2011 Be A Superhero : Super Update

Posted by on August 14th, 2011 at 10:53pm

Wow! Hasn’t 2011 just whooshed by faster than the blink of an eye. The start is but a distant memory, and the end is perhaps not close yet also not too far off. It is a worthy moment to reflect on some of the awesome marketing we have observed throughout 2011 [Note: 'Awesome' is a youthful word simply meaning to 'inspire awe'].

Below are some of our favourites in 2011 [so far]. It most certainly has been a super year, illustrating the almighty power of creativity and the big idea, and that awesome marketing is less about the media, and more about the creativity of application and execution.

Continue to full update …

http://t.co/9c6KmnG

Posted in Advertising

Getting to the Hearts of Consumers

Posted by on January 13th, 2011 at 1:58pm

 

Getting to the Hearts of Consumers from Square Holes on Vimeo.

My presentation at Marketing Week 2010 marketingweek.com.au/​site2010/​programDetail.html#3b [40 Minutes]

Posted in Uncategorized

The Rise of Focus Groups

Posted by on December 8th, 2010 at 5:08pm

It’s nice to discuss and debate issues in marketing strategy. Is digital the silver bullet? Does TV still have relevance? Do consumers care?

In a recent edition of SA Weekend Magazine from The Advertiser [South Australia's News run daily newspaper] Michael McGuire wrote an interesting article about the pros and cons of focus groups from varying perspectives – political, practitioner, academic and advertiser. Yours truly was quoted as below.

“Jason Dunstone is an experienced moderator with Adelaide research group Square Holes. Sporting a disarming resemblance to former tennis player John McEnroe [?!], Dunstone is relaxed in his jeans and shirt – research houses are a bit too funky for boring old suits – as he explains how a focus group works. The analogy he uses is a funnel. It starts out broad but eventually narrows to a single point. “You are trying to synthesise down to a single nub of insight,” he says. “What we do is very much about interpretation and hugely about trust. There are not too many industries where it is so much about trust.”

Continue reading…

Posted in Research

Make Love Not War

Posted by on September 29th, 2010 at 6:18pm

Oh to be loved. To have a special spot in someone’s heart. In the rough and tumble world of brands fighting for supremacy does love survive? This was the question explored in research conducted by market research agency Square Holes during 2010 culminating in a national survey of 1,000 16+ year olds.

The simple answer is ‘yes’ – love does exist for brands.

When the Square Holes survey consumers were asked to spontaneously nominate brands they loved, all but a few did. Square Holes’ ‘Australia’s Most Loved Brands’ is a list direct from the hearts of consumers. Some brands only received one vote, while others were widely endorsed.

So, drum-roll, which brands did consumers vote as Australia’s 10 most loved?

Continue reading…

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Digital

Top 10 Consumer Trends

Posted by on February 24th, 2010 at 2:48pm

After much anticipation, here are Square Holes’ Top 10 consumer trends we have observed in 2009. Watch the video for a brief explanation of each one.

  1. Visible Gossip
  2. Lazy Advocates
  3. Sensible Youth
  4. Make the News
  5. Pick and Mix Environmentalism
  6. Essential Indulgences
  7. Emotional Relevance
  8. Unfettered Authenticity
  9. Digital Divide
  10. Serendipity

Posted in Insight