Using qualitative research and semiotic social listening to develop a powerful generative AI brand strategy

Business Issue

A major technology company turned to Escalent to find out how they could inspire customers using generative artificial intelligence (AI) and identify experiences that drive tool and brand connection. This meant uncovering:

• How customers connect with different generative AI tools on a personal level, and the kinds of relationships they build with brands
• The individual contexts, motivations, and emotions that customers experience when they turn to generative AI for help
• Types of use cases that customers are exploring with AI

What We Did

Escalent conducted a two-phased approach using deep qualitative work and semiotics (social listening).

We started with online in-depth interviews in order to have personal conversations with current users of generative AI—and to understand their perceptions, feelings, and core memories around using these tools. To ensure that we appropriately represented the customer base, we conducted these interviews with a wide set of respondents.

Using findings from our qualitative research, we conducted a large-scale social listening exercise where we reviewed market perceptions and experiences with generative AI across top social media platforms. Conducting sentiment analysis across thousands of datapoints, we were able to build a comprehensive view of current AI perceptions in the market and get a pulse on key indicators that drive differentiation.

Result

Escalent created a compelling and competitive strategy for branding, marketing, and positioning of generative AI. Through this research, our client was able to develop a rich story that inspires customers to deeply connect with the brand. Furthermore, our client is:

• Rebranding to better align with product goals
• Launching global advertising resulting in millions of views and inspiring connections with new customers
• Developing a rich and personalized tool that customers can connect with
• Prioritizing new features roadmap based on customer demand