Former Clemenger Group strategy lead Alex Roper has joined insight and data leads Mark Razzell and Jonathan O’Hara to launch Critical Truth, a research, analytics and strategy consultancy.
Critical Truth provides marketing strategy experts with next-generation methods to derive category and cultural insights quickly and clearly. The trio have built its tools and consultancy on the premise that critical decisions in strategy need to be made based on real-world truths.
Razzell and O’Hara have built a series of processes and tools that give senior marketers all the efficiency advantages of AI tools without the common accuracy concerns, leveraging unstructured data to forecast the true direction of a category and culture.
Roper has two decades working across digital, CX, marketing, brand strategy and marketing transformation across market-leading brands (Commbank, Optus, Ford, Officeworks and Coles). Razzell blends an academic background in behavioral sciences, with a lengthy career spanning commercial strategy and data science.
O’Hara, a fellow data scientist with a PhD in psychology, also brings with him extensive research experience in academic (Deakin University), government (VicHealth, NDIA), and commercial endeavors (Clemenger BBDO).
Razzell said market research hasn’t really evolved in 30 years which is not conducive to innovation in the modern world.
"I knew we/the industry could do better," he said.
"Too often, traditional research and analytics methods have relied on slowly searching through the past, or prompting people for ‘part-truths’ without always coming to a clear view on what’s next. We are all about banishing the rearview mirror."
O'Hara says he had his doubts about how successful these approaches could be, but these methods have exceeded his expectations in every possible way.
"It’s given us a platform to conduct best-in-class quantitative research, develop dynamic segmentation solutions, and create sophisticated tools that can deliver real value," said O'Hara.
“When I reflect on big strategic decisions that I’ve been part of, as a client and while helping brands, I wish these kinds of methods were available. We can see that there's an opportunity to set a new standard in insights here.
"I wasn’t on the lookout for this type of opportunity, but when I saw what these guys had created, it was an easy decision."
Critical Truth is already working with a number of clients including Tourism Australia, Hootsuite, Kitchen Warehouse and Forbidden Foods, while also partnering with a selection of independent agencies
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