Services

Through quantitative and qualitative insights and strategic consulting, we build audiences,
brands, and consumer bases. We identify who your current and prospective users are
and how to reach them. We tell you what they are thinking and doing, and when,
where, why, and on what platform or screen they are doing it.

what we do

how we do it

what makes us unique

[research]

We draw from a broad range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, bringing to bear any and all resources required to meet your specific objectives. Every study we undertake is as nuanced and unique as the individual clients we serve. Our integrated consulting and research services range from brand, usability and segmentation studies to ad assessments, content development, digital optimization, and product ideation.

[quantitative]

Unbiased. Comprehensive. Precise. Actionable. Timely.

With over 4000 custom research projects to our name, SmithGeiger sets the benchmark for quantitative studies. We supply everything you need, including the acquisition of sample, questionnaire design, proprietary Flash Reports (one-click access to all data points of your study), analysis, and comprehensive actionable recommendations.

The unmatched quality of our sample, the sophistication of our surveys, and the timeliness with which we complete our studies are without equal. Click here to learn more about our differentiators. Our services include:

online and mobile surveys
segmentation
brand tracking and analysis
price optimization

conjoint analysis
principle components
max/diff
multi-variant

[qualitative]

We never lose sight of the people behind the numbers and offer a multitude of ways to reveal a deep and personal understanding of what drives their behaviors and motivations.

Our qualitative services include the acquisition of sample sources, moderator guides, moderator, facilities, incentives, and comprehensive presentations. We capture most sessions in high quality video, which we can stream to your location in real-time upon request.

The unmatched quality of our sample and the timeliness with which we complete our studies are without equal. Services include:

traditional focus groups
dial tests (in-person/online)
digital research panels
ethnographies (in-home/peer groups)
digital ethnographies (Virtual Tag Along)
store intercept/secret shoppers
Moment-2-Moment digital life

social networking applications
1-on-1 online chats
video diaries
online message boards/forums
usability tests/moderated usability sessions
affinity groups/1-on-1 sessions

[consulting]

Loyalty. Affinity. Audience. Mindshare. Revenue. All things digital.

From the newsroom to the social media universe and everything in between, we work hand in hand with some of the most recognized brands in the world, providing research-based consulting to drive their successes across all these domains. Whether it’s developing talent, assessing ads, launching a station, innovating new products, identifying and staying ahead of trends, or choreographing the increasingly complex deployment of social and digital media strategies, engage us to drive measurable and sustainable growth.

[on-air]

From The Voice and The Weather Channel, to late night comedy, sports, reality TV, promotions, and the newsroom, our on-air consultants continue to launch and support award-winning channels and programs that dominate their markets.

We combine comprehensive research (dial tests, focus groups, surveys, etc.) with over 30 years of industry expertise and work directly with producers to deliver concise recommendations that address everything from content, pacing, wardrobe, and talent, to engagement across platforms and the implications of simultaneous screen usage.

We reveal the “why” behind audience behaviors, and detail and implement changes that boost ratings and drive viewer acquisition.

[digital]

We create the perfect storm around content development, discovery and distribution.

Our digital optimization teams measurably increase brand awareness, engagement, ratings, and revenues. All screens. All platforms. All social media networks. Our services range from ½ and full day workshops to monthly consulting engagements. In all cases, our partners look to us for a host of deliverables:

conversational choreography – efficiently message across all screens and social networks
identify new revenue streams
quantify digital brand awareness and provide insights and recommendations to gain mindshare
understand and implement social triggers
best practices to create and distribute video snackables
develop digital content and content delivery strategies
digital/website/app reinforcement
influencer amplification - identify and leverage key influencers
content enrichment (evolve different presentations for different screens and social networks)
mobile micro moments

[new revenue ]

The media landscape and the revenue models within it continue to evolve at an almost exponential pace. As it transforms, opportunities to generate new revenue have never been greater or more complex.

SmithGeiger delivers value on three primary levels:

Increase Ad Sales: Our Elevate experts work directly with your ad sales team to deliver a proven process that increases your sales. Last year, our partners realized new revenues of $20M through our Elevate program with 100% client retention. These Elevate services (described below in detail) include a 3-day training session, 1-on-1 workshops, and best practices tool kit. I addition, we attend a pitch week working hand in hand with your sales experts as they meet clients and close deals.
Relationship Revenue Workshops. We empower our partners and their sales teams by reimagining ways for them to fully leverage the content and the connections they already have. Our experts guide your team to new possibilities in creating revenue based on industry leading case studies, best practices and sales pitches.

These workshops (7 in total) are action oriented, affordable and focused on key opportunities including On Air/Digital Content Revenue Optimization, Good Deeds and Public Service Revenue, Native and Branded Content Revenue, Social Media Revenue, Video and OTT Revenue, Contests and Sweepstakes Revenue, and Agency Services. Going beyond non-traditional revenue, these workshops give your team new partnership capabilities focused on your best local revenue opportunities.
Research: Through surveys, focus groups, and testing, we evaluate brand awareness, lift, engagement and intent-to-purchase which empowers our partners to quantify success and increase ad buys.

Through our Elevate brand we also help you to empower your ad partners. Elevate delivers 5 core services.

Brand Awareness/Perception
This quantitative service is designed to guide your advertisers with their creative direction to help increase custom KPIs such as web traffic, revenue, call volume etc. We identify brand awareness, perceptions, affinity, intent to buy - across all screens and social networks. We create a level set on existing brand attributes to guide creative teams of your advertisers.

Discussion Panel (Online Focus Groups)
These focus groups help advertisers understand brand sentiment, perception, adoption. Our deliverables include a certified moderator, moderator guides, acquisition of sample, facility rentals, and video recordings of each session.

Creative Consulting
A marketing consultant will evaluate creative direction and provide suggestions and copy points that speak to a client’s research drivers uncovered in a perception or discussion panel. The goal is to help the client produce compelling, actionable creative, that generates positive results.

Brand Lift:
This service scientifically illustrates media return on investment (ROI) through comprehensive pre and post surveys. The first survey, a brand baseline, is deployed prior to the running of the campaign, and we field the second at the close of the campaign The bottom line is that we quantify brand lift and demonstrate how advertisers’ brand awareness, recognition, loyalty, lift, intent to buy has increased over the course of the campaign.

Advanced Media Correlation Analysis:
As an optional add on to our brand lift study, we evaluate attribution at a more granular level and scientifically detail correlation between media investment and impact on advertiser KPI’s such as web traffic, revenue, or call volume

[differentiators]

Depth of experience: We have conducted over 4000 proprietary studies and have had a seat at the table at every major transition from broadcast, to digital, to mobile, to today’s continuing evolution of multi-screen and multi-platform technology, including OTT and virtual reality. We set the benchmark for understanding, evaluating, and delivering actionable recommendations in this highly complex digital landscape. Our forward thinking provides roadmaps for our clients to choreograph their programs and messaging across all social networks, transform disruption into opportunity, and develop new and innovative revenue streams.

Deliverables: We never leave our clients with an indecipherable data dump. While we do deliver comprehensive data and analyses, we decode that information and provide insights and actionable recommendations designed to meet our client’s core objectives. We interpret the date and provide clear roadmaps for success. Additionally, we deliver our raw data (in addition to any data formats requested) in the form of our proprietary Flash Reports. These reports enable our clients to access any cut of the data with a single click. We obviate the need for any additional time and expense that other firms require to process those additional data cuts.

Research Based Consulting: We do not limit our services to research. We are instrumental in helping our clients apply the insights and learnings surfaced in the data. The media landscape continues to evolve at an exponential rate. In order to help our clients anticipate trends and adapt at the speed of digital, we offer ongoing consulting services. Our teams support both on-air and digital initiatives, and we choreograph efforts across all screens and social media platforms. We consult with over 100 stations in the US, a host of media companies and provide research based guidance for all aspects of brand, product, and program development.

Timelines: We have a reputation within the industry of delivering the fastest turn-around times on even the most complex segmentation studies.

Methodology: Unlike many more traditional research firms, we are not wed or limited to any specific methodology. We deliver a broad and innovative range of quantitative and qualitative services and will deploy whatever service or combination of services best meets our client’s marketing objectives. These include online and mobile surveys, digital panels, online and in-person dial tests, focus groups, affinity sessions, proprietary digital ethnographies, eye tracking, Emotient Analytics (facial Coding), on site and in-store interviews.

Innovation: We move at the speed of digital and are market leaders in innovating research technology and methodologies. Our Virtual Tag Along® sets the benchmark for digital ethnographies, and our current work with Stanford University, ShareRocket, and Vertical Knowledge enable us to deliver 1) Moment-to-Moment immersive digital monitoring, 2) real-time social equity scores, and 3) a digital monitoring system capturing sentiment, content, interactions, transactional behavior and trends with real time reporting and dashboards.

Sampling Methods: By design, we rely on a number of different sample sources in order to meet the needs of each project and offer a deeper sample base than most. The primary suppliers are SSI (Survey Sampling International), Research Now, and Protege.

All members of our panels are recruited exclusively using double opt-in permission-based techniques and have expressed interest in participating in online market research.
We DO NOT use unsolicited email or spam in our recruiting.
Using multiple suppliers ensures that we minimize any bias that might occur when utilizing a single source for sample.
In the process of fielding the study, panel respondents are checked against each other, thus preventing the respondents from taking the survey more than once.

Quality Control: The emphasis we place on quality control is unmatched in the industry. We monitor and clean the data several different ways:

Look for patterns in the data (i.e. straightliner analysis and inconsistent answers)
Review the open-ended questions to verify that the respondents are giving cogent, valid responses
We also verify based on length (time spent) of interview (speed trap)
Scrub out by locality based on zip code and/or IP address coming from “out of the region”
Many of our surveys also include “attention” questions which ask the respondent to answer a particular way in order to make sure they are paying attention.

[build audiences & inspire consumers]

[brand analysis and tracking]

In a digital era characterized by near-infinite choice and a proliferation of platforms, managing a brand has never been more challenging, and understanding brand awareness and perception has never been more essential.

Our brand evaluation and tracking services provide rigorous assessments of who your viewers and consumers are, what they value, and how those perceptions change over time. We explore their emotional connection to your brand across all screens and platforms and provide you with clear, specific initiatives for growing your brand’s awareness and user base across all existing and emerging platforms.

The final insights and analysis we deliver “crack the code” for marketing messaging, positioning, brand elasticity, and product and program development.

[segmentation]

It’s not just reaching the right person. It’s reaching the right person, with the right message, on the right device, at the right time. Our segmentation studies deliver that level of granularity and precision.

We define, identify, and articulate your most valued consumer segments and create detailed profiles to inform your marketing, content and sales teams . Our studies assess your brand to determine awareness, loyalty, and affinity. And, our final reports provide universe estimates of your prospective consumer base with clear recommendations how, when and on what device to reach them.

Our research will leave you with a rich understanding of:

Prospective size of the consumer base
Overall brand awareness, affinity, and loyalty
How the consumer base breaks down into between 5 and 8 understandable and relatable segments
Critical details about those segments, including among others:
- Media preferences and behaviors
- Platform-related preferences and behaviors
- Key consumption habits and drivers
- Psychographics and attitudes
- Their relative size and potential as targets within the broader universe of relevant subscribers

Our deliverables include both clear, straightforward segment profiles for use as “quick reference” tools, and a simplified segmentation algorithm that will allow you to identify those segments quickly and easily for future research.

[program testing and maintenance]

In side-by-side analysis, our groundbreaking methodologies measurably outperformed antiquated practices limited to mall intercepts and unreliable Vegas based respondent pools.

We combine our rich experience (many hundreds) with innovative online dials and comprehensive face-to-face affinity sessions to deliver unmatched precision in program analysis and concept testing.

While our data is unique and comprehensive, our insights and actionable recommendations set us apart.

[digital and social optimization ]

We create the perfect storm of content development, discovery and distribution.

Our digital optimization teams measurably increase brand awareness, engagement, ratings, and revenues. All screens. All platforms. All social media networks.

Our services range from ½ and full day workshops to monthly consulting engagements. In all cases, our partners look to us for a host of deliverables:

conversational choreography – efficiently message across all screens and social networks
identify new revenue streams
quantify digital brand awareness and provide insights and recommendations to gain mindshare
understand and implement social triggers
best practices to create and distribute video snackables
develop digital content and content delivery strategies
digital/website/app reinforcement
influencer amplification - identify and leverage key influencers
content enrichment (evolve different presentations for different screens and social networks)
mobile micro moments

[engagement]

Mindshare. Screen time. Our research and consulting deliver both.

Our partners look to us to quantify where, when, and why their audiences and consumers engage with their brands. Most importantly, they expect us to deliver concise recommendations to increase that engagement.

Through a combination of innovative online surveys, real-time social media tracking, and digital ethnographies, we build and refine a series of indices and metrics detailing and capturing 45 different elements of engagement behaviors. These behaviors encompass social media, multiscreen usage, and parallel activities.

Our insights set the foundation that drive interactions across all screens and platforms.

[drive revenue]

[ad analysis ]

"Show me the money." Partners using our Elevate Ad sales service saw over $20M in new ad revenues last year.

Our team trains your ad reps in advanced sales techniques that leverage your brand's greatest strengths and bolsters them with research supported ad analysis and development. We evaluate trust in your brand and detail how that trust also lifts your advertising partners. We measure awareness, likability, loyalty, recall, lift, and intent to purchase. Our findings are designed to inform broader initiatives in the areas of content/product development, marketing, and cross platform strategies to differentiate you and your advertisers from the competition. Services include:

Brand Awareness/Perception
Discussion Panels (Online Focus Groups)
Creative Consulting
Brand Lift
Advanced Media Correlation Analysis

Read more about our Elevate ad service.

[revenue]

OTT. Evolving social networks. Big data. Snackable video. Streaming. Our competitors label these emerging trends “disruptors” and guide their clients with entrenched defensive strategies.We take a different approach.

Where they see threats, we see untapped opportunity. Sharing best practices based on thousands of comprehensive research studies and applications, we help our clients anticipate trends and discover and capitalize on a sea of new opportunities. We innovate the ad sales process through our Elevate Ad program and empower our partners to fully leverage the content and connections they already have through our Relationship Revenue Workshops.

Proven strategies. Proven tactics. Measurable ROI.

For ad analysis and strategy click here.

[product development]

From program concepts, pilot tests, and smartphones, to fine wines, hotels, autonomous vehicles and wearable tech, we evaluate products, features, price points, and trends.

For a broad range of industries, we match user needs and expectations against existing products, programs and feature sets. We identify strengths and weaknesses, and illuminate the “white space” between what’s available and what tops consumers’ wish lists.

We transform disruption into opportunity.

[develop content]

[video]

Media. Manufacturing. Finance. Health. Retail. Hospitality. Print. No matter what your business, if you’re not in the business of video creation, you’re not really in business.

Video drives the conversation across social networks and all screens. Participating in that conversation requires fluency in the languages of streaming, short and long form video and the nuances and complexities of how those manifest across different platforms and social networks.

We developed the concept of snackable video and build our expertise on extensive research and testing. We share the best practices we have learned and elevate your brand and message throughout the digital universe, no matter what your business.

[content evolution ]

Creation. Discovery. Distribution. Optimization. Conversion.

By screen and across social networks, we deliver the research and provide strategies to develop and distribute the most effective and compelling content.

We drive significant increases in downloads and subscriptions, time on site/apps and other engagement factors. We meet your objectives through research and a multi-layered “enrichment” process and plan that we call 5x5, which focuses our partners’ teams on the content that has the greatest revenue potential.

Our services include:

quantify brand perceptions
determine what content is most in alignment with your brand and audience expectations
differentiate content by screen and social media network
find ways to leverage all the screens throughout a user’s day to bring people to our platforms.
map all conversion points and possibilities to drive subscriber growth and use of other related platforms.
growing new sources of digital and social revenue.
Provide a toolkit and playbook to create videos for digital and OTT
- build new story telling capabilities,
- help the audience to find and watch the videos we want to offer to our users

[program testing and maintenance]

In side-by-side analysis, our groundbreaking methodologies measurably outperformed antiquated practices limited to mall intercepts and unreliable Vegas based respondent pools.

We combine our rich experience (many hundreds) with innovative online dials and comprehensive face-to-face affinity sessions to deliver unmatched precision in program analysis and concept testing.

While our data is unique and comprehensive, our insights and actionable recommendations set us apart.

[differentiators]

Depth of experience: We have conducted over 4000 proprietary studies and have had a seat at the table at every major transition from broadcast, to digital, to mobile, to today’s continuing evolution of multi-screen and multi-platform technology, including OTT and virtual reality. We set the benchmark for understanding, evaluating, and delivering actionable recommendations in this highly complex digital landscape. Our forward thinking provides roadmaps for our clients to choreograph their programs and messaging across all social networks, transform disruption into opportunity, and develop new and innovative revenue streams.

Deliverables: We never leave our clients with an indecipherable data dump. While we do deliver comprehensive data and analyses, we decode that information and provide insights and actionable recommendations designed to meet our client’s core objectives. We interpret the date and provide clear roadmaps for success. Additionally, we deliver our raw data (in addition to any data formats requested) in the form of our proprietary Flash Reports. These reports enable our clients to access any cut of the data with a single click. We obviate the need for any additional time and expense that other firms require to process those additional data cuts.

Research Based Consulting: We do not limit our services to research. We are instrumental in helping our clients apply the insights and learnings surfaced in the data. The media landscape continues to evolve at an exponential rate. In order to help our clients anticipate trends and adapt at the speed of digital, we offer ongoing consulting services. Our teams support both on-air and digital initiatives, and we choreograph efforts across all screens and social media platforms. We consult with over 100 stations in the US, a host of media companies and provide research based guidance for all aspects of brand, product, and program development.

Timelines: We have a reputation within the industry of delivering the fastest turn-around times on even the most complex segmentation studies.

Methodology: Unlike many more traditional research firms, we are not wed or limited to any specific methodology. We deliver a broad and innovative range of quantitative and qualitative services and will deploy whatever service or combination of services best meets our client’s marketing objectives. These include online and mobile surveys, digital panels, online and in-person dial tests, focus groups, affinity sessions, proprietary digital ethnographies, eye tracking, Emotient Analytics (facial Coding), on site and in-store interviews.

Innovation: We move at the speed of digital and are market leaders in innovating research technology and methodologies. Our Virtual Tag Along® sets the benchmark for digital ethnographies, and our current work with Stanford University, ShareRocket, and Vertical Knowledge enable us to deliver 1) Moment-to-Moment immersive digital monitoring, 2) real-time social equity scores, and 3) a digital monitoring system capturing sentiment, content, interactions, transactional behavior and trends with real time reporting and dashboards.

Sampling Methods: By design, we rely on a number of different sample sources in order to meet the needs of each project and offer a deeper sample base than most.

All members of our panels are recruited exclusively using double opt-in permission-based techniques and have expressed interest in participating in online market research.
We DO NOT use unsolicited email or spam in our recruiting.
Using multiple suppliers ensures that we minimize any bias that might occur when utilizing a single source for sample.
In the process of fielding the study, panel respondents are checked against each other, thus preventing the respondents from taking the survey more than once.

Quality Control: The emphasis we place on quality control is unmatched in the industry. We monitor and clean the data several different ways:

Look for patterns in the data (i.e. straightliner analysis and inconsistent answers)
Review the open-ended questions to verify that the respondents are giving cogent, valid responses
We also verify based on length (time spent) of interview (speed trap)
Scrub out by locality based on zip code and/or IP address coming from “out of the region”
Many of our surveys also include “attention” questions which ask the respondent to answer a particular way in order to make sure they are paying attention.