Whoa is an independent research and strategy agency that combines precise methodologies and deep insights to provide personalized solutions for clients across various industries. The agency emphasizes a bespoke approach to innovation, utilizing ethnographic research and strategic design to uncover unique market opportunities and address client challenges effectively. With a team of experienced professionals and a commitment to collaboration, Whoa aims to transform insights into actionable strategies that drive business growth.

1. Capabilities

2. WHOA is an independent, vigorously
vetted research and strategy agency.
We approach everything we do with razor-sharp precision, unwavering honesty
and an unapologetic POV from seasoned veterans and industry experts.

3. In short, we’re creators,
conductors and truth distillers.
Built on a foundation of high quality, research, strategy and design
Research Strategy Design
If having an idea was enough, Einstein
wouldn’t have that saying about
inspiration versus perspiration.
Insights built on established methodology and
professional interpretation, rather than under-
analyzed data without context.
Expect more than spreadsheets, vague
summaries, blind action items, data points
and PowerPoints.

4. With the right amount of cooks in the kitchen,
with less overhead and less actual heads, our
streamlined operating model allows us to stay
focused on your results.
And while this work requires travel (sometimes
to the farthest reaches of the globe) we’re never
far away. In a figurative sense. Open lines of
communication, eagerness to collaborate and
an personalized approach to your business is
the foundation of our business.
There is no B-team.
Your project can’t get passed
on to the lower tier employees
if we don’t have them.
Boutique approach,
global scope.
Independent, nimble, present.
There’s no book, no podcast, no copyrighted
“Process.” We use the right tool for the job, from
design thinking to lean startup methodologies to
develop a personalized program designed to
extract the maximum value out of your unique
position.
Our process can’t
be patented.
One-size-fits-all barely works
in clothing and it absolutely
doesn’t work in innovation.
No fluff. No filler. No assumptions.

5. We offer a responsive and accountable
relationship that other agencies can’t match.

6. Not just working. Partnering.
With experience on both the agency and client
side, Ross has led International Research and
Innovation for both Ford and AT&T – on topics
ranging from autonomous vehicles to new
mobility ventures, and omni-channel retail
transformation. In addition he has developed
projects for clients including Samsung, LG,
Mitsubishi, and Allergan across five continents.
Ross holds a PhD in Science and Technology
Studies from RPI and an MBA from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a graduate of
Stanford’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship
program along with the University of Georgia’s
Marketing Research program, Ross' educational
background incorporates a mix of social science
research and business strategy.
Ross Mitchell
An award winning designer, Greg has driven
human centered innovation programs across
categories including consumer electronics,
pharmaceutical, industrial, appliances, and
lifestyle products. In addition to his experience as
a designer and project manager, Greg has led
co-creational studies and design validations in
North America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Greg's design experience varies from high volume
consumer electronics to food and resource
distribution services, treatments for chronic
conditions, factory and logistics optimization, and
smart home integration. Greg holds a number of
domestic and international patents as well as
design accolades including the Red Dot, and
Spark awards.
Greg Vanderpol

7. Been there, done that. Ready for more.
Our team has conducted thousands of hours of ethnographic research on five continents to bring
meaningful results for leading global brands across categories, including transportation,
consumer electronics, healthcare, pharmaceutical, entertainment and technology.

8. We’ve interviewed, explored, prototyped and co-created for global brands in markets all
around the world. Our combination of academic and design research techniques allow us
to go way beyond the surface, uncovering customers’ deepest needs and desires.
5 continents. 17 countries.
Thousands of hours of immersive research.

9. Our Research Philosophy
We have been corporate stakeholders ourselves. Whether it is
communicating insights to marketing, design, or engineering,
we have you covered. We always customize our report style
to the intended audience.
Customized to the Audience
We understand stakeholders.
Much like a playwright, we are always considering how to
tie disparate story elements together through a compelling
beginning, middle and ending.
Storytelling
Uncovering insights is of little value if
one cannot feed it back to the client
through a compelling story.
We know how to take insights and apply them to strategic
applications within the firm.
Isolated observations just aren’t our style. We tie elements
together in order to build up true insights that add value.
Depth, Layers, Meaning
Creating impactful reports is all about
uncovering layers of meaning.
Strategic
We have worked on all phases of the design
and development process both in agency
and in a corporate capacity.

10. Our services turn business challenges
into innovation opportunities.
We use the right tool for the job, leveraging the best of what works into a personalized
program designed to extract the maximum value out of your unique position. No secret
recipes or branded methodologies, just results.

11. New Directions
Deep dives into new markets for
growth opportunities to expand
your share of the pie.
In-Depth Discovery
When it comes to revealing what
drives people's wants and needs,
there's no such things as TMI.
Services Include:
• Finding, mapping and evaluating opportunities
across different markets
• Discovering and defining a new long-term
direction for a product or company
Services Include:
• Crafting a more holistic view of a target
customer
• Understanding the customer’s use of a
product or service in a deep, cultural
context
Whitespace Insights
Predict the unpredictable and
identify today’s cultural patterns that
lead to tomorrow’s innovations.
Services Include:
• Uncovering novel opportunities for value
creation in new and existing markets
• Pivoting old ways of thinking through novel
insights and refreshed strategies
In a colloquial sense, we’re well-versed in the
art of "finding needs people didn’t know they
have" to grow businesses in ways that were
once thought to be impossible. Our team brings
the social science chops required to identify
cultural insights and the design strategy
acumen to make sure they’re applied for
success.
Been there. Done that. Created a better way to do
it. We married ethnography and strategy to form
the perfect union that enables both discovery and
development of key human insights into new
business opportunities.
In-depth discovery means knowing people
better than they know themselves. The
process takes a lot more than a questionnaire
and round table discussion under fluorescent
lights. We discover what matters most to
people through a process that starts with and
ends in customer empathy.

12. Product Launch Strategies
You did the research, made the
prototypes and your baby is ready
for market. Now what?
Brand Vision & Purpose
If there's one thing that war,
sports and brands all have in
common, it's that they require
great positioning.
Services Include:
• Developing foundational insights and crafting a
value proposition for a new product in order to win
in the market
• Identifying target markets, pricing, and key product
attributes
Services Include:
• Taking a deep dive into the customer’s
experience of a brand in order craft a
superior vision and execution of the brand.
• Insights into how the brand is experienced by
target customers in order to pivot and evolve
the brand as necessary.
Futurecasting
Consider it a crystal ball for business
opportunity... except real, objective
and actually useful.
Services Include:
• Identifying potential future trajectories for
cultural, technological, and design trends and
how it will affect one’s business
• Finding a valuable future niche within future
scenarios
We can’t use our powers to reveal winning lotto
numbers but we can help your business grow
and innovate for tomorrow. Which is sort of like
winning the lottery, except more rewarding and
with less distant relatives showing up out of
nowhere.
A proper introduction is critical whether you’re
meeting a person or a new product. With the right
launch strategy, the multifaceted nuance of going
to market is respected, considered and bespoke to
your business goals. That should go without
saying, but we’re saying it anyway because it’s
that important.
Not to get too philosophical, but: why does your
business exist? Does your answer answer your
customers’ ultimate question, “What’s in it for me?”
Having a brand vision with vision is the most
important guiding principle for any business.

13. Let’s discuss some of the ways
we’ve delivered real results for
companies around the world.

14. Our services turn business challenges
into innovation opportunities.
We use the right tool for the job, leveraging the best of what works into a personalized
program designed to extract the maximum value out of your unique position. No secret
recipes or branded methodologies, just results.
Small partnership.
Big results.
Working closely with our partners, we’ve delivered insights, novel opportunities,
design and strategy that makes a real difference for business and people.

15. Thank You

16. The Bradbury Building
304 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
whoa.agency
hello@whoa.agency
(323) 473-3134