Why consumer closeness can’t wait

In my view consumer closeness is not just about “getting to know the customer” better. It is about creating first-hand experiences that make consumers daily decision-making tangible. When marketing, sales and trade teams observe real routines, hear real language, and witness real contexts of use firsthand, they build a much deeper understanding of needs, tensions and opportunities. This leads to

• Faster recognition of shifts in the market;
• Sharper innovation;
• More meaningful propositions;
• Just as importantly, it creates a shared internal language rooted in lived reality rather than abstract target group descriptions.  

What makes this especially powerful is that consumer closeness develops not only brands, but also people. It energizes teams, refreshes perspectives and challenges assumptions that may otherwise go unquestioned. I have seen this happening in front of me!  

In addition, it helps organizations see where consumers’ actual behaviour differs from what they say, and where hidden unmet needs can unlock growth.  

‍

Haystack Consulting is uniquely placed to be your partner in this journey because we live and breathe end-consumer, daily. In addition, our approaches are proven and go far beyond traditional research delivery:

1. We do not simply hand over insights; we design immersive experiences that allow your teams to feel them.  

2. From kick-off and training to immersion, reflection and activation, Haystack provides a full-service, modular approach tailored to your business needs, markets and budget realities.  

3. The program includes practical tools, expert facilitation, the often overlooked right selection of target audience, training in observation and interviewing skills, and support in turning raw exposure into insight and action.  

4. And dependent on the type of data collection (video, video + written observations, …) we design workshops around it, to put consumers insight and behaviours into product/service innovation  

As an example: during in-home immersion several years ago we saw that consumers had water standing everywhere. However, the glasses were never empty, always full or half-full, by combining observations and collecting understanding about the reasons why, a whole new innovation platform was initiated, where this client still reaps the commercial fruits from (!).

Our experience is that a consumer closeness programme is most effective when it’s not a one-off exercise but a structured, quarterly capability-building program that keeps teams connected to reality and gives opportunities to brand teams to gain a deeper understanding over time of their consumers.  

So, it is evident. Consumer closeness is not a nice-to-have. It is a strategic advantage. We therefore named it Haystack TIDAL ©, as it always brings a tidal wave of immersive insight, when done properly:

• Train (capability building)  

• Immerse (real-life exposure)  

• Decode (insight generation)  

• Activate (business application)

• Leverage (commercial success)

Interested in how this could work for your company? We’re happy to share a tailored* program outline.  

* Our programs are modular and immersive, from setup and training to facilitation, audience selection, data collection and activation. All with the end-goal of turning consumer exposure into innovation-ready action.‍