Notre expertise en action

To celebrate our transformation, we wanted to do something that felt… well, sensational.
So we sent a video card and a mascara to a handful of clients,  our little wink to the power of tiny details.

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In the video, a fabulous drag queen reveals our new identity with flair, glitter and a message that hits home: small touches can spark big impact.

Just like mascara transforms a look, our shift to the Sensational Agency transforms how we show up — bold, witty, still unmistakably us.

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Same people, sharper eye for detail, bigger splash. Have a look at the video and enjoy the glow-up.

Segmentation exercises are elementary to better understand your consumers, what their needs are and how you need to talk to them.

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As the result of these exercises, you get loads of data, but no real human to envision, to talk to.

Thanks to Virtual Audiences, we changed that. We generated a virtual avatar of each consumer segment, bringing the segments to live.

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Our client was able to do live interaction with their (virtual) consumers, pitch new ideas, and get a full sense on how to reach them.

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Are you a Swiftie? At Haystack, we definitely are. And for the non-Swifties among us (there must be at least one, right?): a beloved Swiftie tradition is making friendship bracelets.

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So when we had a meeting coming up with Be At Venues (formerly Sportpaleis), our team put together a set of bracelets to send to them in advance.

A fun icebreaker and a small gesture to show that we genuinely aim to collaborate as partners, not just maintain a business relationship.

At the Dutch Insights & Intelligence conference (“de MIE”), the presentation of Ank van Ophoven about the groundbreaking work she did on Virtual Audiences was rated an 8!!! This is amazing considering the visitors were mainly Dutch.

And Dutch are known for a 7 already being a high rating… Making it a Top 5-presentation. Giving Ank the chance to redo her story at the ‘Best of MIE’. Great stuff!  

After having studied purchasing flowers in 8 countries for the Plants and Flower Foundation Holland we really believe in the power of flowers. They are so much more than decoration. They’re tiny messengers that say the things we don’t always manage to put into words.

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A bunch of sunflowers can pull you through a heavy week, while a delicate wild bouquet hits that soft emotion you can’t quite name. Flowers carry memories, atmosphere, love, comfort, all wrapped in colour, scent, and shape. They tell stories everyone understands, no matter the language or culture.

It is not just the flower itself, but also the purchase of it. Enjoying that moment of freedom, inspiration and finding that right message. It is a beautiful experience.

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Who would you like to receive a flower in the new year. Send us an email to whom you’d like the flowers to be sent and why. The best 3 will be contacted. We will take care of the flowers

Cartamundi is behind some of the most timeless board-game classics: Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Uno… so naturally, we decided to introduce ourselves in the most fitting way possible: by turning our message into a game.

To connect with them in their own world, we created something playful: the Haystack Brand Persona Game. The concept was simple yet clever: match persona images and names to their descriptions. A creative twist that blended strategy and fun into one engaging experience.

At Haystack, we do not limit ourselves to consumer research. We also have our laboratorium in which we do sensory tasting on a daily basis.

Ever wondered what this looks like? Now you can get a glimpse through our virtual visit.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If you send us chocolates? We’ll send you cookies. If we love working for you? You can expect cookies at any given moment of the year!

Want to enlist to be on our cookie shortlist? Send a mail to cm@haystack-consulting.com and we’ll make it happen.

At the IIEX, Europe’s largest tech-forward Insight & Intelligence conference, Geertrui loved sharing the learnings and insights from a research project using Virtual Audiences (synthetic humans within qualitative research) together with Sandra Galvin from Heineken Global CMI to fuel innovation!

What it takes to make them useful, where the boundaries are, and why combining AI with the expertise of a seasoned researcher still matters most... SensAItional to say the least.

You can’t open a newsletter or go to a congress without being bombarded with statements about AI. But instead of dreaming what an intelligent future would look like, we prefer to focus on the things that are already possible today.  

At Haystack, we happen to be quite fond of applying AI in our processes. For the UBA we made a presentation that provided an overview of where AI can today be applied in the research journey.

Bongo is an icon in the local gifting landscape, known for its wide range of experiences to choose from. And since offering a wide range of research possibilities is exactly what we do at Haystack, we decided to meet them on their own turf.

So we created our own gift: a Haystack-themed Bongo bon, a playful nod to their world and a perfect way to showcase the breadth of what we offer.

Foodretailers are the kings when it comes to sending out brochures and folders, inspiring us on a daily basis to make our food choices. Now, it was our turn to return the favour.

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We built a magazine to give our clients a taste of what Haystack has to offer.

Filled not only with cases, but also the trademark recipe that represents our company: A mushroom risotto. If your company would be a recipe, what would it be?

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Interested to read the full magazine?

Virtual Audiences is the new kid on the block! But how does the quality of the insights hold up against traditional research? We did the test for a EOY communication campaign, where the results of our virtual avatars was compared to the outcomes of 4 focus groups.

The results? Both indicated the same winning formula, the same potential pitfalls and the same points of improvement. The only distinguishing factor could be found in the emotional layer, where in focus groups you could have a better view on the non-verbal behaviour.

2025 was the year our Haystack Academy truly came alive. We threw our junior qualitative researchers into a real client project, because nothing beats learning when the stakes are real, the questions matter, and the audience is genuinely listening. Achmea opened that door for us.

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They invited us to dive into the world of Gen Z together with three of their labels: Zilveren Kruis, Interpolis and Centraal Beheer, each bringing its own flavour, challenges and curiosities.

What followed was a sensation: young researchers discovering their craft in real time, supported by seniors but trusted to lead conversations, decode behaviours and craft insights that actually landed. For Achmea, it became the perfect playground to look at Gen Z through fresh eyes.

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For our juniors, it was the kind of experience that shapes a career. And for all of us? A reminder that the best learning happens when you dare to blend ambition, trust, and a bit of healthy chaos.

If your brand were a person walking into the room, what would they look like? Now imagine extending that exercise across an entire portfolio: Côte d’Or, Milka, Cadbury, LU, Mikado, Oreo… all part of the Mondelez family.

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Suddenly, we can not only picture who these “brand personalities” are, but also how they might interact, complement each other, and create new opportunities together.

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No need to imagine it—we’ve already done the exercise for you 😉

The world of market research is evolving and we’re evolving with it. That’s why we launched our Brainfood Sessions: small, curated gatherings with a select group of partners, designed to spark open conversations about emerging technologies in our industry.

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In our first series of Brainfood Sessions, we zoomed in on the potential of Virtual Audiences.

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Each participant submitted 1-3 research questions in advance, which we explored using our Virtual Audience technology. This gave everyone a concrete, hands-on view of what the technology can do, not in theory, but in practice.

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Want to join one of our future Brainfood Sessions? Reach out to cm@haystack-consulting.com and we’ll save you a seat!

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One of our clients wanted to explore the world of gummy bears, so we built Candyland for them.

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We sourced more than 150 different types of gummy bears from six countries. Together, we dissected every element of a gummy bear: from texture and flavour to packaging… and of course, the best part, the tasting.

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After a thorough investigation in a co-creative mode with our client, we identified a list of gummy bears that were interesting to take to the next phase. In the weeks that followed, these gummies were further tested by an expert sensory panel as well as through a consumer taste study.

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As a result, our client gained all the insights needed to construct the perfect gummy bear.

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Inspired by talks we had with the Efteling, we decided to send a small gift: a single pea tucked inside a box. A playful wink to the newest fairytale in their enchanted forest: The Princess and the Pea. Because sometimes, it only takes one tiny detail to create a spark of magic.

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Our message was simple: “The difference between ordinary and magic? One insight.”

Inside, we added a QR code leading to a customised deck. Their first glimpse into what Haystack Consulting stands for. In that deck, we explored how international audiences perceive the Efteling brand.

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In short, it became a simple way to share our curiosity for their world and the stories behind their brand.

Ever wondered how consumers in Belgium and The Netherlands perceived diet pill medication? With the rise of Ozempic in the US, we did ask the question for our local consumers.

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Turns out that its popularity cannot be underestimated: Around one in four respondents in both countries are currently taking or planning to take weight-loss medication.

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In a world where everything seems plentiful, we are starting to see some signs of scarcity. Prices are higher, packs look smaller, and some of your usual favourites are simply… gone. What once felt like a temporary blip now looks like the new normal. Scarcity has moved from a short-term inconvenience to a structural reality.

For brands, that shift comes with tough questions: What can we change without breaking trust? How do we stay transparent when every adjustment is under the microscope? And how do we turn constraints into smarter, more resilient solutions?  

When having an afterwork drink ourselves we were curious about the differences between the this habit in The Netherlands versus Belgium. So, we set up a representative sampling in both The Netherlands and Belgium. My instinct would say that Belgians are more Burgundian but what did the numbers say?

The numbers agreed Belgians have it far more often (55%) versus a mere 34% in The Netherlands. Cheers to the Belgians, they understand how to end a working day!  

As another year rolls in, we cling to the magic of fresh starts. 2026 is no different: people love good intentions because they feel like tiny promises to ourselves, hopeful, energising, and full of “this time it’s really happening”.

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Across Europe, health tops the list again, followed by saving money, slowing down, and spending more time with the people who matter.

Elsewhere in the world, mental wellbeing and community-focused goals rise in importance, but the heartbeat is the same everywhere: we want to feel better, live better, and do better.

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Our good intentions: a 10% discount on a Virtual Audience project in January.

At the Sensory Symposium in Utrecht this November, our waffle station became the unofficial hotspot, the place where science met indulgence. Between talks on perception, flavour dynamics and multisensory design, people followed their noses (and curiosity) to our four Sensational Recipes, each crafted to surprise in colour, aroma, taste and texture.  

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Citrus Spark quickly stole the show. Its airy lemon mousse, fresh mint and blueberries topped with crackling chocolate turned out to be the crowd favourite, a bright, zingy palate-reset that had people returning for seconds. But the other three weren’t far behind.

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Sweet Burn teased visitors with its bold mix of dark chocolate and chili, a sweet-bitter-hot combo that sparked plenty of playful debate. Strawberry Affair charmed with its Italian-inspired trio of strawberries, balsamic and pepper, surprisingly delicate, undeniably seductive. And Forest Whispers, with its warm cherries, cinnamon and pecans, wrapped everyone in cosy autumn nostalgia.

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Four waffles, four moods, four sensory journeys and a perfect taste of how flavour can tell stories. Want the recipes? They’re now available.

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The second half of 2025 we have been giving away lots and lots of insights about the Silver Generation. We have run various brainfood sessions with clients about this generation by working with our Virtual Audience. We have written blogs like the one about celebrating your 50^th birthday or not.

We have been on stage at the AI summit together with the National Foundation for Elderly.

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And now as a final step this year our Dutch team will write postcards to lonely elderly. This is an initiative of the Foundation. Would you like to participate too? Click below for more info.

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