BURKE AND SEED
CREATING A UNIFIED INNOVATION VISION THROUGH SEGMENTATION

The CHALLENGE

A global technology client needed to drive focused and sustainable growth with a mix of legacy and new brands that all have similar offerings. Burke and Seed Strategy (Burke’s in-house strategy and innovation agency) were tasked with identifying market opportunities in the online SaaS space, the future target customers, and the ideal offer(s) that would deliver sizable and long-lasting growth.

The APPROACH

Our approach went beyond traditional segmentation methodology and instead, infused strategy and innovation into the process. First, Burke and Seed worked to understand the needs, wants, behaviors, and attitudes of consumers through qualitative with an in-person workshop and online bulletin board.

Next, Seed conducted a strategic landscape assessment to identify the white space and add focus and context around the category and hypothetical segments. The learnings from the discovery phase and the strategic landscape assessment were integrated into the quantitative survey, covering both emotional and behavioral attributes of the target consumer. The quantitative phase then sized the market and quantified meaningfully different consumer profiles to identify priority segments.

Overarching segment attitudes and behaviors were then analyzed to identify unique needs and tensions in the marketplace. These needs and tensions resulted in innovation platforms to provide inspiration and focus for innovation within product and service offerings, brand repositioning, and overall strategy that spanned across segments. These platforms were activation points that allowed for cohesive strategy across all brands.

The OUTCOME

This work helped to elevate the client research team as a key player in the company’s future growth. As a result of Burke and Seed’s insights, all innovation streams were aligned to segment needs, and the client team was able to prove to internal stakeholders the need for additional research for better understanding within the category. Gaining buy-in from all levels of the organization, including the C-suite, the segmentation results and innovation platforms aligned the company with a strategic focus and unified vision.