The GreenBook Business and Innovation Report was previewed at the GRIT Forum on June 30th, highlighting one of the most eagerly awaited results in “research industry research” each year: the GRIT ranking of Most Innovative Clients, and its companion, the GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Agencies, which dropped today. The rankings derive from responses to the GRIT survey, which is fielded to clients, suppliers, and service providers.
We are honored by our ranking as 11th Most Innovative Agency overall, and notably the Highest Debut, on the 2021 list, as we only recently re-branded as Behaviorally in January of this year! To have achieved this degree of fame so early is a validation of our new vision and new brand promise, and it speaks to our commitment to the principles on which the Most Innovative ranking is based.
Behaviorally was also identified as a GRIT Top Company in these following categories: #4 top Strategic Consultancies, #8 in Full Service, and #11 in Qualitative Research.
The ranking certainly sets the record straight. Our re-brand as Behaviorally is a concrete manifestation of a transformation that is not only brave, but one that we see as indicative of an inescapable future for the shopper marketing industry. This sector is estimated at over $233bn globally and has become decidedly digital.
When we re-launched as Behaviorally, we aligned ourselves around a new vision that is “digital-first”, but one built on a legacy indisputably ours, based our origins as PRS. Since 1972, Behaviorally (formerly PRS) has pioneered application of research tech and behavioral science to define & diagnose the factors that influence shopper behavior, in both brick-and-mortar and online retail. So, our expertise is based on an unrivaled foundation of behavioral expertise, but our services are resolutely focused on the digital future.
We believe our recognition of being 11th in the Top 50 so early in our new chapter as Behaviorally, stems in part from the concrete evidence that our new services respond to the realities of rapidly evolving, complex shopper marketing challenges faced by manufacturers. Practical application of technology, including AI, in all aspects of our business, accelerate value to a loyal and growing roster of global clients. We are perceived as undisputed market leader, helping clients navigate the future of shopper commerce that is, and will be, digital.
The pandemic year also gave “innovation” a more contextual meaning. When COVID all but shut down, well just about everything, shifts in consumer behaviors around shopping were seismic. This meant that clients looked to partners who could illuminate a path to a new equilibrium. Agencies who stuck with old views on a world they hoped would return to “normal” have struggled, and their products reflect a rearview to a world that no longer exists. But firms, such as Behaviorally, who elevated their role to become partners and visionaries, have pivoted and prospered. I’m glad our team was brave!
We accelerated changes already on our transformational product roadmap. We emerged as a partner who could support our clients in defining and diagnosing actions to meet the new and enduring challenges brands face to drive growth in a forever changed retail environment. The context in which manufacturers operate will continue to evolve quickly as retail becomes more omnichannel and e-commerce ceases to be “the other” but simply the new commerce. Our team is confident the Behaviorally vision equips us with the perfect mindset to meet this future state.
Congratulations to the other partners in the GRIT Top 50 ranking, who, like Behaviorally, have been recognized for delivering innovative solutions to clients’ challenges. We are grateful to our staff who are relentlessly dedicated to deliver against our future vision, providing reliability and ongoing stability during our transformation. And we thank our clients who trust Behaviorally enough to embrace and adopt our innovations so enthusiastically, often collaborating in early stages to help us build truly client centric, future-focused solutions to today’s problems.
This is only the beginning of changes in we are likely to see in the world of shopper marketing. The best partners for brands and shopper marketers of the future will learn from their legacies but not shrink from re-inventing themselves. Rather they will adopt the sort of bold thinking that can drive their clients’ growth strategies through any and all new challenges. That is our mission and how we will continue to define innovation for ourselves as we go forward. We couldn’t be more grateful for the progress the Behaviorally team has made in five short months.
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THE AUTHOR
Alex Hunt is the CEO of Behaviorally (formerly PRS).
Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexHunt84 or connect with him on LinkedIn.
