide other research for us, including several studies that tested several concepts with certain positions. This provided invaluable data that helped us to choose and refine concepts appropriately.

What is the team composition?

During the first research project we were working with four people. A logistics manager helped with us the recruiting process, screening materials, etc.; a project manager ran the studies, moderated, and presented findings afterwards; an account manager liaised with Fresh Squeezed; and someone in an overall strategic insight role helped us interpret and utilize the results. The logistics manager was our primary point of contact, but we interacted with the account manager regularly as well.

How did you come to work with Freshly Squeezed?

We had initially sent this first project out to several different vendors, two of which I had worked with in the past. Freshly Squeezed was a new vendor for us, and we were very impressed with how well structured their proposal was. We also found out that the person who would function as our project manager had a background in HIV including field work, so we decided to go with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015, and our first project took between four and five months. Since then we’ve worked on several other qualitative studies, most of which have lasted two to three months each.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The first project we did with them was particularly notable due to the impact of the research we gathered. Our team was very impressed with the amount of information that came out of that study, which ended up informing important planning decisions for the rest of the year. We have continued to reference that data through today.

In terms of satisfaction, this was one of the first team that our team had been exposed to high-quality market research. As a market researcher myself, it was great to see the insights being used in the decisions we were making.

How did Freshly Squeezed perform from a project management standpoint?

There are some vendors that you have to chase down for responses while working with them, but that wasn’t the case with Freshly Squeezed. They met all the required deadlines, and were very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of moderating and the level of engagement on our project were both very impressive. I don’t work with them as much anymore in my current position, but I always point to them as a standard of what I look for in a vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While we were negotiating the cost of additional ad hoc services, I was hearing from both the project manager and the account manager, and we had a few issues with communication around that. We all ultimately got to the same place in those discussions, but that part of the process could have been a bit more transparent.

Advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be open to new methodologies. Don’t be afraid of the strategies that deviate from standard qualitative work; it’s crucial to explore new pathways and figure out the best way to approach your goal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Consumer Insights & Strategy Manager for the beverages division at Nestlé Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Fresh Squeezed?

We needed deeper consumer understanding about some of our brands and how consumers reacted to our propositions and offerings. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fresh Squeezed helped with big idea communication testing, innovation, and concept exploration. They've also done a number of branding exercises.

Their services have been applied to almost all of our divisions, including healthcare, confectionary, meals, and ice cream.

What is the team composition?

We typically work with 3 people on each project: a project lead, a behavioral expert, and another researcher.

How did you come to work with Fresh Squeezed?

We have a bidding process, so we had reached out to multiple suppliers and reviewed different proposals. Fresh Squeezed had a unique approach, so we started working them and haven't broken the relationship since.

How much have you invested with them?

It depends on the project. We currently have two models, depending project: a pay-per-use approach as well as a flat fee for certain projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We' been working together for almost 5 years and counting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

This partner is very strategic about their in-depth understanding of consumer behavior. They have some of the best reports that I've seen, delving deeper than a typical research agency. That's why we continue to use them.

They take it a step further than a lot of other research suppliers who just hand us data with minimal feedback. Their strategic output makes my job much easier.

How did Fresh Squeezed perform from a project management standpoint?

They're incredible! They're still a smaller firm compared to others. You can tell that their business relationships are very important to them. If something goes wrong, they let us know immediately. I haven't had any problems with them not meeting timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strategic reporting is superb. Their ingenuity helps their entire team succeed. They've even helped with activities outside of their job scope to help build the team's knowledge.

We give out awards to our top agencies and suppliers each year, and they've won it at least twice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we really just work with them on the type of niche services they provide.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more information you are willing to share with FSI the deeper their thinkings is. This allows for better solutions and better strategic thinking.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of insights and analytics at a large pharmaceutical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Squeezed Ideas?

We were looking to better understand patient insights as they pertain to their emotional state, e.g., how patients feel before/after being diagnosed with a specific disease. Understanding the patient journey allows us to have more targeted messaging for physicians, which can emphasize the value of a particular brand beyond just treating/curing that disease.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with all aspects of this process and worked internally to find the most effective teams for addressing our specific questions.

What is the team composition?

We had an account manager that meets with us to find the right solution providers on their end, as well as four or five analysts in the background that flesh out the market research and turn them into actionable data. They also had anthropologists and text/content specialists that assisted in understanding and crafting the specific language.

How did you come to work with Fresh Squeezed Ideas?

I had worked with them prior to this engagement, and originally chose them for their approach to business questions and how they use innovations to explore the roots of potential drivers/barriers for customers. They bring insights to life in a way that is engaging and actionable, and make sure that the client fully embraces and incorporates those insights in either brand strategy or execution in the marketplace.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work about 4 years ago and completed that first project quickly. We’re still currently working with them on several other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The real impact is how the insights are being incorporated into marketing plans and sales execution plans. I was speaking to one of our marketing managers recently, and he agreed that Fresh Squeezed was able to deliver a level of insight that was much deeper than other vendors we’ve worked with. Impact is about not only the quality of insights that they provide, but also the impression they leave on your overall strategy year-over-year. Fresh Squeezed understands our business, and continuously reinforces the insights they’ve provided to ensure a positive impact.

How did Fresh Squeezed Ideas perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve never had any issues with respect to project management or cost overage. It’s all been more than I can imagine from any supplier. They are extremely responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If you treat them like an equal business partner, they will integrate themselves seamlessly as a part of your team. They’re not just delivering a report and walking away. They take on your specific business challenges as if they were their own and make sure you actively hone your approach throughout the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Advice for potential customers?

When searching for a market research firm, keep in mind that they will be most effective if you take them on as an equal business partner. Share as much information with them as possible throughout the project, and establish open trust to maximize the efficacy of results.