Author: Katie Brown

The Art Of Better Communication With ThoughtScape™

September 2024, by MM-Eye 

The communications landscape is very competitive, and brands are constantly vying for consumer attention. The key to cutting through the noise is going beyond delivering a message and understanding how that message lands with your audience. At MM-Eye, we’ve developed ThoughtScape™, a tool that uses top-of-mind insights to help brands grasp how consumers perceive their communication. It leverages system-one thinking to capture immediate reactions and sentiments. ThoughtScape gives brands the data they need to refine their communication strategies and improve their advertising effectiveness.

Why Top-of-Mind Insights Matter

When consumers engage with a brand’s message, their initial, instinctive reactions are often the most revealing. These top-of-mind insights—what consumers think and feel at the moment they encounter an ad or communication—are critical for understanding how well the message is understood. Rather than focusing on after-the-fact reflections, which external factors can shape, ThoughtScape™ captures immediate, unfiltered responses, providing a direct line to the consumer’s genuine perceptions.

Unlike traditional surveys or focus groups, which rely on deeper, more considered responses, ThoughtScape™ taps into the raw, instinctive reactions that define consumer engagement. Understanding what’s top-of-mind for your audience, can help you identify whether your message is impactful, clear, and aligned with their expectations—giving you the insight needed to refine your approach.

How ThoughtScape Improves Communication and Advertising

1. Pinpointing Message Clarity and Impact

One of the biggest challenges in advertising is ensuring that your message is both understood and memorable. ThoughtScape’s™ top-of-mind insights allow brands to assess whether their messaging is immediately clear to consumers or if it’s causing confusion. When a message fails to resonate, ThoughtScape™ provides data on the specific areas where communication is falling short, enabling brands to make targeted improvements.

For example, if an ad campaign for an eco-friendly product isn’t generating the expected response, ThoughtScape might reveal that consumers don’t fully understand the sustainability claims or find the message vague. With this insight, the brand can refine its messaging to be more straightforward and compelling, ensuring it lands as intended.

2. Understanding Emotional Reactions

Advertising is about creating an emotional connection. ThoughtScape captures consumers’ immediate emotional responses, whether positive, negative, or indifferent, allowing brands to gauge how their messaging makes people feel. This is invaluable for brands seeking to engage their audience on a deeper, more personal level.

If a brand is running a heartfelt campaign designed to evoke feelings of nostalgia, ThoughtScape™ can determine whether that emotion is actually being triggered. If the data shows that the campaign isn’t generating the expected emotional response, the brand can adjust the tone, visuals, or messaging to create a more emotionally resonant experience.

3. Refining Audience Targeting

Different consumer segments respond to messaging in other ways. ThoughtScape’s™ top-of-mind insights allow brands to see how various audience demographics react to their communication, enabling them to tailor messages more effectively. Understanding what resonates with specific groups—whether it’s age, gender, or geographic location—can help brands create more targeted and personalised communication strategies.

If a fashion brand finds that its sustainability messaging is more impactful with younger audiences but needs to be communicated differently to engage older consumers, ThoughtScape™ provides the insights needed to adjust the tone or language to better engage each demographic.

What This Means for Our Clients

For our clients, ThoughtScape offers an invaluable tool for refining communication strategies and optimising advertising effectiveness. By focusing on top-of-mind insights, ThoughtScape provides a clear picture of how consumers react to messaging in the moment, allowing brands to

• Pinpoint areas where communication is unclear or ineffective and adjust the message to improve clarity and engagement.
• Understand the emotional responses triggered by your ads, helping you refine your messaging to build stronger consumer connections.
• Tailor your messaging to specific audience segments based on real-time insights, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.
• Monitor campaign performance as it unfolds, allowing for agile adjustments that enhance overall impact.

At MM-Eye, we’re dedicated to helping our clients understand what matters to their audience and deliver insights about what consumers really think.

Understanding how consumers perceive and react to your messaging is key to crafting impactful advertising campaigns. ThoughtScape™ offers a window into the instinctive, top-of-mind insights that drive consumer engagement.

If you’re interested in learning how ThoughtScape can help you optimise your communication strategies and improve your advertising, contact us today at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation.

You can find more insight articles on ThoughtScape here

https://www.mm-eye.com/beyond-surveys-what-consumer-really-think/

https://www.mm-eye.com/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-sustainability-communication/

The Future of Insight & Research: Embracing Innovation At MM-Eye

August 2024, by MM-Eye

With the rapid advancements in technology across various sectors, it would be remiss of us here at MM-Eye not to consider the future of our own industry. At MM-Eye, we dedicate significant time to talking to suppliers and clients to understand how new innovations can enhance the value we provide. To stay ahead of the curve, we ensure that our methods remain cutting-edge, effective, and aligned with the needs of businesses and consumers alike. Here are some of the key innovations shaping the future of research and insights.

1. Virtual Reality Focus Groups

One of the most exciting research developments is using virtual reality (VR) to conduct focus groups. Traditional focus groups, while valuable, can sometimes be limited by physical location and participant availability. VR overcomes these barriers by allowing participants from around the globe to engage in a shared, immersive environment, providing a more dynamic and interactive experience. This innovation enhances participant engagement and enables researchers to observe and analyse behaviour in a controlled, simulated environment that closely mimics real-world settings.

For our clients, VR focus groups mean richer, more nuanced insights. The ability to simulate different scenarios, from shopping experiences to product usage, allows us to capture real-time reactions and behaviours that are more reflective of how consumers would act in the real world.

2. AI-Supported Insights

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the research industry by enabling faster and more in-depth data analysis. AI tools can process vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds, identifying patterns, trends, and correlations that human analysts might miss. This capability is particularly valuable in sentiment analysis, where AI can analyse social media posts, customer reviews, and other textual data to gauge public opinion and identify emerging trends.

At MM-Eye, we are harnessing the power of AI to enhance the precision and depth of our insights. For our clients, this means faster turnaround times, more comprehensive analysis, and the ability to stay ahead of market trends. AI allows us to deliver accurate and predictive insights, helping our clients anticipate changes in consumer behaviour and adjust their strategies accordingly.

3. Mobile Ethnography

Another exciting innovation is mobile ethnography, which leverages smartphones to capture real-time consumer behaviour. Unlike traditional ethnographic studies, which require researchers to be physically present, mobile ethnography allows participants to document their experiences using their mobile devices. This method provides a more authentic and unobtrusive way to observe consumer behaviour, as participants can record videos, take photos, and provide commentary as they go about their daily lives.

For clients, mobile ethnography offers a window into their consumers’ everyday experiences, providing deep insights into how their products or services fit into consumers’ lives. At MM-Eye, we have recently conducted in-home mobile ethnography studies in the US and China, where we captured rich, contextual data that would have been difficult to obtain through traditional methods. These studies allowed us to observe cultural nuances and real-time decision-making processes, offering our clients a more nuanced understanding of how their products and services are used and perceived in different markets.

4. Machine Learning for Predictive Analysis

Machine learning, a subset of AI, is being increasingly used in predictive analysis to forecast future trends and behaviours based on historical data. By training algorithms on large datasets, machine learning models can accurately predict outcomes, allowing companies to make proactive, data-driven decisions.

In consumer research, machine learning can predict how a target audience might respond to a new product or marketing campaign. At MM-Eye, we integrate machine learning into our research processes to provide clients with forward-looking insights. This enables them to anticipate market shifts, optimise product offerings, and tailor marketing strategies to maximise impact.

At MM-Eye, we integrate machine learning into our research processes to deliver forward-looking insights. Our in-house data analytics team, including two Level 7 qualified AI data scientists, is equipped with advanced AI tools. This expertise allows us to develop tailored models that meet our client’s specific needs. From crafting bespoke analytics solutions to creating interactive dashboards and running complex simulations, our data team ensures clients receive actionable insights that drive informed decisions and keep them ahead of market trends.

5. Scaled Qualitative Approaches

Scaled qualitative (qual) research is an innovation that allows us to gather deep insights into consumer behaviour on a much larger scale than traditional methods. Historically, qualitative research has been known for its depth but also for its limitation in scale due to the time and resources required for data collection and analysis. However, with advancements like AI-powered coding, this barrier is being overcome, enabling qualitative insights to be gathered and analysed across vast datasets.

At MM-Eye, we leverage our proprietary ThoughtScape™ tool, which uses AI to code and analyse qualitative data at scale. This means we can process large volumes of open-ended responses, interview transcripts, and other qualitative inputs more efficiently and with greater consistency. By scaling up qualitative research, we can uncover patterns, sentiments, and consumer motivations that might otherwise go unnoticed in smaller studies.

What This Means for Our Clients

The innovations discussed above represent just a glimpse into the future of research and insights. At MM-Eye, we are committed to staying at the forefront of these developments, ensuring that our clients benefit from the most advanced and effective research methods available.

Whether you want to better understand your customers, anticipate market trends, or enhance your product offerings, MM-Eye is here to help. Our expertise in cutting-edge research techniques ensures that you have the information you need to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

The future of research and insights is bright, with technology driving significant advancements that are transforming how we gather and analyse data. At MM-Eye, we are excited about these changes and are fully committed to leveraging them to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.

If you’re interested in learning more about how these innovations can benefit your business, contact us today at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation.

Inside MM-Eye’s Supplier Selection & Building Strong Partnerships

July 2024, by Debbie Fitzpatrick

MM-Eye Ltd has a tried-and-tested vetting process for selecting new Suppliers. Over many years, we have established a process that has ensured that we select like-minded, competent, flexible, high-quality, and dependable partners in many markets around the globe. Given our independence, we are not restricted to whom we work with, so we ensure we establish relationships with agencies that are best suited to the research project that we undertake on behalf of our end clients.

Building Strong Partnerships

We are proud of the many suppliers we have successfully vetted, and who now form part of our network. Few are well known or very large but with each we form a true partnership: we understand their competencies and they commit to deliver the highest standards in what they do: be that recruitment of large-scale quant studies, logistical management of qual or quant clinics, or project management and moderation of qualitative research.

Our Evaluation Framework

We have a framework to evaluate potential Research Suppliers based on the following criteria:

1. Competency – What is their core offering, do they specialise in a sector we are interested in i.e. Sustainability, Automotive, nonprofit? Who are their existing customers? Do they have synergy with our end client? Do their clients provide testimonials and appear satisfied with the service they received? Who are the leadership team?
2. Control – Do the senior team stay in control i.e. is the person who pitches the person with whom you work? Are they adaptable and able to respond to unforeseen issues?
3. Capacity – How large is the company? Would they be able to undertake the size of project we have designed? Do they have sufficient recruiters/interviewers or moderators?
4. Commitment – Is the supplier committed to a providing reliable and high-quality offer? Do they clearly detail their processes and approach to ensuring quality? Do they have acceptable validation and back checks in place that meet our standards when it comes to recruitment?
5. Consistency – Do they have systems that guarantee consistent high-quality recruitment, fieldwork, moderation, and data output? Do they have membership to well recognised organisations: ESOMAR, MRS, other local country representative bodies? Do they work in adherence with recognised Data Protection/GDPR guidelines?
6. Communication – How did they interpret the brief we shared? Do they respond quickly and provide a full rationale for their proposals? Are they engaged, keen to converse, put across their point of view or share their local market knowledge? How good is their spoken and written English?
7. Cost – How do they compare to other suppliers contacted who have also provided a quotation? Is their fee good value for money? Are they offering something above that of other suppliers?
8. Culture – Do their background and values align with ours? Are they B Corp accredited? Can we form strong bonds with their teams?

 Nurturing Relationships

We ensure that once selected, we foster and develop relationships with those that we work with educating them with full project briefing in person or remotely, setting up effective ways of working (with full documentation to aid the correct implementation of our requirements), continual communication at all stages of a project life cycle. Over the years, it has been rare for us to have to end a relationship with a local market supplier. Exceptions to this have been in UAE and India. Both markets are hugely challenging when it comes to overall agency competency, staff consistency, recruitment quality, adherence to deadlines and transparency. But these decisions have only ever been taken after extensive support and re-training had been undertaken, which included travelling to the local market, training, and setting up rigorous processes with the aim of improving the quality and clarity of our requirements.

 Partnership of Continuous Improvement

To further enhance our supplier relationships, we have implemented a project satisfaction questionnaire. This allows our suppliers to provide feedback on how we performed as a client and offer insights for future improvements.  We actively seek and incorporate their feedback, ensuring a true partnership dynamic. This process helps us refine our approach and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and mutual growth. Our suppliers appreciate this opportunity to voice their experiences, and it’s solid it defies the collaborative spirit that drives successful project outcomes.

What This Means for Our Clients

For our clients, this meticulous vetting process translates to reliable, high-quality research outputs. Our strong supplier relationships ensure that projects are executed with precision and professionalism. Clients can trust that the agencies we partner with are committed to excellence and align with our values of transparency, reliability, and quality. Our commitment to continuous improvement and stringent quality standards means that clients receive insightful and actionable research results that drive their business decisions.

If you are interested in learning more about our supplier vetting process or how we can assist with your research needs, contact us today at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation.

Why get so hung up about hotel towels?

July 2024, by Damien Field

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of international qualitative research. This has led me to travel widely across Asia, Australia, India, the Middle East and the Americas. (MM-Eye’s Ecologi carbon offsets have been working overtime to cover this)

Along with Starbucks and hand sanitiser, another ever-present during these trips was a little card in my hotel bathroom encouraging me to hang my towels up, use them another day, and save the environment.

Now, I don’t know about you, but at home, the towels get washed every week, so keeping them for 2-3 nights in a hotel is not a major hardship.

So, rather than chuck the towels into the bath and look forward to fluffy, neatly-folded fresh towels every day, I took to hanging them up.

Here’s where the problem started and where I get to the point. More often than not, I’d come back to my room (after a hard day of ethnos and groups) and discover that my limp-used towels had been replaced with fresh ones. On the odd occasion when I was in my room when room service called, they would see it as an affront to their hospitality not to provide me with clean towels despite my asking to keep my old ones.

This is a classic example of the Say Do gap within an organisation. The marketing department and operational team at HQ get together to devise a positive message for customers, endorsing eco credentials. A lovely customer message is created. Yet, operational staff at the coal face are not briefed, trained, and supported to deliver the product. The customer is left feeling perplexed and mildly irked. The business does not get the environmental (or financial) savings.

A small example, maybe, but one that speaks volumes about the challenges businesses face in converting good corporate intention into tangible environmental action – and the customer risks of failing to do so.

MM-Eye is a market research agency that is dedicated to delivering Insights That Power Positive Change, those nuggets of understanding about how customers want, expect and perceive brands to behave when it comes to the environment.

We’d love to hear more about your business, help you sharpen your plans for positive change and close the Say Do gap between your intentions and operational practices.

If you would like more information about the work we do helping businesses close the Say Do gap, explore the details of our latest Say Do Sustainability Study on our website. You can also contact us at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation.

HOW DOES LOCAL KNOWLEDGE DRIVE GLOBAL RESEARCH SUCCESS?

July 2024, by MM-Eye

When research agencies carry out global projects, local partners often remain the unsung heroes. Their important on-the-ground expertise is essential for a successful project. At MM-Eye, we recognise the instrumental role these experts play, particularly as we expand our qualitative projects into diverse regions such as Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The way we conduct global research has evolved significantly over the past 15 years, moving away from a global top-down strategy toward more meaningful engagement with local teams. This evolution has been important in ensuring we provide our clients with insights that take account of the emotional and cultural fabric of each market, ensuring our research is globally consistent and locally relevant.

The Power of Local Expertise

Our partnerships with local researchers and agencies across various countries have enabled us to tap into deep cultural insights and consumer behaviours that would be otherwise inaccessible. These collaborations allow us to understand the unique characteristics of each market, from urban centres to rural areas, providing a comprehensive view that informs our clients’ strategies.

A Collaborative Approach

Some of our most important projects involve direct collaboration with local teams. These teams play a fundamental role in determining how our clients communicate with consumers in meaningful ways. We leverage these local insights to provide clients with insights to tailor marketing campaigns and reflect the specific needs of the markets they operate in, preferences, and cultural nuances.

We essentially balance universal brand values with market-specific opportunities, offering an edge in varied markets.

Voices from the Field

To bring these insights to life, we incorporate voices from the field— we work all over the globe, and our local partners in markets such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East share their firsthand experiences and observations. Their invaluable contributions are important in adapting the relevance of our insights to specific markets, ensuring that our clients can make informed decisions that provide a global fit while being locally made.

Our Role and Perspective

At MM-Eye, we pride ourselves on our ability to integrate global consistency with local relevance. Our role is not just to gather data but to interpret it through the lens of local expertise, providing actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making. We believe that the future of global research lies in this collaborative partnership with local experts, allowing us to navigate the complexities of diverse markets effectively.

As we continue to expand our research initiatives in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, we remain committed to leveraging the invaluable expertise of our local partners. In embracing the power of local expertise, MM-Eye ensures that our clients understand and connect with their target audiences in meaningful ways.

If you are interested in learning more about our global research capabilities, contact us today at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation.

Are You Using Segmentation to Boost Your Business Insights?

July 2024, by MM-Eye

At MM-Eye, our journey to understanding consumers starts with understanding our client’s objectives. Often, this means delving into their markets and uncovering the diverse makeup of their consumer base. Whether grasping the nuances of sustainability engagement or identifying luxury consumer behaviours, segmentation is our key tool for driving deeper understanding and delivering actionable insights.

Why We Use Segmentation

Segmentation is important because it allows us to break down large, heterogeneous markets into smaller, more manageable groups. By doing so, we can identify specific consumer segments that share similar characteristics, behaviours, and needs. This enables businesses to understand the different facets of their market in a granular way, providing a clearer picture of who their consumers are and what drives them.

How Segmentation Provides Actionable Insights

Effective segmentation transforms raw data into meaningful, actionable insights. For instance, as part of our Say Do Sustainability Study (SDSS) study, we have analysed distinct consumer groups based on their engagement and attitudes towards sustainability. This segmentation highlighted critical differences in how consumers perceive and act on sustainability issues.

In identifying these distinct groups, businesses and brands can tailor their strategies to meet the specific motivations and needs of each segment, ensuring their initiatives are impactful and connect deeply with their target audience. For example, a segment that is highly engaged in sustainability may respond positively to eco-friendly product innovations and transparent corporate practices, while another segment might prioritise cost-saving measures that also happen to be sustainable.

MM-Eye Custom Segmentation Studies

At MM-Eye, we specialise in providing a comprehensive understanding of your market through advanced segmentation techniques. Here’s how we can assist your business:

We design our segmentation studies to your specific needs, whether you’re exploring consumer behaviour in sustainability, luxury, or any other area. We customise our approach to ensure that we capture the unique dynamics of your market.

MM-Eye Driving Actionable Insights

Our segmentation analysis offers deep insights that inform strategic decisions. We help you understand who your consumers are, what they value, how they behave, and why they make certain choices. Armed with our segmentation insights, you can develop more precise and effective marketing, product development, and customer engagement strategies. This targeted approach maximises your return on investment and enhances customer satisfaction.

Segmentation is a powerful tool that can unlock a deeper understanding of your market and drive more effective business strategies. At MM-Eye, we are dedicated to helping you harness this tool to its full potential. When you understand the distinct needs and motivations of your consumer segments, you can create more impactful and significant actions that drive success.

Ready to discover the power of segmentation? Contact us today at info@mm-eye.com or use the form below to book a consultation with us.

Has the cost-of-living crisis killed the sustainability agenda?

May 2024, by Nicola Church

2021, the UK fell into a cost-of-living crisis; 3 years on and despite the slight reprieve in inflation over the last year, the crisis still impacts consumers on a daily basis. Food and non-alcoholic drink prices are now 30% higher than they were in April 2021, and between 2021 and 2023, the average weekly mortgage payment increased by almost 20%. As families struggle with debt and sacrifice essentials, has the drive for sustainability lost its momentum?

In the latest wave of our Say Do Sustainability Study (SDSS), we explore the impact that socioeconomic influences have on consumer engagement with sustainability. We found that only a fifth of UK consumers in lower income groups feel they are doing better than average in leading a sustainable lifestyle – significantly lower than their counterparts in higher socioeconomic groups, who have greater resources and financial flexibility to make sustainable choices. This gap reflects the real economic equation of our ability to act green; sustainable products often demand higher prices, and as disposable income drops, our ability to afford these products decreases.

So, does the cost-of-living crisis signify a setback for sustainability efforts?

A Collective Commitment

Despite the financial struggles many consumers are contending with, there remains a unified spirit of working together to do more. This desire transcends demographic differences and unifies consumers in a pursuit to improve the planet for future generations. Regardless of their income bracket, almost 90% of UK adults want to lead a more sustainable lifestyle, and active engagement in sustainability has increased, particularly amongst younger generations. Making sustainable choices isn’t an easy option – yet there is a clear acknowledgement that we must work together to make them.

Consumers are calling out for help from brands, governments, and organisations. We need to work together to achieve our goals.

Seeking Economic Solutions

The affordability crunch presents hurdles for consumers and companies, grappling with rising costs of raw materials, utilities, and transportation. Delivering cost-effective, sustainable products isn’t a straightforward task. However, there is a strong feeling amongst consumers that the onus of making sustainable choices cannot be placed solely on them. We need to work together; brands need to do more. They need to drive change and create accessible, cost-effective, sustainable initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to environmental leadership. Brands that place sustainability at the heart of their proposition and actively engage with consumers on the subject have an opportunity to position themselves as champions of the collective effort towards achieving sustainability goals – gaining a competitive edge and building customer loyalty.

Within the Say Do Sustainability Study, we explore this topic further and deep dive into consumer perceptions of 55 brands across 11 categories. To explore further and gauge how brands in your category fare, we invite you to reach out and schedule a meeting with us using the form below or find out more at: www.mm-eye.com/SDSS

IS ESPORTS DYING YOUNG?

February 2024, by Matias Van der Heijden

Have you heard of e-sports? Did you think video games were just a way to kill time? Well, for most people, they are; however, for the best of the best, it has become a respectable career path. This has been made possible by the recent growth of e-sports. It may be a relatively new industry, starting to gain traction with the support of major video games significantly popular among millions. E-sports has now grown to have thousands of tournaments hosted by various organisations and even game developers themselves, offering prize money and a platform from which to be viewed.

Even though the number of tournaments involving numerous teams/organisations has grown and continues to grow, the viability of esports organisations from a business standpoint is yet to show anything promising. Many notable figures have invested in the industry, ranging from billionaires like Mark Cuban, Musicians like Drake and (retired) Athletes like Shaq and Michael Jordan. However, from these names, the statements vary about their investments, with Mark Cuban stating an esports team was an “Awful Investment”, but Shaq stating that he believes in his investment and that it’s “one of the fastest-growing industries” and “we’ve seen a huge increase in both gamers and viewers”.

Even with these investors, a large array of companies are reporting losses year on year. The most notable has been ‘FaZe’, an esports organisation that went public in July 2022 at $13.07 a share, then proceeded to lose 24% of the share price on the first day. The shares now trade at $0.15 a share as of January 2024. In 2022, ‘MAD Lions’, a popular organisation, had a revenue of $3.45 million; however, with operation costs of $9.5 million, they had an overall loss of $6 million. ‘G2’, another organisation, has reported profit for 2021 and 2022. This is a result of numerous successful teams gaining more notoriety and, therefore, more sponsorship money and a cut of prize money (however, prize money becomes quite insignificant as players take between 60-80% of the cut).

G2 may have found some success, but with the number of teams growing and the number of spots in major tournaments staying the same, it is getting more competitive to even own a team, let alone a successful one. Player salary costs a pretty penny, with the minimum wage in the LEC (League of Legends EMEA Championship) being $64,000, with the salary cap in this tournament being $2,000,000 annually (reportedly, some players are earning upwards of $5,000,000 in other regions). With these costs for just the players, it’s no wonder that the organisations hiring them are struggling to make money.

But why can’t esports seem to make enough money to match these costs? If we look at the numbers, viewership for esports events is steadily increasing. The League of Legends World Championships 2023 reached a peak of a whopping 6.4 million live viewers and over 100 million hours watched. 18,000 people even attended the event in person.

Even with all this viewership, most teams that played didn’t seem to be able to make enough to cover their operations costs. Could it be that there still isn’t enough viewership? Will viewership continue to grow more? Why aren’t people watching? Why does a game like League of Legends, with over 150 million players registered, only have 4% of its player base willing to watch?

These are the sort of questions we answer at MM-Eye where our consumer research plays a pivotal role in providing answers to complex questions and devising practical solutions. Delving into the underlying reasons behind consumer behaviours could empower the e-sport industry to make more informed decisions and take strategic actions that help support viewership and commercial investment.

With League of Legends planning on coming to the UK for 2024 and using the o2 as their stadium, it’s possible viewership may reach a new peak in the year ahead, but what could be done to further boost this growth? If you have burning questions like this about your industry, product or brand please get in contact with our team @MM-Eye.

Employee Ownership – Reflections, One Year On

January 2024, by Catherine Gordon

MM-Eye became employee-owned a year ago this month, and it has been quite a year of change and progression across the whole business.  At our recent all-partner meeting (we now call ourselves ‘partners’ rather than ‘staff’), we discussed the changes experienced during this time and shared thoughts and feelings about being employee-owners of the company.

The overwhelming sentiment was positive – we feel like we have done a lot in a year, but we are still very much starting a process of transformation for ourselves and our business.  We felt it would be useful to document and share our experiences at this point in our journey as we celebrate the first anniversary of employee ownership for MM-Eye – and in doing so, we hope to inspire other businesses to take a step towards it.

The main organisational changes which employee ownership required at MM-Eye were the creation of a Trust Board and an Employee Council, which were both up and running fairly quickly.  The Trust Board oversees the decisions of our Operational Board with a remit to ensure the interests of MM-Eye’s employee-owners are properly considered.  The Employee Council represents the views of partners and feeds these back to the Operational Board.  The Operational Board has adjusted to being accountable to the Trust Board, which includes an Independent Trustee, Danny Sims of DJS Research (also an employee-owned business) and an Employee Trustee, Meg Rudman-Walsh, one of our Research Directors here at MM-Eye. In addition, Damien Field, our Managing Director, also represents the Operational Board.

We realised, soon after the initial set-up of 2 employee council groups, that a single Employee Council would be more effective and efficient. Representatives on the Employee Council have been getting into the swing of giving feedback and thoughts on various topics, ranging from employee satisfaction improvements to a newly drafted bereavement policy and a new partner bonus scheme.  A lot of us have had new roles and responsibilities to get used to, over and above what we’d consider our day job, and we are all feeling a cultural shift of having to ‘think like owners’ and realising we now have decision-making voices.

During our partner meeting discussion, a wide range of thoughts were shared in response to Danny, our Independent Trustee, asking how we all felt about employee ownership a year in.  Here are a few of those we shared:

• Feeling included in decisions being made.
• Feeling our views matter and that we are listened to.
• Employee Council feedback is making a difference – we now have a few examples of reviewing and suggesting changes to draft company policies before implementation.
• Realising we have the power to suggest and make changes to how we work, which will improve employee satisfaction.
• More transparency in financial matters, with training provided to equip us with the knowledge we need to make sense of the information shared.
• Positive responses reported by our business development team when talking to prospective clients. Employee ownership is considered a distinctive feature in the market research world – it underpins our values and is associated with better service levels.
• Our Independent Trust Director is like having an ‘honest friend’ in terms of advice and guidance – this is the first time the operational directors have had this type of external advice, support and accountability.
• Career progression opportunities for all staff, having more transparent conversations about succession and clear opportunities for future leadership roles for those who want it.

Overall, we had a very positive, open discussion, affirming the benefits of employee ownership so far.  It still feels like early days, with lots to do – like embedding an ‘ownership’ culture, settling into the routine of our regular council and board meetings, and embarking on our long-term leadership succession process – but overall, we have made a positive start.

If you are thinking about the employee ownership route for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch! We would be very happy to talk more about how we have got to where we are.