how the magic happens
We take on way fewer projects than the average bear, so we can do less but better.
And did we mention we’ll be the ones doing the work? We’re super hands-on with every component of the work. We approach even the smallest elements of a project with a spirit of innovation and imagination.
While we’re laser-focused on you, we’re also thinking about everything we’ve ever learned. We live life in max brain expansion mode: looking for dots to collect and then connect, because you never know what information will lead to a breakthrough.
We leverage creative and idea-producing techniques from a wide range of disciplines—everything from screenwriting to fine art. Think Beautiful Mind, but with more post-its.
Insights that last are captivating and catchy, built to endure the internal game of telephone that everyone trying to move ideas forward plays inside an organization. Our findings can easily be pitched to every colleague you bump into in the elevator.
We’ll give you a lot of information, but it will never feel like that. Our reports are page-turners, because when insights are revealed, it should feel more like reading a New York Times feature than a TPS report.
Why work with us?
We can do every method under the sun.*
Reach out to us when…
* Okay, we haven’t literally done every single methodology ever invented. But we’ve done a lot of different methodologies, in different countries, for different clients.
Who's behind it all? A debater & a diplomat
Darwin & Wallace. Watson & Crick. Laverne & Shirley. Dave & Buster. Great things come in pairs.
Christina & Anne share many virtues (great laughs, great moms, great hosts), but they each bring unique skills and perspectives to their work (if you believe the Enneagram). This contrast in style and worldview makes the work stronger. Christina is the salt to Anne’s acid; Anne’s the fat to her heat.
Christina Siden
Christina has spent her entire, storied 17-year career navigating through the jungle of market research. She cut her teeth at Lieberman in the early aughts, and then moved on to help turn Hypothesis into one of the world’s leading, and few remaining, independent research agencies in the country. Along this journey, she’s worked in every methodology and category you can think of: but go ahead and try her next time you see her.
Christina has executed game-changing research for Mattel, Starbucks, Disney and Facebook, to name a few. Her work helped Mattel understand the Future of Play and identify gaps in their product portfolio, which led to their acquisition of Mega Blocks and Roseart. She also led research that inspired the development of Disney Junior, from the channel’s overall strategy to marquis franchises like Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor. Let’s just say the girl knows how to run both a focus group and board room, if you catch my drift.
When she’s not helping Starbucks build, position and launch new beverages, you can find Christina hitting the playground with her two kiddos or testing out recipes from Ottolenghi’s newest cookbook.
Anne Trench
Anne spent the first 10 years of her career collecting great cocktail party conversation from consumers—I mean, working in research. She’s researched everything from DVDs to dog food, traveling from Taipei to Rotterdam to chat with consumers of every ilk.
She was lucky enough to be part of Netflix’s meteoric rise from zero original shows to nearly a thousand. In her time at Netflix, her work informed original show launches and new market launches, as well as Netflix’s overall brand strategy. With plenty of notches in her focus group belt, she then tried her hand at putting insights to work, making earned, owned and paid campaigns for one of the world’s most beloved brands (Netflix, duh). At Netflix, she worked in consumer insights, brand PR and brand marketing. She developed and launched 360 global, insight-driven campaigns to the press and the people, including Netflix Cheating, Bingeing in Public, Six Degrees of Netflix, and Make Room.
When Anne’s not ‘focus grouping’ everyone she meets, you can find her drawing with her kiddos, barbecuing like a maniac, or in downward-facing dog somewhere on the Northeast side of LA.