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For decades, qualitative research was dominated by a staple of any brand wanting to understand their customers’ views and preferences: the in-person focus group.  While it is true that online qualitative had started to make inroads many years before COVID, the status quo was dramatically challenged during the pandemic, when marketers needed to replicate in-person …

In-Person or Online Qualitative: Selecting the Right Tool for The Job Read More »

Some of you might not know that the recent Tom Hanks movie, A Man Called Otto, is based on the bestselling book, A Man Called Ove, written by Swedish author Fredrik Backman.  So, in advance of seeing the movie, I decided to read the book. You might be surprised that a book about a penny-pinching, …

Nucleus Book Review: A Man Called Ove Read More »

Creating a Super Bowl ad is a slippery slope, maybe even more slippery than the playing field was at this year’s game. A brand has committed to spending a ton of money buying the media and then has to decide how to fill that space and impart something meaningful.  Sometimes it goes well.  Sometimes it …

Advertising’s Big Day: Quick Takes On The Super Bowl Read More »

As sure as TBS will air “A Christmas Story” and ESPN will air a bowl game featuring two not very good college football teams, there’s a good chance you’ll see Corona’s Christmas spot this holiday season. If you’re thinking you’ve seen this spot for years, you’re right.  They have used this same commercial for 32 …

Nucleus Ad Review: Quiet Appreciation For Corona’s Christmas Spot Read More »

“Something old, something new, something stinky, something blue.”  So says the ancient wisdom of Cheesemongers, when deciding on which cheese varieties to put on a cheese board. If you want to build an exceptional cheese plate this holiday season to impress your loved ones, and pick up a few cheese facts along the way, I …

Nucleus Resident Cheese Aficionado Dishes Out Holiday Cheese Board Advice Read More »

I get it.  Company newsletters and LinkedIn aren’t supposed to be for cute dog pictures.  The adventures of our favorite pets are typically supposed to go on, well, every other social media platform.  However, there is a work-related connection here if you’ll allow me to explain. Otis Bast was “employee #2” at Nucleus.  After 16 …

The Client Connection Of Steve’s New Dog Asher Read More »

All businesses go through cycles where activity is high, and everything seems to be a priority.  Along those lines, the occasional “hot” insights project is inevitable and even expected.  However, in my previous lives before joining Nucleus, I often came across corporate cultures that almost make an art form of this, where every request is …

Hot Or Not: Business Edition Read More »

There were a few reasons I didn’t want titles at Nucleus.  First, my original attitude was that if you think you’re too good for something, you’re probably good for nothing.  I didn’t want titles to make people feel constricted.  This was inspired by a senior art director I worked with early in my career.  The …

Entitled In A Good Way: Why We Finally Decided To Go With Titles Read More »

Malcolm Gladwell is at it again, blending together seemingly disparate observations and phenomena from world history and much more recent events into what seems like it should be intriguing tapestry. Subtitled, “What We Should Know About People We Don’t Know,” Talking To Strangers covers a lot of ground, much of which is surprising.  Winston Churchill …

Book Review: Talking To Strangers Read More »

The third quarter was a busy one for Nucleus and saw a tremendous return to face-to-face insights work.  In August alone, we conducted something like 15 qualitative groups, which included a trip to Minneapolis.  In this busy month, we did some card sorting and some shelf display work that just isn’t the same in a …

Q3 Wrap: The Return Of Old Friends Read More »