We are a team of experienced practitioners who bring senior
level attention to your unique RESEARCH, BRANDING, and COMMUNICATION challenges

OUR TOOLKIT

ico-research

Research

Applying a combination of relevant primary and secondary data to help map the market and understand your industry, competition, brand, users, and audiences

ico-branding

Branding

Setting the foundation for your brand; your positioning (who you are and how you are different) and expression (your image, tone, experience, and character)

ico-marketing

Communication

Evaluating and optimizing your messaging, design, and communication efforts

ico-innovation

Innovation

Using insight-driven recommendations to help inform and guide your marketing, organizational, and brand activation

OUR PROCESS

our-process
ico-exploration

01.Exploration

Explore
Hypothesize
Prioritize
Research

ico-evaluation

02.Evaluation

Discover
Connect
Interpret
Communicate

ico-immersion

03.Immersion

Disseminate
Collaborate
Challenge
Incubate

ico-direction

04.Direction

Simplify
Organize
Strategize
Recommend

OUR EXPERTISE

We are a network of independent consultants dedicated to helping our clients with their branding and communication needs.

In our midst we have researchers, data scientists, designers, journalists, and trend specialists. Every one of us loves what we do, and we all do great work. What makes us unique is our passion for culture and design. Principles of design guide our process and help us provide business recommendations that are clear, fresh, relevant, and practical.

WANT TO WORK WITH US?

GET IN TOUCH

OUR PHILOSOPHY

David Brooks wrote about metis in his book “Bobos in Paradise.” It refers to a certain quality that the French call savoir-faire. It describes a person with good judgment. Metis goes beyond book learning or epiphany. It is about pure practical knowledge. It is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and have the good instinct for where solutions lie. It refers to a level of expertise that lets one know where and when the rules should be followed and when they should be broken.

“I first read David Brooks’ Bobos in Paradise in 2002 and it immediately had an impact on how I contextualized my analyses. However, it wasn’t until 2010 when I was studying the applications of Integrative Thinking that the meaning of metis truly resonated with me. In today’s world where we are constantly bombarded with new and unprecedented challenges, having metis is a key competitive advantage for any decision-maker and change agent. That is why I called our group metis and that is why I made sure each member of our collective has this unique characteristic.”

Founding Principal Mahta Emrani
mahta-emrani

“As an ethnographer and cultural insights specialist, I believe that behind every action, observation, and expression lies a simple truth. Our job is to uncover these simple truths by untangling the data and finding the unique patterns. We pride ourselves on transforming these insights into actionable recommendations, which we then deliver in a clear, straightforward, and inspiring way. It is this underlying philosophy that unifies our collective; it is why we do what we do. It guides our efforts.”

Co-founder | Cultural Strategist
CYNTHIA CHAN
CYNTHIA CHAN

OUR THINKING

May 27, 2017 1 Comments

Exploring Market Opportunities in China
Thanks to its vast population and growing middle class, China is an attractive market in Asia Pacific. Projected to become one of the world’s largest consumer economies, home appliance players have turned their attention to China...
Read more

April 27, 2016 531 Comments

Attitudes Towards Fast Fashion | A Case Study
One of the promises of globalization has always been the hope for a better future. For those living in consumer economies, globalization has meant greater availability of goods at more affordable prices.
Read more
VIEW ALL

March 05, 2018 3 Comments

Can Past Research Guide Future Success?
It may be time to start re-examining some of the past thinking by providing a fresh perspective and new input that could help update or complement existing business frameworks.
Read more

February 28, 2018 3 Comments

Recognizing Technology As a ‘Socially Constructed Product’
Despite a wealth of information and past research available on diffusion of innovation, only a small fraction of innovations is embraced by the majority.
Read more

February 23, 2018 4 Comments

The Risk of Failure of Adoption
With all technological innovations, regardless of whether they are radical or incremental, there is always a risk of failure of adoption to the majority.
Read more
VIEW ALL

GET IN TOUCH

ico-phone
PHONE NUMBER 

 

ico-marker
ADDRESS
Encino, CA, 91436 (by appointment only)

 

Back to top