Brand positioning agency, The Clearing recently approached Participation People with an urgent request. They needed fresh, youth-driven insights to quickly shape their clients’ marketing strategy.
The brief was to gather real, actionable feedback from a diverse group of young Londoners within 48 hours to help define their audience segmentation and engagement plan.
With our national youth network, and proven methodology, we organised and delivered a ‘Listening Lab’ focus group with 15 young people aged 16 – 25. Their insights proved to be invaluable to The Clearing.
The session outputs gave them an in-depth understanding of and connection with young people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences of secondary education and growing up in London.
Our agile approach
For each project, we work closely with you to provide the service you require. This means that we are always adaptive and can tailor our offerings to your specific requirements and timeframe.
In this case, The Clearing required flexibility and a quick turnaround. Here’s how we did it in just two days:
1. Rapid Recruitment
Leveraging our extensive youth networks across the UK, we reached out to young people aged 16-25, prioritising those accessing Pupil Premium and living or studying in London. Within hours, we secured a diverse group of 15 participants ready to share their thoughts.
2. Dynamic Listening Lab
The two-hour virtual focus group was designed to be fast-paced, engaging, and insightful.
Activities included:
- Curveball Questions: Breaking the ice with prompts like “If London were a person, how would they spend their weekend?” (Apparently, London’s both a hustler and a partygoer!).
- Crazy 6s Game: Rapid idea generation game to encourage creative and honest responses.
- Storyboarding: Visualising the perfect week of living and learning in London.
- How, Now, Wow Matrix: Prioritising actionable ideas for The Clearing’s strategy with rapid prototyping activities built in.
3. Follow-Up via WhatsApp
We invited participants to respond to tailored prompts over WhatsApp to deepen reflections and ensure inclusivity. This method allowed candid, thoughtful input on their time, complementing the workshop insights to build on from the Listening Lab.
4. Comprehensive Reporting
Less than 24 hours after the Listening Lab, we delivered a detailed report packed with insights, direct quotes, and actionable recommendations tailored to The Clearing’s needs.
What We Delivered
Our detailed report provided us with youth insight to inform the brand positioning strategy and focussed on four key areas:
- Positioning and Tone
Young people shared what they want from a college and how they would like college to make them feel.
- Audience Segmentation Insights
The Clearing needed to understand what a diverse group of young people value most about their education and planning for their future. We identified three values and intentions that the college could focus messaging on.
- Living and Learning in London
Young Londoners shared what they crave and value from their educational experience, particularly from a college in a busy capital city.
- Hopes and Aspirations
Participants shared ambitious and heartfelt dreams about their futures that will help inform meaningful marketing campaigns.
For the brand positioning agency to really tap into the youth perspective, we were able to provide supportive quotes from the young people we worked with. This elevated the marketing campaigns for their client.
Impact
For The Clearing:
- The insights gained directly informed the college’s brand positioning, helping to build effective audience segmentation and an engagement plan, ensuring young people’s voices shaped the final strategy.
- The Clearing gained a deeper understanding of their clients’ audience within 48 hours, with actionable insights they could integrate immediately.
For Participants:
- 99% felt empowered and heard, with creative activities like Crazy 6s and storyboarding bringing their ideas to life. They also mentioned how the workshop time and day accommodated their schedule.
Testimonial
“Participation People delivered exactly what we needed – and in record time. Their ability to mobilise their youth networks, run an engaging session, and turn around a detailed report overnight was fantastic. The insights have been invaluable for shaping our audience engagement plan.”
Sophie Martin, Account Manager, The Clearing
End Game
This project proved that with the right expertise and networks, meaningful youth insights can be delivered under tight deadlines.
Participation People’s flexibility and agility meant The Clearing could confidently incorporate young voices into its clients’ brand positioning strategy, knowing the insights were authentic, thoughtful, and actionable.
For more information or to discuss how Participation People can strengthen your marketing, get in touch.
