The Research Agency

The dark knight rises

The Research Agency Ltd. — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:59:14 +0000

It's not uncommon for The Research Agency offices to sometimes be used by lazy local sparrows that try to cut through the building, only to then get stuck in our boardroom. This problem reached epic proportions last week when a bat the size of a man found himself cornered. It took the whole team to corral him, but we eventually chased him out of the office and lured him down High St with the promise of pizza and beer. The bat-man turned out to be Julian celebrating his last few days as a single man before he marries the lovely Koreen this Saturday. Here's hoping no one shows her this blog before then…

A kind of homecoming

The Research Agency Ltd. — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:36:04 +0000

A familiar face has found its way back into The Research Agency office this month. After a few years showing the Aussies how this research thing is done, we are delighted to welcome back into the clan, the one, the only, Brendon Smith.

With over 8 years research consultancy experience throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, Brendon has conducted research across a wide range of industries, building strong relationships with clients by harnessing research insights to drive growth. From banking to farming, airlines to beer, from telecommunications to automobiles, having worked with brands such as Frucor, DB Breweries, TVNZ, Auckland Museum, Subaru, Nestle, Digicel and Colgate-Palmolive.

The Research Agency has been selected as a finalist in the 2013 AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards.

The Research Agency Ltd. — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:16:31 +0000

Great news today that The Research Agency has been selected as a finalist in the 2013 AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards. We are proud to be once again alongside the best in the industry, and we are looking forward to the finalists breakfast later in May.

On a completely different note… All but one of the men in the office – including the new guy - turned up on varying shades of pink today. The first two to come in were a coincidence, the third a bit spooky – but all five?! Andrew claims to have started it, if not purely because he arrived first.

You, hear me! Give this fire to that old man. And put on a pot of coffee!

The Research Agency Ltd. — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:28:54 +0000

Making up new words is a fun and natural part of the evolution of language, and until recently it was thought that words had a lifespan of about 8,000 years before they became completely obsolete. (Already a horrifically long time considering it was 400 years ago that Shakespeare coined 1700 new words, many of which are still commonly used today). But linguistic researchers have now identified 23 words that have survived relatively unchanged over the last 15,000 years. (Learn more here). So if you find yourself trying to communicate with someone who seems to have been living under a rock for the last few thousand years, try out the little title above on them, and you might find they understand you a bit better.

Well, maybe not the last part about coffee… That was the phrase of the week around the office leading up to the blind (plunger) coffee tasting quiz yesterday. We learned that the majority of the team couldn’t tell a bold roast from a smooth and rounded roast – and while we might call ourselves coffee snobs, we are definitely not connoisseurs!

The Case for Irrationality

The Research Agency Ltd. — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:03:26 +0000

In the May/June issue of NZ Marketing magazine, Andrew discusses the irrational, 'fast-thinking' behaviour of consumers as they browse the vast aisles of supermarkets.

www.stoppress.co.nz

Burger-Pie Chart

The Research Agency Ltd. — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:29:02 +0000

What do you get when two researchers and a designer go to check out the new burger joint in town? They make a burger-pie chart, of course, in order to decide which burger is best. Unsuprisingly, the one with bacon was the winner. That's why you'll never hear of anyone playing rock-paper-scissors-bacon. Bacon beats everything.

Finding friends in high places

The Research Agency Ltd. — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:24:12 +0000

Our business is about finding insights, revealing the yet unseen. We like to look at things from different perspectives in order to ask the questions that haven't yet been asked, or explore the path that hasn't yet been mapped. To find a fresh vantage point and spark that much-needed insight or idea often requires removing out of the picture the old, worn out opinions and the habitual junk that obscures our ability to take a broader view.

This sometimes tough and challenging process was brought to life for us recently with the (endlessly frustrating) demolition of the building next door to us on High Street. When the dust (and noise) settled, there was a new-found calm at the office - and looking out our kitchen window a cool little surprise has been revealed. While it had been there all along, the worn-out old Snake Pit had been obscuring our ability to find 'friends in high places'…

The Great TRA Hot Cross Bun Off

The Research Agency Ltd. — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:14:24 +0000

Jumping at any excuse to survey and rate things, the team rounded up the most popular Hot Cross Buns this season for a blind test to decide which one really is New Zealand’s Next Top Hot Cross Bun. The four contenders fell into two distinct categories – the rounder, more individual ‘homebaked’ style of Wild Wheat and Paneton, versus the square-packed, pull-apart style of Pandoro and Loaf. Without the bias of knowing the brands, we judged the toasted and well-buttered buns on Appearance (an accumulate score taking into account all stages – whole, fresh slice, and toasted slice), Aroma (pre- and post-toast), Flavour, Texture and Mouth-feel, as well as Desire for seconds. They were also unofficially ranked for quality of Butter-Soakage before the final scores were tallied and the winner was announced.

It turns out that New Zealand’s Next Top Hot Cross Bun was also Last Years Top Hot Cross Bun. – With an overwhelming majority, the 2013 Hot Cross Bun champion (of admittedly, the Central Auckland area), once again, is Pandoro Panneteria!

Get ‘em while they’re hot! And have a fun, safe, and rejuvenating Easter break, from the team at The Research Agency.

Ignorance is Bliss

The Research Agency Ltd. — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:58:52 +0000

Check out our latest column in New Zealand Marketing magazine. Andrew talks about how people don’t really understand the things they buy, and we should keep it simple, because that’s the way they seem to like it.

The Satellite Office Experience

The Research Agency Ltd. — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:16:21 +0000

If you've been down High St this year you might have noticed that the old Snake Pit opposite Freyberg square has been boarded off and there's a lot of loud noises coming out from behind the crumbling street-side facade. Next door at 35 High St, The Research Agency shares a wall, but mostly windows, to the site. From here we've been watching the demolition progress from organised vandalism to the incredibly skillful use of a (??) multi-tool digger thing to pull down the support beams with suprising accuracy and delicacy. But mostly, it's meant that we've been suffering the desk-shaking, focus-shattering effects of the digger-come-jackhammer as it breaks up the reinforced concrete slabs. It was all getting a bit much for us, so last week we relocated to sunny suburban Birkenhead to work home-office style – with team lunches out on the lawn amongst the fruit trees, listening to old vinyl records (taking turns to get up every 6 songs to flip it or change it!), and car-pooling across the bridge each day – it was a pretty fun and novel way to spend a working week. Here's some snapshots of the TRA satellite office!