Carly Fink

Produce brands not only have fierce competition from other brands, but also from private-label fruit and vegetables. In the last two years, inflation has impacted the cost of produce, further challenging brand-named produce. Companies need to fully understand the impact of inflation on consumers, and what they are looking for in their products to convince them to purchase brand names.

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, conducts a biannual… Show more

Produce brands not only have fierce competition from other brands, but also from private-label fruit and vegetables. In the last two years, inflation has impacted the cost of produce, further challenging brand-named produce. Companies need to fully understand the impact of inflation on consumers, and what they are looking for in their products to convince them to purchase brand names.

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, conducts a biannual nationwide study among 1,502 Americans. In this latest wave of research, Provoke Insights assessed the following:

What is the impact of the economy on overall shopping behaviors?
Which shoppers are familiar with brand-named produce?
At what rate are they purchasing generic labeled produce?
Why are shoppers choosing generic labeled produce over brand-named?
Where would shoppers like to learn about brand-named produce? Show less

Rising inflation has affected all sectors of the market, and consumers are noticing the prices at the register. As prices continue to rise, many skincare brands wonder what it will take to maintain their relationships with their loyal client base.

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, sought to answer this question. The agency fielded a survey among 1,500 Americans to help understand trends in consumer purchasing. The research explores the impact of… Show more

Rising inflation has affected all sectors of the market, and consumers are noticing the prices at the register. As prices continue to rise, many skincare brands wonder what it will take to maintain their relationships with their loyal client base.

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, sought to answer this question. The agency fielded a survey among 1,500 Americans to help understand trends in consumer purchasing. The research explores the impact of inflation on skincare products and provides insight through research on consumers attitudes toward the current market and rising inflation. Show less

The opportunity to advance green initiatives with advanced technologies is endless, and this new area of growth will bring a number of revenue opportunities. Consumers, governments, and special interest groups are willing to reward brands for their sustainable practices, in which artificial intelligence (AI) can play a major role. AI can be a force for good and lift how a brand is perceived — but it has to be championed internally by proving its ROI, using the right vendors, and being properly… Show more

The opportunity to advance green initiatives with advanced technologies is endless, and this new area of growth will bring a number of revenue opportunities. Consumers, governments, and special interest groups are willing to reward brands for their sustainable practices, in which artificial intelligence (AI) can play a major role. AI can be a force for good and lift how a brand is perceived — but it has to be championed internally by proving its ROI, using the right vendors, and being properly implemented and well-communicated to consumers. As AI can help synthesise large amounts of data and automate tasks, it brings new possibilities for advancing green initiatives. Because of environmental concerns across the globe, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution, governments and corporations are championing these initiatives. For example, over 5,000 companies enrolled in the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign in 2020; this initiative seeks to secure commitments to reduce GHG emissions. Show less

The social, cultural, and geographic differences between the regions of the United States also influence consumers’ attitudes regarding sustainability and the environment. How do the regional differences impact grocery shopping behaviors among the 235 million Americans who consider themselves primary or secondary grocery shoppers?

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, conducts a biannual nationwide study among Americans. Provoke Insights’ latest… Show more

The social, cultural, and geographic differences between the regions of the United States also influence consumers’ attitudes regarding sustainability and the environment. How do the regional differences impact grocery shopping behaviors among the 235 million Americans who consider themselves primary or secondary grocery shoppers?

Provoke Insights, a full-service market research firm and brand consultancy, conducts a biannual nationwide study among Americans. Provoke Insights’ latest fourth wave of research sought to understand Americans’ purchasing habits and trends in over a dozen categories, including fresh produce. Using this year’s fresh-off-the-press data from March 2022, it is possible to understand the latest consumer trends in fruits and vegetables and how they are affected by regional differences. Show less

Awareness of CBD is high in the US. Most Americans (81%) are familiar with the ingredient in the short time since it has been legalized; this is equivalent to about 180 million Americans. However, awareness has plateaued with familiarity since last year: it was also 81% in 2021.

While sales continue to grow, awareness levels may be at their saturation point. Brands must stay mindful of just how many Americans already know about CBD and its origins. As a result, advertising needs to… Show more

Awareness of CBD is high in the US. Most Americans (81%) are familiar with the ingredient in the short time since it has been legalized; this is equivalent to about 180 million Americans. However, awareness has plateaued with familiarity since last year: it was also 81% in 2021.

While sales continue to grow, awareness levels may be at their saturation point. Brands must stay mindful of just how many Americans already know about CBD and its origins. As a result, advertising needs to extend beyond products just containing CBD. Now, the focus must be on promoting individual brands and products, and determining the unique selling proposition. Show less

When it comes to produce, the shopping decision process is not clear. Unlike packaged food, the label is not always prominent or recognizable. The question is, how do people select which fruits and vegetables to put in their shopping carts? When it comes to fresh produce, are there certain brands that are top-of-mind? And finally, what does the typical grocery shopper think about price, freshness, and brand loyalty? Knowing this information can help produce brands better position themselves in… Show more

When it comes to produce, the shopping decision process is not clear. Unlike packaged food, the label is not always prominent or recognizable. The question is, how do people select which fruits and vegetables to put in their shopping carts? When it comes to fresh produce, are there certain brands that are top-of-mind? And finally, what does the typical grocery shopper think about price, freshness, and brand loyalty? Knowing this information can help produce brands better position themselves in the shopping aisles. Show less

Carly Fink looks at how media consumption has changed during the pandemic and the resulting impacts on brand equity and advertising.

Companies like Fidelity, eTrade, Charles Schwab, Saxo Bank and Vanguard have dominated the do it yourself online trading platforms since the mid-1990s. What made these platforms so popular is twofold: lower cost of commissions and accessibility. In recent years, there has been an influx of new competitors into this space. In particular, Millennial traders are gravitating to more modern platforms on the market like Robinhood, Acorns and Stash, which provide even lower commissions, more… Show more

Companies like Fidelity, eTrade, Charles Schwab, Saxo Bank and Vanguard have dominated the do it yourself online trading platforms since the mid-1990s. What made these platforms so popular is twofold: lower cost of commissions and accessibility. In recent years, there has been an influx of new competitors into this space. In particular, Millennial traders are gravitating to more modern platforms on the market like Robinhood, Acorns and Stash, which provide even lower commissions, more functionality and interactivity. As accessibility, ease and no-fee stock trading are no longer differentiators, but rather barriers to entry, brands need to move beyond functionality. This paper discusses how brands need to understand and research what makes a Millennial loyal to a financial institution. Show less

Carly Fink discusses how brands should reassess the consumer journey. As more Americans work, shop, and attend school from home, technology adoption has skyrocketed. Brands must account for increased digital use and entirely reevaluate consumers’ choices in the new remote landscape.

With a few extra steps, researching these digital habits can put your brand ahead. Carly’s key points include research on consumer habits and industry:

-Brands should observe readily available… Show more

Carly Fink discusses how brands should reassess the consumer journey. As more Americans work, shop, and attend school from home, technology adoption has skyrocketed. Brands must account for increased digital use and entirely reevaluate consumers’ choices in the new remote landscape.

With a few extra steps, researching these digital habits can put your brand ahead. Carly’s key points include research on consumer habits and industry:

-Brands should observe readily available internal data, like web traffic, type of device, and location.
-Brands should seek out timely research on their industry to better understand our new world. Provoke Insights recently published 2021 trend reports on 19 industries ranging from hospitality to clothing and beverages.
-Brands should survey a prospective consumer population or commission a market research agency to conduct research. This is an essential part of building a targeted, compelling brand. Show less

In this article, Carly Fink discusses how COVID-19 has affected brand research, the B2B brand research journey, and the competitive landscape.

While brands are so focused on immediate results, trackers provide an outlook of success long-term. Marketers are looking for their tracking initiatives to go the extra mile to help address global initiatives, incorporating additional metrics, and the role technology has in the consumer purchase journey.

To address these concerns when it comes to this type of quantitative research, there are five ways that brand trackers can be more innovative: operational flexibility, modularity… Show more

While brands are so focused on immediate results, trackers provide an outlook of success long-term. Marketers are looking for their tracking initiatives to go the extra mile to help address global initiatives, incorporating additional metrics, and the role technology has in the consumer purchase journey.

To address these concerns when it comes to this type of quantitative research, there are five ways that brand trackers can be more innovative: operational flexibility, modularity, modifying the pathway for the digital landscape, contextualizing tracking, and correlating outside data. Show less

Business-to-business (B2B) is often more sales-driven than its business-to-consumer (B2C) counterpart. In this type of environment, advertising and building a brand are crucial even if there is a strong sales force in place. Advertising supports the full B2B customer sales journey by helping to generate awareness and leads for the sales team and by reinforcing satisfaction with the brand. Even if a B2B firm is more sales focused, this article will address why it is important to monitor your… Show more

Business-to-business (B2B) is often more sales-driven than its business-to-consumer (B2C) counterpart. In this type of environment, advertising and building a brand are crucial even if there is a strong sales force in place. Advertising supports the full B2B customer sales journey by helping to generate awareness and leads for the sales team and by reinforcing satisfaction with the brand. Even if a B2B firm is more sales focused, this article will address why it is important to monitor your branding and advertising initiatives as well as evaluate the success of your brand compared to the competition. Show less

New research from Provoke Insights shows that while cost is the biggest factor driving account reviews, several potential problems can result in agency-marketer relationships being on the rocks, including agency responsiveness and access to research.

The article explains how to integrate content marketing and research in order to position a company as a thought leader.

Similar to how news organizations have adapted their content, research needs to progress to this new type of content generation. Research studies need to move beyond the one-dimensional press release and onto multiple platforms in a variety of ways.

A brand’s competitive landscape is constantly in motion, changing and evolving. It’s critical to stay on top of what the competition is doing and, as we start a new year, this is the perfect time for an assessment. This article provides a list of free and paid online market analytic tools that can be used to deepen your market knowledge.

Only 10 years ago, consumer demand for brown diamonds was nearly non-existent. To industry experts brown diamonds were known as 'industrial grade.' Today, however, a product that once had very little real and perceived value has become desirable among consumers due to the power of strategic marketing and advertising. By analyzing historical and current information on the brown diamond industry this paper discusses the current challenges and opportunities for these stones.

In this podcast interview, Carly Fink talks about…

-How to turn flaws into benefits through skillful marketing
-Why more sales is not an acceptable business goal
-How people walk differently than they used to and why that matters to your business
-Irrational distinctions people make between similar products and services
-What market research really means and how to use it to your advantage
-Why Millennials may not necessarily be the best people to… Show more

In this podcast interview, Carly Fink talks about…

-How to turn flaws into benefits through skillful marketing
-Why more sales is not an acceptable business goal
-How people walk differently than they used to and why that matters to your business
-Irrational distinctions people make between similar products and services
-What market research really means and how to use it to your advantage
-Why Millennials may not necessarily be the best people to handle your social media
Show less