Despite leaps in what we can do, most of us still follow comfortable, pre-scripted paths. We work hard, but hardly question whether we are working smart. Let alone, if we are leading a fulfilling life.
I have always admired authenticity and boldness. As a firm believer that everyone has some boldness within them, I’ve come to realize that it just takes someone to push the right buttons for this inner spark to come to life. In my training as a researcher and strategic planner, I was constantly pushed to question the status quo and to seek a further understanding of consumer behavior. Both clients looking for unique opportunities as well as agencies that embraced originality and big ideas pushed my buttons, inciting the audaciousness in me.
After 10 years immersed in the world of market research, I started to become bored of inauthentic conversations and an office culture that embraced being corporate – conventional, square, orthodox.
For some clients, research had become a way to highlight the good and cover up the bad. While others loved how I questioned shortcomings, addressed flaws, and pushed them to think of more creative ways to gather and interpret the information. If questioning assumptions and challenging conventional wisdom lead to innovation and growth, why were some clients so complacent about status quo?
So I decided to focus on clients seeking something new, different, braver, and bolder. Lateral Strategy was born out of the need to pursue an unconventional line of questioning to reach the deeper underlying issues plaguing a client’s entrepreneurial endeavors. Our mission became clear: to recover the bold spirit that researchers had lost sight of.
We are a new breed of Human Centric Research and Innovation Facilitation firm, that provides services to brands looking to better connect with consumers and make their products/services more meaningful and engaging. We dream of a world where companies connect with humans, not consumers. We believe that innovating on how we gather and interpret information inspires breakthrough solutions.
To this end, we go where others barely scratch the surface and ask what needs to be asked.
Using ingenious tools, we guide teams through various insight-led innovation processes that draw from Design Thinking, Creative Problem Solving, Lateral Thinking, and Synecticsframeworks to help clients rid themselves of innovation anxiety and get into the creative flow that allows them to view problems in a new light. With a newfound consumer perspective, we then inspire and help the client team to co-create solutions and detect bold business opportunities for their companies.
The world doesn’t need another market research agency, it needs more creative insights and more empowered employees inspired to problem solve. We need less of what has always been done, and more of what’s unexpected, refreshing, and bold.
