As brands seek more authentic connections with consumers, our ForwaR&D Lab has spent over ten years developing ideas and state-of-the-art methods to make connected research a reality.

The lab is a natural extension from InSites Consulting being a spin-off from Vlerick Management School. The team refines and rigorously tests new research methodologies to enable transformation (doing things that were not possible before), optimization (doing things better) and automation (doing things more efficiently).

We are thrilled that our groundbreaking research innovations have won over 15 awards from all over the world (AMA, ARF, ESOMAR, MRS, SPSS, MOA, SPSS, eConsultancy, AMMA). Our track record of innovations is so strong because we co-create together with:

• Academics, who enable us to collaborate with the sharpest minds in marketing theory (e.g. Penn State College, University of Houston, ESSEC, University of Maastricht, Vlerick Management School)
• Clients, who ensure R&D results are directly applicable to business practice
• Consumers from our TalktoChange research community, who provide new ways of looking at research by taking a user perspective

Here are some examples of cutting-edge research innovations from our ForwaR&D lab:

Taking research communities forward

• Connecting natural marketing communities to dedicated research communities
• Understanding what drives participation in research communities

Taking branding & conversations research forward

• Learning how consumers use micro-blogging to discuss brands and express themselves
• Developing a brand positioning model allowing the prediction of in-market brand performance
• Understanding what drives brand leverage within generation Y
• Using implicit measurement to better capture brands' distinctive assets

Taking other research methods forward

• Understanding the added value of crowd interpretation in consumer-led ethnography
• Pioneering social media netnography and learning what added value it brings
• Assessing how gamification in research can increase organizational impact of results
• Optimizing mobile research to better understand consumer heat-of-the-moment decisions