Empathy isn't just a buzzword—it's the key to facilitating meaningful dialogue that uncovers profound insights. In some of our latest research, we engaged with 50 Black men across seven states, transcending political divides through genuine human connection. We fostered unity and avoided unproductive bickering, which left us with the quality data that drives our clients’ success. #EmpathyInAction #MeaningfulDialogue #ClientSuccess"

We are most afraid of the things we don’t understand. And oftentimes, the less we understand, the more divided we become on those very things in the most black-and-white way possible. Some of us become “anti”; others firmly “pro.” In those moments, curiosity seems to take a back seat.

Activism, ESG, hashtags, and backlash - the drive for corporations to address social issues isn't a new concept. However, Jared Grandy argues that in today's world, thoroughly investigating and understanding the human needs fueling this push is more vital than ever.

When a company’s values say one thing but behave in another direction, their support isn’t authentic – it’s virtue signaling. It speaks to our community: I will support you – as long as our price tag isn’t at risk.

Connection. It’s something we all want, something we all need. And yet when it comes to research, sometimes it's the thing we struggle with the most. I’m reminded of this as I start doing more in-person research after years of virtual work due to Covid, and in some recent cases working with clients who haven’t done in-person research at all.

Directions Inc – the collective of Directions, SEEK Company, and Aimpoint Research® – is honored to be named a Top Workplace for the seventh year in a row by Cincinnati.com and The Enquirer!

🔍 Exciting Reflections from My First Insights Association Conference! Embracing the Power of AI and the Irreplaceable Role of Market Research Analysts in the Era of Innovation 🚀

“Diversity is being invited to the party.  Inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Truer words have never been spoken than those by Verna Myers...

“If you don’t know ‘Naatu’, you are about to!” exclaimed Deepika Padukone (one of India’s top actors) as she built up the excitement to introduce the performance during the 95th Academy Awards. As the fast-paced song ‘Naatu Naatu’ started with its catchy lyrics, the crowd went wild, and my little girls jumped off our couch to dance and sing along! I took it all in, admiring the set design, costumes, Indian singers belting out the song and Indian dancers performing energetically. I cheered loudly at the end of the performance and later when the song won “Best Original Song,” a first ever for a song from an Indian movie!

"I want yellow hair mommy. I don't like my black hair" my 5-year-old daughter said to me as she brushed her Elsa doll's hair.

"What makes you say that?" I winced.

"Because yellow hair is so pretty and shiny...and mine is not" she replied nonchalantly as she started brushing her Barbie's blond hair.

"Both are pretty, blond hair is pretty AND so is your black hair" I replied in the most upbeat tone I could muster.

My daughter was not convinced.

This month is Diabetes Awareness Month, which can be an easy “awareness” call to overlook… after all, who hasn’t already been made “aware” of diabetes? However, there is a hidden diabetes epidemic in America, and addressing it begins with revealing it.

It is no secret that diabetes is at an epidemic level in the United States, with more than 1 in 10 Americans living with the condition. You have heard the stats a million times, and chances are good you have been personally touched by diabetes yourself or with someone you love. What you may not know is that one in five Americans with diabetes doesn’t know they have it.

Terms like “Hispanic”, “Latino”, and the more recent “LatinX”, have become part of our lexicon to fill a specific need: provide a label that “groups together” a segment of the population who have certain cultural traits in common. Have you stopped to think how members of this specific population segment self-identify, however?

Last week, I had the opportunity and pleasure to participate in the Insights Association’s IDEA Forum on Boosting DEI in Insights. I must admit that I’ve attended a handful of lackluster online conferences over the past 2 years, so I logged in with tempered expectations.

I was blown away by how engaging every single speaker was and how many notes I took during each session. The IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access) Council did a phenomenal job planning this event. As a follow up to the conference, all attendees were encouraged to identify a couple of the ideas and concepts we learned, take the time to deeply process them, and then get to work.

I remember the first time someone told me that I tie my shoes weird. Confused, I asked how so, and after comparing shoe tying approaches with more people than I’d like to admit, I realized that I did do it differently than most, thanks to my left handed parents. It was then that I discovered that there is a right handed way and a left handed way to tie shoes. Who knew?!

In Celebration of International Lefthanders Day (Aug. 13), I wanted to dig into what it’s like to be left handed in a world made for right handers, so I interviewed a few of SEEK’s resident lefties: Molly Hug, Celia Cappozzo, and Ryan Helzerman.

The month of June has finally arrived, which means my long-awaited favorite time of year is here: pride month. As a queer person, pride month means a lot of special things to me. But as a queer person highly aware of the way brands market to the LGBTQIA+ community during the month of June, pride month can feel confusing at times.

Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, companies are producing Juneteenth merchandise, but some Juneteenth products have caused a polarized response. Many African-Americans are thankful that companies are creating products, but others have scorned the companies and accused them of being disingenuous.

Many of us think of empathy as “walking in someone’s shoes”, i.e. to experience the emotions or feelings someone else experiences. Sometimes that works, often it does not. Why? The missing element is context. I’ll illustrate what I mean through the metaphor of opera. I hope you learn and are encouraged by two things!

When it comes to communication, medical doctors are known for two things; their terrible handwriting and the use of complicated medical jargon. There is a linguistic gap that exists between doctor and patient and that gap widens when the doctor and patient use words differently. Obviously, this is true if the doctor speaks English and the patient primarily speaks another language entirely but is also true when the doctor and patient speak two different versions of the same language.

At SEEK, we believe in the power of Empathetic Insight. More than a simple category truth or unmet functional need, an Empathetic Insight is a statement that reveals tension from having experienced the feelings, thoughts, and context of another person. In this blog, our own Ryan Helzerman takes us through his personal insight about online grocery shopping in a post we call “Moldy Raspberries.”

This month, SEEK is spotlighting Sr. Research & Innovation Consultant Dominique Irvin. Dominique is a seasoned researcher who joined the SEEK team in 2021. We sat down to learn more about her career path, her love of storytelling, her recent work around maternal health care as well as the most valuable advice she received from her own mother!

One of the key events that the MREF puts on every year is called the “MREF Race Around the World.” Last year, we raised close to $75,000 that was distributed to several schools and education programs worldwide during the Covid Crisis. This year’s event is all about providing for children affected by the war in Ukraine. As refugees flee the country, we will be racing to raise money for those most affected by this event and making sure they have their basic needs met.