1. Company and Capabilities Overview
Prepared for
October 2015

2. Background and Qualifications
 Karen Burris, Founder and Principal
 25+ years of experience and success in marketing
management, product development, branding and re-
branding, innovation acceleration, and market research to
drive business forward and fortify brand equity
 Received MBA from Texas Christian University in 1983 on a
Dean’s Merit Scholarship
 Founded Consumer Directions in 1997, after training at the
RIVA Market Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and
conducting market research for Baylor Health Care System
 Published author in Pharma; “Reading the Market So the
Market Will Read You”
 Guest speaker and lecturer at TCU Neeley School of Business,
on topic of Using Market Research to Get to Know Consumers
 Extensive market research experience in Healthcare,
Pharmaceuticals, CPG, Retail, Food and Beverage, Sports and
Entertainment, Telecommunications, Publishing and
Broadcasting

3. Key Qualitative Services
 Consumer need states, attitudes and motivations
 Preferences for products and services
 New product and service line development
 Customer and patient satisfaction
 Concept and positioning exploratory
 Consumer product concept and prototype evaluation
 Brand identity and imagery
 Naming for products, services and organizations
 Creative design exploration (POS, online, entertainment media)
 Advertising copy and creative development
 New packaging design/functionality and packaging re-launches
 Healthcare facility, retail store, and restaurant environmental design
We leverage our experience exploring a variety of insightful
methodologies enabling clients to execute successful corporate
marketing strategies. A partial list of topics we have studied for
clients include:

4. Qualitative Research Capabilities
 Traditional and online focus groups, (mini groups,
quads, triads, dyads)
 In-depth interview (on-site, at research facilities,
by phone and online)
 Ethnographic research (online and in-person)
with, and without journaling and homework
assignments
 Online panels and communities
 Syndicated studies
 Ideation and Brainstorming Facilitation

5. Consumer Directions: Partial Client List

6. Healthcare Industry Experience

7. Evaluations of Researcher Skill Set
and Client Recommendations

8. “As a leading international market research company,
Schlesinger Associates is committed to delivering the best the
research industry has to offer. That’s why when a valued
client needs skilled and innovative moderating and
successful in-depth interviewing, I call Karen Burris at
Consumer Directions. I know her reputation to be
impeccable and her wealth of experience to be impressive.
Karen is able to adapt to myriad client needs. Whether
it’s consumer packaged goods (CPG) or one of the world’s
largest pharmaceutical companies, our clients are
consistently pleased with the work from Karen.”
-Nancy Ashmore
Vice President
Schlesinger Associates

9. "Karen has led many qualitative new product initiatives for
us where she explored multiple prototypes and concepts with
consumers. We’ve asked her to move from concepts to
prototypes to packaging and she always does so without
missing a beat.
Karen skillfully pushes consumers to 'tell the truth' in a friendly
and non-threatening way. We trust Karen to get at the
level of detail needed in her usual thorough, efficient
and effective style.”
-Lynn Phillips
Marketing Insights
Frito-Lay

10. “Karen works well together with the team to unearth
core motivations, perspectives and insights from
research subjects. She is a skilled researcher, given her vast
experience as a product manager and marketing strategist.
She was able to create, organize and conduct enlightened
research initiatives that directed us toward actionable
ideas regarding fund development among alums.”
-Stacey Paddock
Director of Alumni Relations & Giving
Southern Methodist University

11. “Consumer Directions has provided market research for
us in the ad business for 15+ years, mining insights on
client projects in the fields of healthcare, automotive, retail,
telecommunications, CPG, and sports and entertainment, to
name a few.
Karen Burris does what it says in her company’s
name: She obtains the kind of valuable directions from
consumers that lead to successful product positioning
and enlightened ad campaigns. Our clients are
consistently satisfied customers whenever Karen oversees
the research process, as are we.”
-Pete Northway, CEO
Core Group Advertising

12. To obtain additional information regarding
services offered by Consumer Directions, or
to submit a request for a proposal, contact:
kburris@consumerdirections.com
(214) 924-0927 cell
(972) 490-3521 office
(972) 490-3523 fax
Linkedin.com/profile.KarenBurris
ConsumerDirections.com