Karen Burris founded Consumer Directions in 1997 and has over 25 years of experience in marketing, product development, innovation, and market research. She provides qualitative market research services through focus groups, interviews, and panels to help companies develop new products and services, understand customer satisfaction, refine branding and messaging, and more. Her experience spans industries including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail, and media. She has conducted numerous projects for clients to develop strategies, brands, and marketing campaigns.

1. Company and Capabilities Overview
Prepared for
October 2015

2. Background and Qualifications
Karen Burris, Founder and Principal
 25+ years of experience in marketing management, product
development, 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 lecturer at TCU Neeley School of Business; Invited to
speak in October 2015, in Washington, DC to SHSMD of The
American Hospital Association on Brainstorming Tactics
 Extensive research experience in Healthcare,
Pharmaceuticals, CPG, Retail, Food and Beverage, Sports and
Entertainment, Telecommunications, Publishing and
Broadcasting

3. Specific 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 and hospital environmental design
We leverage our experience exploring a variety of insightful
market research 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 interviews (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. Partial List: Projects Accomplished
 Involve and Engage Internal Teams to Ideate With
Innovation and Brainstorming Sessions
 Conduct Market Research with Consumers,
Employers, C-Suites, Physicians, Nurses
 Payers, and Others
 Use Market Insights and Stakeholder Intelligence
to Develop Effective Strategy
 Create, Enhance, Manage and Bolster Brands that
are Meaningfully Different
 Position Client Messages in Ways That Resonate,
Pique Healthcare Consumer and Physician
Interest, and Call People to Action

6. Healthcare Industry Experience

7. Evaluation of Researcher Skill Set and
Client Recommendations

8. “Karen is a highly skilled marketing professional who
helped me jump start two organizations' marketing
programs[Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital and Spaulding
Rehabilitation Hospital], yielding increased patient volume
and customer satisfaction.
Karen is professional, creative and relates very well to
people. I could not have been more satisfied.”
-Judith Waterston
President and CEO
New England Sinai Hospital

9. “Karen is an engaging, talented marketing professional with
an ability to transform challenging marketing research
projects into valuable results that help move business
forward. Karen is fully committed to and delivers
excellence.”
-Anne Block
Director of Marketing
Community Hospital Corp.

10. “Healthcare Direction has provided market research for us
in the ad business, mining insights on client projects in the
fields of healthcare.
Karen Burris does what it says in her company’s name: She
obtains the kind of valuable direction from healthcare
consumers and physicians 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 Advertising Group

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