Communications > Market, Competitor and Audience Research
Market, Competitor and Audience Research
Get the evidence you need to make sharper strategic decisions
What is Market, Competitor and Audience Research, and why is it important?
In an increasingly competitive and fast-moving market, making the right strategic decisions depends on having the right evidence. Our dedicated team of research and data experts can give you a clear, data-driven understanding of where you stand, where the opportunities are, and how to win.
From market demand analysis and competitor benchmarking to labour market analysis and horizon scanning, we can equip you to make confident decisions about your brand, product or proposition, positioning and investment. The result? An impactful strategy rooted in real-world demand, not assumptions.
What is Market, Competitor and Audience Research, and why is it important?
In an increasingly competitive and fast-moving market, making the right strategic decisions depends on having the right evidence. Our dedicated team of research and data experts can give you a clear, data-driven understanding of where you stand, where the opportunities are, and how to win.
From market demand analysis and competitor benchmarking to labour market analysis and horizon scanning, we can equip you to make confident decisions about your brand, product or proposition, positioning and investment. The result? An impactful strategy rooted in real-world demand, not assumptions.
The benefits of Market, Competitor and Audience Research
Make confident, evidence-based decisions about new and existing products, or propositions.
Identify gaps and opportunities in competitive and saturated markets.
Align your proposition with real audience needs and expectations.
Strengthen your positioning and differentiation.
Reduce risk in your go-to-market strategy.
Our approach:
Every project we deliver is grounded in robust, insight-led research tailored to your specific challenge. Here are the key steps we tend to follow.
Step one
Kick-off and scoping
It starts with a collaborative session to understand your objectives, challenges and success criteria. This helps us align our research to your strategic priorities.
Step two
Research design
We’ll define the right combination of desk research, data sources and, where relevant, primary research methods to answer your key questions.
Step three
Insight gathering
We’ll undertake thorough research, which may include market analysis, competitor review, audience insight, labour market data or horizon scanning.
Step four
Analysis and interpretation
Then we’ll scrutinise our findings to identify patterns, opportunities, risks and key insights – moving beyond data to meaningful interpretation.
Step five
Recommendations and strategy
At this stage, we’ll translate our insight into clear and actionable recommendations for your organisation.
Step six
Outputs and activation
Finally, we deliver the findings in a format that works for you, whether that’s a report, a presentation, a workshop or a mix of all three.
As Consultancy and Insight Lead, Vicky leads our team of 15 consultants and strategists with expertise in areas including marketing, brand, creative, market research and data science. As a Higher Education specialist, Vicky delivers and implements effective and innovative strategic solutions to overcome marketing and recruitment challenges for our university clients.
Ed Layt
Leading a team of 15 consultants and strategists, Ed has a deep understanding of both the challenges of the education marketplace as well as the realities of working within an institution. With over 18 years of education experience, he’s delivering marketing consultancy projects with more than 100 further and higher education institutions.
Sarah Sturgess
As our Chair & Managing Director, Sarah has shaped SMRS into the organisation it is today - and has helped employers around the world create better environments for their people.
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