Market research and insights agency Bee Industrious pivoted its offering when it realised that clients wanted tech services.
Nick Richardson is MD of the聽Manchester-based agency, which works with the likes of Disney, Guinness world records and Warner Bros.
Bee Industrious surveys 400 children a week and translates that聽data into insights for brands.
The company, which also has聽bases in Lagos, Nigeria, and New York,聽now provides clients with 鈥榙ynamic dashboards鈥� which monitor their sales and marketing campaigns, enabling them to make proactive decisions.
It also reports on emotional responses and attitudes to their products and services 鈥� and those of their competitors 鈥� and helps with the design of mobile apps, websites, promotional video games and digital marketing campaigns.
鈥淚 guess they call it pivoting,鈥� Richardson told 老九品茶Cloud.
鈥淲hen we started the business we thought we were a research and insights agency but as we started to investigate what clients wanted it became clear that tech needed to be a key part of that.
鈥淲e鈥檝e invested significantly now so that three out of our four full-time people are from a tech background.鈥�
The company helps brands make decisions by giving them a window into kids鈥� behaviour in real-time, which Richardson says is a first for the markets Bee Industrious is targeting.
鈥淲e see global trends like where kids are spending time, which brands they鈥檙e using, what they鈥檙e moving to 鈥� things like the fact kids now spend three times as long on YouTube as they do watching TV,鈥� Richardson explained.
鈥淲e look at the global trends you would expect a global intelligence provider to look at, but what鈥檚 really cool is that we can see flash trends.
鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e surveying kids every single day we get to see if there鈥檚 a new YouTube blogger coming up, or things like fidget spinners.
鈥淏rands can get this information and therefore react to it really proactively as it鈥檚 happening, as opposed to getting told in a report that ‘this is what happened in the last 12 months and this is what we think is going to happen’.
鈥淲e tell you what鈥檚 happening, and we tell you what鈥檚 happening now.鈥�
He explained how the tech works.
鈥淲ith our first product,聽Kids Insights, we survey more than 400 kids, tweens and teens every single week. Their responses are sent to our database which then translates the data and instantly sends the information directly to our online portal which our clients can access 24/7 鈥� providing them with access to real-time data and insight.
“Our online portal also hosts insightful commentary from our research team which identifies more global trends.
鈥淲e have just hired Richard Craig as director of data services. Richard鈥檚 background is overseeing databases for some of the largest global financial organisations in London, so having someone with that experience is key to driving our business forward.鈥�
The change in company direction has been a challenge for Richardson, who admits he聽is not a techie by trade.
鈥淭he biggest challenge to the business has probably been myself 鈥� I鈥檓 a bit self-critical and I think that you鈥檙e always pushing yourself,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a techie and as our business goes from being a research insight specialist into a tech business you鈥檝e got a lot of challenges, so surrounding yourself by good people helps with that.
鈥淭here are challenges every day but our ethos is to turn challenges into opportunities.鈥�
Hard work is reflected right down to the company鈥檚 name and logo, which is Manchester鈥檚 symbol 鈥� the bee.
鈥淚鈥檓 from Manchester and I lived in London for 10 years,鈥澛爏aid聽Richardson.
鈥淲hen I came back and decided to set up a business it had to be something to do with Manchester.
鈥淥ur quote is 鈥榠n London the city owns you, in Manchester you own the city鈥� –聽and we鈥檙e delighted to own the city.鈥�