iSense Solutions
PUBLICDATA

Market research agency iSense Solutions – The Modern Consumer Company – is celebrating a decade of activity, marking a successful journey in the field of market research, both in Romania and internationally. Founded in 2014, iSense Solutions is a full-service agency with 100% Romanian capital, focused on innovation and the use of the latest market research tools and services.

Over the past 10 years, the agency has consolidated its reputation as a reliable partner for its clients, offering high quality services to over 300 clients from all industries and reaching a turnover of 2 million euro in 2023, a figure that places it among the top market research agencies in Romania.

iSense Solutions provides a full range of market research services, with departments specialized in quantitative, qualitative and innovation research, as well as online, face-to-face and telephone interviewing divisions. This solid structure enables the agency to tackle complex projects and offer solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each client.

“For iSense Solutions, 10 years in business is not only an anniversary, but also a confirmation of our ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation in market research. We are proud to be a trusted partner to over 300 clients, contributing to the continuous evolution of the business environment through customized research solutions “says Traian Năstase, Managing Partner iSense Solutions.

iSense Solutions has invested and provided clients with the newest and most innovative technologies and methodological approaches in the industry: online and offline consumer behavioral measurements through iOPI (iSense Omnipanel Insights), which complements consumer statements with their concrete actions captured by an innovative tool using Artificial Intelligence, online communities, online panels in Romania and 9 other countries, neuromarketing, mobile research, UX research, modern brand activation assessments at music festivals (iSense Festivibe) and many more.

With a team of over 40 consultants, an important pillar in all iSense Solutions’ work is the colleagues whose passion for market research has always made the difference. iSense Solutions offers a working environment where each team member is valued, supported and encouraged to reach their full potential. To this end, there has been an emphasis on constantly listening to the needs of colleagues, balancing work and personal life, and each colleague has been offered a clear career path, a highly attractive benefits package and invested in 2023 in a new, state-of-the-art headquarters.

“We will continue to build strong partnerships and make significant contributions to the development of the industry, both through innovative market research conducted for our clients and through scientific research and collaboration with academia. With a forward-thinking team of specialists, we will continue to utilize the latest research tools and provide leading services and valuable insights to our partners “says Andrei Canda, Managing Partner iSense Solutions.

Future plans for iSense Solutions are to expand strongly both nationally and internationally, retain and attract the best talent in the market, and offer clients the most advanced market research tools.

The iSense Solutions team would like to thank customers, colleagues and all other partners for their support during these 10 years of activity.

About 25% of the negative situations reported by Romanian consumers are not caused by the quality of products or services, but are related to aspects of the way businesses are run and managed, such as lack of transparency or social involvement, political associations or false advertising. This is one of the main findings of the EXPUS study, conducted by Golin in collaboration with Path and iSense Solutions. EXPUS is based on a mix of data: on the one hand, data collected with Talkwalker, Golin’s customized social listening tool, and on the other hand, data collected directly from the consumer, through a quantitative online survey conducted by iSense.

“As permacrisis has become the norm, it is vital to understand how brands are perceived by consumers and how they react when they feel let down. Strategic communication requires a more thoughtful and sensitive approach, and EXPUS helps us to see the tensions that precede brand crises “said Cristina Butunoi, Deputy Managing Director Golin.

EXPUS analyzed four industries: Beauty, Fashion, Banking and Oil & Gas, as the brands of these sectors are omnipresent in consumers’ lives, regardless of their socio-demographic profile, and reveals that brands become exposed in three main situations: expectation violations, erroneous corporate decisions and differences in value systems.

One in four consumers admit that a negative comment leads them to share and add their own negative opinion or experience, even if it is unrelated to the original comment.

While only 29% of consumers say they would post negative comments or reviews, and almost half of them (45%) admit they prefer anonymity, if we zoom in with Talkwalker on consumer mentions alone, the share of negative sentiment increases to 44%.

Consumer reactions to negative reviews vary by platform and age. 68% of respondents indicated they have interacted with negative comments and reviews in the past six months. They identify Facebook as the main source of such content (78%), followed by review sites (30%), YouTube (29%), blogs, forums and news sites (25%). Consumers under 30, being more intensive users of the platforms Instagram and TikTok, point to these as significant sources of negative reviews – Instagram (46% vs. 22% total sample) and TikTok (34% vs. 22% total sample).

“We were able to reveal multiple significant insights that show how complex and nuanced the relationship between consumers and brands can be. It is precisely these nuances that are important when strategizing communications to choose tactics directly proportional to the desired impact on brands “said Roxana Bleoajă, Head of Path, Lowe Group.

The predominant emotion when consumers post a negative comment is anger, at 73%. It is combined with a positive motivation: the desire to warn other consumers (26%). Other motivations include the desire to get the company to remedy the situation (18%), to hold the company accountable (13%) or to make their voice heard (13%).

“EXPOSED reveals patterns of consumer behavior when brands disappoint their expectations. From confrontation, avoidance, to opposition and becoming that ambassador no one wants, brands have time to step in and fix it “, said Traian Năstase, Managing Partner, iSense Solutions.

70% of consumers have had negative experiences with a brand in the industries surveyed in the past six months

Consumers react differently to negative experiences with brands, adopting approaches such as direct confrontation (through emails, direct messages to the brand or company), avoidance, rejection, retaliation (negative comments and reviews posted on review sites, brands’ online channels or their own social media pages), and opposition (legal action against the company). 70% of consumers have had negative experiences with a brand in the past six months, and the main mistake a brand can make is cheating (17%).

Although 61% claim that they try to resolve unpleasant situations through direct confrontation, unprompted responses show that avoidance strategies, such as temporarily stopping consumption or warning acquaintances, are becoming the dominant behavior.

In the case of services, 49% of respondents indicate that their first reaction is direct confrontation, followed by revenge and contamination of others (27%). In the case of products, the initial reaction is avoidance or giving up (38%), followed by revenge (29%) if the brand’s mistake persists in the consumer’s perception.

81% of consumers follow brands online and are primarily looking for practical and useful information. Consumers’ preferences vary by gender and age: men want brands to be responsible (22%), women want brands to be inspiring (30%) and young people, especially those in Bucharest, are looking for entertainment (41%).

In conclusion, for brands, reputation management in the social media era is becoming fundamental and it is important to understand the intricacies of consumer reactions in the specific cultural context. Companies need to invest in reputation, assess risks and identify when they can intervene to maintain a positive relationship with consumers.

EXPUS is an analysis of Romanian consumers’ emotions and behaviors in relation to brands when they disappoint. It is based on data collected between September 2022 and June 2023 using the Talkwalker platform and analyzed by Path, accompanied by data obtained through an online survey conducted on a nationally representative urban sample of 800 respondents aged 18 to 65 years old.

Download the free study here.

Golin Romania is affiliated with one of the most valuable international PR networks, Golin Worldwide, a Public Relations agency that aligns its creative and data efforts with clients’ business to deliver impactful results. Together we arrive at the most valuable insights and collaborate in an inclusive environment, creating bold and results-oriented. Golin’s 1,700 global employees operate out of more than 50 offices around the world, allowing us to come up with complete solutions for multiple markets and for regional or global communications programs. Golin was named Global Agency of the Year at PR Week 2021, 2020 and 2019, Agency of the Year in the North America region at PRovoke Media 2021 and the first PR agency to win Gold and Silver for Creativity at Cannes Lions Festival 2019. In Romania, Golin is part of one of the leading communications groups, the Lowe Group, together with MullenLowe (advertising), Initiative (media) and Medic One (medical and pharmaceutical communications).

Path is the Lowe Group’s data analytics and interpretation unit, created in response to the need for businesses to adapt quickly to the speed at which consumer behavior changes. Path integrates an extensive suite of local and international tools and data sources, available across the group’s network of agencies, addressing all communication disciplines.

iSense Solutions – The Modern Consumer Company – uses the most innovative methods to explore and analyze the modern consumer. Founded in 2014, the company offers comprehensive market research services and brings a mix of innovation and efficiency to clients.

Parents want to provide their children with a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, and one of the challenges is the school lunch. 85% of parents in urban areas say they usually pack a school lunch for their children and 86% of them say they do it every day, the latest iSense Solutions survey shows.

45% of those who say they don’t give their children a packed lunch say they give them pocket money to buy food on the way to school or during breaks, and 37% say they eat when they leave home and when they return.

Parents take care and responsibility for their little ones’ diets, and the routine of preparing the next day’s packet happens for different reasons: 63% of parents feel more reassured when they know exactly what their child is eating, 36% think it is good for children to have a snack between meals, 32% want to reduce the consumption of processed foods in their child’s diet, 28% say it is cheaper, and 25% say that school time overlaps with mealtimes, especially among children over 15 (36%), who spend slightly more time at school.

What do students in Romania get in a package?

When it comes to the contents of the packet that children have recently received at school, the most popular foods are: sandwich (76%), fruit (47%), biscuits/napolitane (22%), cereal/chocolate/fruit and seed bars (22%), vegetables/salad (17%), pastries (15%), homemade sweet or salty cakes/biscuits (11%), nuts/nuts (8%), egg/omelette (7%).

The favorite foods that parents choose to put in their sandwich are: cheese/cheeses (82%), cold meats (71%), sausages (71%), schnitzel (49%), butter (49%), vegetables (36%), pâté (24%), jam (14%), cold roast (14%) and fish (7%).

“Urban parents are concerned about the health and nutrition of their children and try to provide them with regular meals, as diversified as possible. Even if they have at their fingertips different types of foods and processed foods, it is rewarding that they predominantly choose dairy products, fruits and vegetables, which provide their children with a healthy lifestyle”, says Alina Zelezneac, Quantitative Research Director, iSense Solutions.

To complete the package, 85% of parents say they give their children water, tea (18%), yogurt/health or kefir (12%), fruit/vegetable juice or smoothies (9%), milk (5%) or lemonade (8%).

Parents say they pay about 95 lei a week for their children’s lunch packs.

But how much pocket money do Romanian students have?

55% of urban internet-using parents say they also give their children pocket money. A third say they give their children less than 10 lei a day, while half say they give their children between 10-20 lei a day.

The percentage of parents who give pocket money increases in direct proportion to the age of their children, with around 79% of parents with children aged 15-17 doing so.

The data are part of the iSense Solutions Omnibus, a weekly survey representative of the urban Internet-using population. The survey was conducted from January 31 to February 7 on a sample of 363 parents, maximum margin of error +/- 5.1% at 95% confidence level.

Tomorrow sees the start of UNTOLD – one of the world’s most anticipated music festivals, and market research agency iSense Solutions will be evaluating the activations of the brands in attendance for the second year running and gathering key data from attendees using innovative research tools.

“As an official research partner we will have a 360 evaluation, and with the help of the iSense FestiVibe research tool we will obtain data about the intention to participate in the next editions, the budget spent, but also the impact of the activities of the sponsors present“, says Andrei Elvădeanu, Quantitative Director iSense Solutions.

From the iSense FestiVibe – an overview of festivals in Romania, conducted at the beginning of the year, we already know which are the most popular festivals in Romania, and UNTOLD has the highest awareness, 97%, followed by Neversea (90%), Electric Castle (83%), SAGA Festival (52%), Summer Well (52%), Sunwaves (23%), Nostalgia Retro-Disco-Future (22%), Beach, Please! (12%), Open Air Blue Air Blues Festival (12%), Massif (10%).

It’s the beginning of the last month of summer, but the fun is in full swing. The organizers have prepared an edition with many surprises, but also memorable activities that will provide participants with unique experiences and build their loyalty.

“The partnership we started last year honors and strengthens our image as an innovative market research agency with a team of festival research experts. We use new research tools to get an overview of the festival, which helps the organizers to measure the impact of the event and to shape future editions“says Andrei Canda, Managing Partner iSense Solutions.

Fans have already made their schedule and are expected in Cluj-Napoca from tomorrow, August 3 until Sunday, August 6, for an unforgettable experience.

The data is part of the iSense FestiVibe study. It involves a complex methodology pre-in-post, before, during and after the festival. The pre-festivals survey was conducted in February 2023 on a sample of 2500 respondents: 1500 respondents, online representative for urban, population 18-65, +1000 festival attendees, maximum margin of error +/- 2.53% at 95% confidence level. Data during the festival is collected qualitatively, through online community and ethnographic observations, and data after the festival is collected through face-to-face interviews after the festival and online.

During the PR & Communication Summit 2023, the market research agency iSense Solutions launched the CEOs Power Report, a comprehensive material that analyzes the perception of Romanians in urban areas on how company leaders communicate online and what is their image.

The research focused on analyzing qualitatively and quantitatively how leaders communicate, which are the most effective and appropriate communication channels for the messages they convey, and what kind of messages urban Romanians expect from CEOs. The research shows that 5 out of 10 urban Romanians have followed information about CEOs in the last 12 months, and 69% have heard or seen information about companies.

When it comes to the communication channels where Romanians say they have seen/heard the CEOs, the internet is in first place (92%), TV in second place (77%), and in third place they say they have heard from friends or acquaintances (61%).

Of those who follow CEOs online, 83% say they have seen online articles about company leaders, 77% have found information on company websites and 76% have learned about them from news sites.

In terms of the content communicated by CEOs, 86% of Romanians saw/heard leaders’ opinions about the industry, while 87% expected them to communicate such content, 84% saw/heard company information vs. 90% expected to see this type of content from leaders, 79% saw/heard CEOs’ opinions about current events and their impact on the industry vs. 72% expected leaders to publish such opinions.

Notable differences between what CEOs have communicated and what they are expected to communicate more are on: content about personal and professional development – 75% have seen this information, while 88% expect leaders to post material on this topic. Likewise, career advice for the younger generation is valued: 74% have seen/heard this information, while 88% expect advice from CEOs. Motivational topics are also relevant to the audience: 71% of Romanians have seen/heard this information, while 88% expect to find motivational content on CEOs’ communication channels.

The most popular online channels among Romanians who follow leaders in different industries are Facebook (80%), YouTube (67%), online forums (56%), Instagram (48%), LinkedIn (45%) and TikTok (34%).

In terms of what urban Romanians expect from the types of information suitable for communication channels, they believe that on Facebook they can find information about their personal life or the CEO’s perspective on a given topic, on YouTube promotional content about both companies and their leaders, on Instagram inspirational content, and LinkedIn remains the preferred channel for business, leadership and HR information.

Romanians are curious, they expect certain communications and information, both from CEOs and companies. That is why companies’ communication departments should have a well-defined strategy in this segment, be aware of the expectations of their followers and provide them with valuable content for a favorable image and support fromthem3.

The data presented is part of the CEOs Report survey released at the PR & Communication Summit. The quantitative research is representative of the urban internet-using population, data was collected in March 2023 on a sample of 1003 respondents, maximum margin of error +/- 3.09% at 95% confidence level. Qualitative research was conducted through focus groups and in-depth interviews between February and March 2023