For those clients who want to create an integrated marketing plan or apply the MW Fusion formula, Step 1 is Discovery, which centers on client knowledge. Discovery puts the information that a company already knows into a usable format for integrated marketing. Missing information that is revealed during Discovery identifies that additional research might be needed.

All companies, large and small, can benefit from research. Society today has a need for real-time information, and business is no different.

“Our clients are concerned with the existence of threats and with recognizing immediate opportunities,” said Bill White of the integrated marketing firm MillerWhite, LLC. “They need answers now, and often they don’t have the luxury of waiting months or spending millions to assess their situation.”

MillerWhite’s approach to research is formula driven. The formula is based on the premise that conducting several different aspects of research as efficiently as possible creates a more complete overall picture of the company’s environment and current situation and is more effective than relying on extensive research in only one area.

Traditional research is quantitative, and it can take several months to gather information and process the results. MillerWhite’s approach is qualitative, seeking and comparing strategic data drawn from various sources.

“Each research area is analyzed,” MillerWhite researcher Shannon Clements explained. “The overall picture is created when we ‘connect the dots’ from those different areas to create a picture of the company’s overall position. The resulting comprehensive analysis is greater than the sum of its parts.”

MillerWhite has developed eight different research tactics, including surveys, interviews, audits and analyses, which help fill in holes in information that may come to light after the discovery phase is complete.

“Formula-driven research is especially advantageous when a company has no past research or documented data to build from,” Clements said, “The resulting summary report is accumulative in that it combines information from all the research performed to identify opportunities and threats to the business.”

“For some of our clients, the research formula has uncovered areas where even more detailed information has been necessary. The result is an overall picture that will help the client build a marketing strategy to capture opportunities or prepare for threats,” White said.

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