Vision Critical partners with Dentsu Marketing Insight to offer insight communities in Japan

Vision Critical’s Insight Community technologies enable businesses and organisations to have an ongoing conversation with their customers, drawing targeted insights that translate into meaningful and actionable business decisions, according to the company.

Scott Miller, group CEO of Vision Critical, said the Japanese market is extremely well suited for online insight communities given its highly competitive environment and the increasing need for businesses to have faster access to deeper customer insights.

“As the fastest-growing area of market research, insight communities are changing the fundamental way that brands understand consumers,” Bruce Wells, president and managing director of Vision Critical, Asia, told Campaign Asia-Pacific.

He said as opposed to brands’ traditional way of reaching consumers by briefing agencies for research, insight communities are more of a consumer-advisory, two-way channel, where consumers and brands can share insights.

“Conducting traditional research in Japan can be cost- and time-prohibitive,” Wells explained. “With the help of online insight communities, we are helping brands engage with a broader cross section of customers to build deeper understanding and a platform of continuous customer insights.”

With about 25 clients in Asia already, Vision Critical’s main focuses are Japan and Greater China, while it is looking for partnerships in Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, according to the company.

Wells said target users of insight communities are companies looking to embed consumers’ voice in their decision making. This includes companies in industries such as customer goods, airlines, hotels, media, financial services and retail.