When I set up Optima Concepts in late 2000, the focus was, as the name suggests – on crafting research-ready concepts. Nearly every client company I worked with was reeling with frustration as their positioning, product and service ideas were failing to resonate with consumers. With 9 out of 10 concepts being killed at the final hurdle, concept testing was a perilous time for ideas – and an expensive time for companies. There was definitely a gap in the market.

In going through the ‘big round bin’ of failed ideas, the cause of death was clear to me. Lack of insight. Without insight into why the consumer should be compelled by the ideas, they failed to connect. Of course, some concepts simply lacked clarity and polish – but, for 99%, a lack of consumer insight was the problem.

So, I set up Optima Concepts to fix the broken concept problem. Turns out, it wasn’t just a broken concept problem. As my clients were the first to point out – it was a “lack of insight-from-the-outset” problem. In numbers too big to ignore, clients invited us to work with them much earlier in the process – so we could start with insight – not just finish with insight.

Since then, Optima has gone from strength to strength. Not only do we offer insights consultancy and tailored solutions, but we lead teams on full-circle “Insights-into-Action” Journeys – using real-time, live business challenges.

And, because we believe that insights discovery is even more powerful when shared, we’ve developed a full suite of inspirational, user-friendly training tools to embed insights capability in others so they can enjoy discovering – and leveraging – consumer, customer, stakeholder and patient insights for themselves. And we’ve not lost our passion for bringing out the best in every idea through the concepts we create.