Storytelling in Market Research: Insights from the EPHMRA One-Day Meeting
Authors: Director Stephen Potts and Associate Director Seb Newton
Humans connect with stories. As market researchers, our mission is to ensure the insights we deliver tell a meaningful, powerful story to a diverse range of stakeholders. Whether presenting to clients or ensuring marketing messages resonate with healthcare professionals and individuals living with diseases, storytelling is crucial. Attending the 2025 UK One-Day EPHMRA meeting in London provided thoughtful insights into how we can use various techniques to become better storytellers in market research. This summary delves into key themes and presentations from experts in the field.
Cutting Through the Noise
The conference opened with a compelling session on the importance of cutting through the noise, especially in the era of 'infobesity.' In market research projects, it's imperative to make data easily digestible, it’s our job to make clients’ lives easier. By taking a journalistic approach and applying the MASH test—Memorable, Actionable, Succinct, and Human—we can transform research findings into vivid insights with clear actions, crafting more impactful and compelling stories.
The Power of Semiotics
One presentation focused on semiotics. Humans digest imagery, messages, and data in diverse ways. This session showcased how carefully thought-out imagery and colour associations can drastically change how data or messages are interpreted. This approach is vital not only for single image messages but also for brand stories, whether for pharma products or our own agency brand identities.
Graphic Medicine – Thinking Outside the Box
A crucial aspect of the role for market insights professionals in healthcare is ensuring that messages reach the right audience, through the right channels, at the right time. Educating healthcare professionals and individuals living with disease is essential, and there are numerous creative ways to enhance these educational materials to spark interest and truly resonate. One innovative approach is using comic book design to add a graphic edge to deliverables, placing the patient at the heart of the story and conveying genuine emotion without stigma.
Using Avatars to Tell the Story
AI tools in market research have moved beyond being the new kid on the block and are now widely used by organisations worldwide. However, it's crucial to remain vigilant and use AI to augment, not replace, human capabilities. One way AI can enhance our research narratives is through the use of avatars in suitable applications. For instance, avatars can humanise deliverables by presenting insights in a more engaging manner than simply sending static PowerPoint documents.
The Storyteller’s Audience
The final two papers at the conference underscored the significance of perspective. In any industry, a skilled storyteller conducts thorough research to genuinely understand their audience. In market research, it is crucial to grasp the challenges respondents face before crafting the insights story. For example, this requires allowing ample space in discussion guides for respondents to provide comprehensive and detailed explanations of their challenges. Perspective can profoundly influence a story, evoking sympathy or judgment towards key players based on the initial insights gathered by the storyteller. In essence, if you don't know the answers to the key questions, how can you meet the needs of your desired audience?
Conclusion
The conference provided valuable reminders and novel techniques to help market researchers tell impactful stories that convey desired emotions and bring integral insights to life. These tools and methods can ultimately help our clients ensure positive outcomes for human health.