Capabilities
Synthetic Research
CLIENT QUOTE
Jess Poe
VP of Client Leadership at Brandience
We believe that data tells a story. We use advanced data analytics tools and techniques to uncover the insights that drive your marketing strategy and performance.
Jess Poe
VP of Client Leadership at Brandience
Capabilities / Data & Insights
Brands and agencies often face a familiar gap: the space between gut feeling and investment. You have big questions early: Are we in the right territory? Which direction is worth investing in?
Traditional research is powerful but it's often too slow or too costly for these early moments. Guesswork, on the other hand, creates risk.
SMRT Study was built for that in‑between moment. It brings early, directional audience insight into the conversation so teams can pressure‑test ideas, validate direction, and move forward with confidence before committing to larger investments of time, budget, or production.
Proven directional alignment with traditional qualitative research
SMRT (Synthetic Market Research & Testing) Study results have been tested against prior qualitative studies, delivering early insights that are directionally aligned with traditional qual at significantly lower cost and in a fraction of the time when it's needed most.
Significantly lower cost than traditional qualitative research
Directionally aligned with prior qualitative studies
Faster delivery when directional insight is needed most
Validated across Healthcare, Restaurant, and Retail categories.
Ready to pressure‑test ideas before you invest?
Explore Synthetic ResearchWhat is SMRT Study synthetic research?
AI-powered qualitative research
SMRT Study is an AI-powered qualitative research approach that simulates how defined audience segments are likely to perceive and react to brands, messages, and creative ideas.
Synthetic audiences simulate probable reactions based on patterns learned from extremely large volumes of publicly available and licensed human language data from multiple LLMs. The result is fast, directional insight that helps teams explore perceptions, pressure-test ideas, and evaluate scenarios early in the process.
Built with intention. Not prompt-and-pray.
Proprietary, marketer‑designed methods
SMRT Study isn't the same as dropping questions into a generative AI tool and hoping for useful answers. Brandience's proprietary synthetic research capability is built using:
- Structured research frameworks and repeatable formats
- Controlled inputs and standardized prompts
- Pre-defined learning objectives rooted in real research practice
- Human review and interpretation at every step
These guardrails reduce variability, limit bias, and ensure insights are grounded, comparable, and usable — avoiding many of the common pitfalls associated with unmanaged AI inputs and outputs.
How Brandience uses synthetic research
An intentional part of our broader data & insight framework
Long before generative AI became mainstream, Brandience was integrating advanced technology into marketing: from emotion-tracking video analysis and AI powered media buying to early AI policies and governance, persona modeling, and the creation of an internal AI Hub.
As AI capabilities evolved, a new opportunity arose: to bring audience perspective into the process earlier. We don't treat synthetic research as a standalone tool. It's an intentional part of our broader data & insight framework that we use to support:
Early-stage strategy validation
Clarifying audience perceptions of brands, products, and categories.
Creative pressure-testing
Narrowing directions, refining messaging, and strengthening concepts before production.
Hypothesis testing
Confirming or challenging assumptions with audience-informed perspective.
Decision support
Helping teams move faster with confidence.
Wondering if synthetic research makes sense for your project?
Let's Talk About Synthetic ResearchOur synthetic research capability
Proprietary, marketer-designed methods built to deliver clarity quickly
Consumer Perception SMRT Study
Explores how audiences likely view a brand, product, service, or category — surfacing key themes and points of view that inform positioning and strategy.
Creative Concepts SMRT Study
Gathers directional reactions to early creative ideas such as campaign territories, messaging, taglines, or concepts to help teams understand what resonates, what's confusing, and where to refine.
FAQs
Common questions about synthetic research
Synthetic research is especially valuable when:
Speed matters
Budgets need to be protected early
Audiences are hard to reach
Directional guidance is sufficient
Teams need clarity before committing further
- Human-centered by design: Insights are used to inform, not replace, strategic thinking.
- Governed and ethical: Built with bias awareness, transparency, and quality control. Brandience was one of the first agencies to be AI Advertising Ethics Certified.
- Integrated into real work: Informed by how strategy, creative, and media decisions are made.
- Outcome-focused: Our team partners closely with you to shape the research brief, interpret results, and translate insights into clear strategic and creative direction so the work leads to decisions, not just data.
Synthetic research allows us and our clients to move forward informed by audience insight, not assumptions. SMRT Study allows teams to:
- Pressure-test thinking early
- Identify promising directions quickly
- Improve creative and strategic confidence
- Allocate time and budget more efficiently
Other capabilities
Brandience is a Cincinnati-based brand and marketing agency that utilizes data to elevate our creativity and activate your ad investments in the best ways possible. All our disciplines -- from brand strategy, creative and advertising to media, social media and digital -- have data analytics as a core underpinning.
