If this is your first time visiting our newly launched website looking for some background on our just-announced brand re-launch, welcome!
Actually, I could say: “Welcome BACK!” because you probably knew us well as PRS IN VIVO USA. For decades we have been privileged to advise the world’s most well-known brands, building a reputation as shopper behavior experts, observing and predicting consumers’ choices in-context.
Anytime a company re-launches a brand, the question is: “Why? And why now?”
As we described in our official press release, in our research and advisory practice, we have been evolving in line with what our clients have already identified as a key challenge: the world of retail has become decidedly digital and the shopper path-to-purchase is now unequivocally omnichannel.
In this complex new paradigm, our clients have increasingly looked to us to determine what really matters in the quest to drive future shopper growth.
There have never been as many ways to observe shopper behavior both on and offline. This is a plus for agencies who want to uncover the motivations for how consumers shop the way they do in the digital and physical worlds. But without a digital-first mindset, deep category expertise, and a tested behavioral framework, research partners are hard-pressed to be able to deliver reliable recommendations brands can count on to influence consumer choice.
As the circumstances of 2020 have led to a world of profound change and uncertainty, the one constant is the science that underpins the understanding of behavior.
These principles are not new. But they need to be applied by practitioners who have an in-depth understanding of the academics behind them, yet the competency to make them dead simple and applicable to real-world problems.
It just made sense to us to lean into our behavioral roots, simplify our offer to address these two pillars of Define and Diagnose, signify our commitment to a digital strategy for innovation in all our research methodologies, and decisively reinforce our focus on driving our clients’ shopper growth.
And thus, we chose to become Behaviorally!
What stays the same as we transform to our new brand promise?
- Our PRS IN VIVO USA Executive Leadership Team continues on, building the new Behaviorally mission and vision, ensuring continuity in the quality and efficacy of the work our teams deliver to clients.
- Our research solutions continue to be built on the foundation of the proprietary PRS database of shelf and pack designs, the largest of its kind in the world, solely owned by Behaviorally.
- With very few exceptions, the teams servicing client accounts and supplier/partner relationships remain the same, enabling us to continue to execute every project we deliver on behalf of brands with category expertise, partner support, integrity, and the dedication to client service you have come to expect.
- We continue to have the ability to conduct research on clients’ behalf in any geography, and to service clients in any market, at any time.
Our new simplified offer does provide refined solutions to define, diagnose and drive shopper growth:
- In our Define solutions, we leverage agile, scalable processes to efficiently measure and validate investment in all aspects of shopper marketing. These solutions include our proprietary agile solutions: PackFlash® and ShopperFlash™.
- In our Diagnose practice, we deliver deeper, iterative, exploratory engagements to diagnose and interpret the unique and complex factors that influence consumers to shop for YOUR products the way they do in the digital and physical retail worlds. Here we deploy our award-winning OmniPath® and renowned ShopperLab™ approaches.
In the coming year, you will see innovations and additions to build on the Define and Diagnose pledge to deliver sustainable growth solutions.
This past year has been challenging for all of us, for consumer brands, in retail and in the research industry, adapting in many cases to the changes that the pandemic only accelerated.
As PRS, we were lucky to have experienced stability in our core business in 2020, in part because we had already evolved to meet these challenges.
Coincidental to our re-brand, Behaviorally is now backed by funds managed by Alcentra Ltd. as our new majority shareholder. Together with our new shareholder, we approach our new positioning and its underlying strategy with optimism, confidence, and conviction.
I must say that I find it exhilarating to have a new name, a great new look and brand promise, all aligning more closely with what we ardently believe serves clients most effectively.
Working remotely makes it even tougher to roll out a brand re-launch seamlessly to our clients, our partners, and the industry at large. I am grateful for our teams, in Operations, Marketing and Client/Market Development, who have been working tirelessly from home to ensure that our dynamic new Behaviorally brand was ready for launch day. And I wish our Behaviorally family could all be together to celebrate the unveiling and raise a glass to our future. But for the near-term, we will rely on Team calls and virtual toasts to share our collective enthusiasm.
We are also humbled by the initial response from clients. Unreservedly, they have given us the thumbs up and expressed confidence that our new brand promise is timely, needed, and welcomed.
We are also grateful for those who helped build our legacy as PRS USA. It uniquely positions us, as Behaviorally, to continue to serve our clients and all the stakeholders in their businesses, defining and diagnosing the factors that drive shopper growth.
Alex Hunt
CEO, Behaviorally
Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexHunt84 and connect with him on LinkedIn.
