North Strategic has teamed up with networking platform Ten Thousand Coffees to help brands tap into the minds of millennials.
The Toronto-based communications agency has launched North Navigate, a “conversation and digital insights platform.” Using Ten Thousand Coffees’ network of thousands of millennials, the service allows clients to have real-time, collaborative conversations with their target demo. They can share new product ideas, get feedback on a particular program,or collaborate on new ideas. Meetings can be done in person or virtually, either one on one, or in groups.
“Everybody is trying to figure out the millennial market and there’s a lot of guesswork happening,” said Mia Pearson, co-founder of North Strategic.
The issue is that traditional research methods are somewhat lacking. With focus groups, for example, “you’re behind that glass and you’re watching them react to things. Or you may just do a research study, but ultimately that’s not really giving you that kind of feedback quickly,” said Pearson.
With the new platform, “you get that real insight and [the participants] will help us develop more authentic, more relevant, more targeted campaigns… What we’re going to get out of it is smarter campaigns and programs that are going to resonate with millennials.”
The platform allows marketers to connect with specific groups, if required, such as early tech adopters, foodies or sports fans.
“It’s much more than a research platform,” said Pearson. “Through ideation and co-creation, we’re able to bring a fresh group of young consumers into a room to work together [with brands] and have them be a part of it. I think that’s when you’re going to get really smart thinking.”
Ten Thousand Coffees was founded by 30 Under 30 alumnus Dave Wilkin in 2014 as a digital platform that connects students and young professionals to industry leaders.
“Collaboration is the new research, and through our partnership with North Strategic, we’ll be able to bring more Canadian leaders and brands together with their key target to create meaningful, mutually beneficial conversations,” said Wilkin, in a release. “The most radical shift for CEOs and marketers may be a new view about what it means to collaborate and co-create with their customers.”
Partnership with Ten Thousand Coffees lets brands tap sought-after demo
