NORTHERN PLANNER

I've never been complete convert of replaying consumer insight as the basis for communications, sometimes information about a brand, or leading behaviour rather than following, can be far more powerful.

However, you can't escape understanding what the barriers are to people doing what you want. The more you understand what's going on in their real lives, the better. Brands that resolve some sort of conflict tend to do well, more-so if that conflict is something in life rather than a fake brand world.

Like 'Try Something New Today' which helping solve the conflict between wanting to be a great cook and the complexity and expense of buying and preparing food. Guiness has turned a downside of their drink – waiting –  into a ritual that signifies quality.

I'd like to see a beauty brand resolve the dilemma that women can manipulate their looks to manipulate men, creating opportunities that wouldn't be their otherwise…..but while this may make them feel like rebels, resisting the narrow role others would place them in, in the end, they're responding to and using stereotypes created for them by men.

I digress.

You won't get deep understanding of stuff like this in focus groups. You'll only get it by lots of observation and coming at things from a different angle. Finding real life contradictions, dilemmas and behaviours.

Or you can cheat.

If you work in the UK and you want some shortcuts to lots of really good, deep insights about how we behave in the UK (for example, when it comes to clothes, we like fixed uniforms we can rebel against only slightly) have a read of 'Watching the English' by Kate Fox. She's a professional anthropologist and has created a beatifully written reference to every aspect of behaviour.

Indeed, if you're not from here and want to know how ridiculous we are, you should read this too.