The Truth is Human® Method
The Truth is Human® is a 5-phase strategic research model that unpicks the lived experience and translates it into strategic insights that deliver real value.
Embark Insight is built around the core belief that the truth is human. What this means is that it’s people, not faceless data, that hold the power to create lasting commercial success.
To gain legitimate gravitas and sustainable brand growth, we must first seek to truly understand the reality of your customers, then strategically translate that into honest and impactful insights. Working with a dedicated Senior Researcher, rest safe in the knowledge that there’s absolutely no room for misinterpretation along the way.
The 5-Phases of The Truth is Human ® Method
The 5-Phases of The Truth is Human ® Method
01. Context
To begin, we need an understanding of where we are today. By researching category, competitors, consumer buying behaviour and behavioural science, we can hypothesise what the true experience of your customer is, and how this may be influencing their interactions, their needs, priorities and decisions.
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Consumer behaviour considerations specific to the project, the client, the category, the profile of your target customer and how they may be making decisions
What impact this contextual understanding can have on the research
Suggestions on how to mitigate for this in the research approach and design
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In a recent product development project, we identified that the project would be impacted by a critical human bias, specifically that humans seek out things that they know or that confirms what they already believe. On the one hand, we hypothesised that existing customers may feel strongly about the existing proposition while non-customers may have deeply entrenched beliefs about the efficacy of the product, based on the ingredients. We could not simply ask what they think about brand extensions; instead we needed to explore their existing perceptions in order to successfully disrupt this.
02. Unite
By gaining insight from key stakeholders, we’re able to gain clarity from the inside about how you think your customers' experiences could be affecting your brand. Collecting your internal theories, working assumptions and industry trends, we compile this alongside the context, and bring all parties into alignment for next steps.
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Face-to-face roundtable
Assumptions and hypotheses of the target audience’s needs and their ability to engage with your product or service, or the potential barriers preventing them from doing so
Agreement on research approach, output and how the project will be measured as a success
Document summarising desk research from Context Phase and discussion from Unite Session
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In a product strategy project, a key part of the Unite Session was discussing what questions key stakeholders needed answers for in order to make decisions about their product strategy.
03. Experience
By asking the right questions - taking customers’ real experiences into account - we create the best opportunity for authentic answers and opinions. We use the output from the first two phases to ensure research is grounded in and led by their experiences, rather than trying to force answers that don’t make sense, don’t reflect their concerns or are led by our own assumptions.
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Questions that reflect the customer experience which will reveal genuine opportunities by being easy to answer, true and sensitive to their experiences
Interviews conducted by an experienced moderator, allowing the conversation to be lead by the participant while keeping it relevant and focused on the business objective
Survey techniques and questions that drive engagement and limit flatlining responses
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In an audience understanding project for an insurance company, rather than asking participants to predict what they’ll do during the next round of renewals, something we as humans are notoriously bad at, we asked about the process they went through during the previous round, establishing motivating factors through their actual experience, rather than through unreliable prediction.
04. Truth
Once data is gathered, we begin a rigorous process of getting to the truth and identifying the needs influencing the sector. By conducting thematic analysis, challenging the hypothesis and reanalysing data using the ‘Capabilities – Opportunities – Motivation’ behavioural model, we’re able to read through the lines to draft a story outline and key insights.
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High level human needs and correlating customer challenges/painpoints
Story outline, key findings and key insights
Answers to the key questions identified in the Unite Session
In PPT or Word as per your preference
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In a pre-launch product optimisation project, we identified the needstates driving the category, using this to map the marketplace and painting a picture of how consumers perceive the brands available. This enabled us to identify white space opportunities for the launch campaign of the new product.
05. Growth
Next, we translate human needs into customer needs and overlay this onto your business objective, thereby identifying the commercial growth opportunities created by our research. Finally, we present the true answers to your questions, alongside grounded suggestions on where to place further investments for your brand growth.
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Customer needs and related product features and benefits
Key things stakeholders need to know
Where further investment is required
Thought starters and key areas of opportunity
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In an audience understanding project for a higher education institution, we identified that a key human need driving prospective students was ‘connection’. This was translated into key customer needs that influenced how the institution presented spoke about its proposition and which parts of the offer it highlighted at open days and in communications.
The Deep Dive…
The truth is not the actions we individually take nor the aggregated data point that says the majority of us did something. This is not truth and it’s not an insight; this is the outcome.
The truth is what motivated each human to do what they did, whether they were in the majority or not.
If we want to deliver tangible impacts in our organisations, we need to think about the truth differently.
We need to think about the human behind the truth and to do that, we need to understand the humanness of their decisions; that we’re not always logical; we can be driven by emotion; we’re attracted to beauty even if we say we’re not.
To find the truth and the insight that reveals game-changing commercial opportunities, we first need to believe that the truth is human.
The Truth is Human ® embodies a profound philosophy that goes beyond merely observing and understanding consumer behavior. It delves into the core of human decisions, acknowledging that true insights lie in comprehending the underlying humanness of our choices. It transcends logical analysis to recognise the profound impact of emotions, desires, and aesthetics on our actions.
Not only does this reveal true opportunity, but it becomes the key to establishing genuine connections with consumers, resonating with their needs on a deep level.
By grasping the motivations that drive individuals, brands and companies can bridge the gap and connect human to human, fostering authentic relationships built on a profound comprehension of what truly moves and motivates people.