Barefoot Proximity is a worldwide agency that harnesses powerful insights and smart targeting “to make people more valuable to brands”. 

Working with some of the world’s leading Fortune 500 brands, they needed a “best in class” solution that would make them smarter, quicker. Turning to GWI, they were looking for insights they couldn’t find elsewhere - helping them do more, for less.

The challenge 

Understanding the why.

Relying on several different tools that gave them insights into the what and where, one essential element that was missing was the why behind their audiences’ behaviors and perceptions.

This was a key piece of the puzzle that would set them apart from the competition and give them far more impactful insights to run with.

But dedicating more time to consumer research and insight was not an option. Already losing a significant amount of time dedicating large teams to bespoke research on every single project, they needed a solution that would not only give them more insight, but give them back their time.

“We had basic clickstream data that we got from the likes of comScore and others who gave us the raw data of what people were doing,” says Brian MacDonald, SVP of channel integration.

"What we were missing was the why."

The action

Getting smarter, quicker.

Using GWI to build a bridge between data sets and create more comprehensive consumer journeys that outlined the why, they could show clients and prospective clients just how much they knew.

“With GWI, we can get smarter quicker”, says Brian.

“We don’t need five people doing desk research for a new client, campaign or strategy. We don’t have to spend two weeks with a team to get to those insights. We can have one or two people doing a mix of audience building and pulling stats from the reports already produced to distribute to the team, resulting in much faster turnaround and response times.”

"With GWI, we can get smarter, quicker."

Adding new depth to their detailed consumer journeys, the teams could combine their quantitative and qualitative research with bespoke survey data that answered their burning questions.

“This meant we could augment our consumer journeys, not just with pure quantitative data around behaviors, and not just with qualitative face-to-face interviews, but with a solid set of panel data that said why they were interacting with any given brand at any given stage, and how they were doing that.”

Along with this, the in-depth market reports offer Proximity local insights that simply don’t exist in certain countries.

“As a global agency, we needed fast insight into local markets which has made a huge difference to us”, he says.

“If we’re pitching to a client in a specific category or industry, we can download the reports that apply to them and they give us the answers we need to go in with confident recommendations.”

This data has been a critical aspect of their ability to support current clients and win new business in emerging markets.

“We just recently won a pitch for a large Fortune 500 company in research and analytics by using the audience builder to analyze c-suite consumers, which meant we could be really smart about who these audiences were, and what behaviors and perceptions we needed to tap into.”

The result

Getting more for less.

Using the exclusive insights and ready-made reports, Proximity improved their response and turnaround times by 35%, meaning more business was won and more opportunities seized.

“We can do more in less time, with fewer resources”, says Brian. “Because we’re quicker and not spread so thin, we can manage a lot more opportunities.”

• Turnaround times decreased by 35%.

• More business and opportunities won.

• New depth added to their research with insights into the why behind consumer behavior.
  
  

By combining their research into a single source, the teams could take a far more efficient approach.

“Not having to spin up an entire research team to get smart on an audience and instead just having one or two people do that has been a game-changer for us”, says Brian.

With the impressive results adding clear value across the business, Proximity decided to roll out the data on a global scale to give wider teams the chance to take advantage of its many benefits.

“It’s a no-brainer”, says Brian. “We don’t debate whether we need GWI because the value is so apparent. This is why we recently expanded our partnership to provide across the entire Proximity global network.”