CASE STUDY
Activating young listeners
Client
A legacy media company which broadcasts music, sports, news and other entertainment through its satelite radio channels and digital apps.
Service
Customer discovery, market research, consumer insights, product strategy
Sector
The Brief
A leader in U.S. satelite radio sought new insights and opportunities to guide product decisions in order to better serve younger millennials and GenZ consumers.
The Challenge
Historically, this legacy entertainment brand has thrived with an older audience, largely through in-car listening experiences. Despite boasting a balance sheet that far surpasses those of its rivals, the company began to experience a gradual decline in conversation rates among younger listeners in recent years. The core issue revolved around the brand’s perceived relevance in a market where digital natives favor on-demand access, personalized curation, and new forms of content.
Beyond simple differences in age and car buying, younger generations have distinct media consumption habits and carry new expectations for media services. The client needed a research-driven, multi-lens approach to better understand the behavioral drivers of its evolving listener base, and a strategy for bridging the gap in its appeal to digital-first subscribers.
“The business driver of the company has always been automotive, and we’re seeing those numbers dip...we're having issues differentiating the in-car product from our digital product. How can we give the users the widget they want, rather than to sell them the one we already have?”
- VP of Experience
Our Approach
Immerse
We began with a meta-analysis of existing research centered on generational behavior, digital media trends, and the competitive landscape of music streaming services. Separately, we conducted remote ethnographic research to capture the nuances of how this consumer engages with media, and deep-dive into specific pain points, needs, and core motivators.
Define
We teased apart clusters of users with common mindsets to construct behavioral archetypes, which served as an user-centered starting point and an evaluative lens to reveal better solutions. Separately, we explored the higher-level purpose of the brand and its unique assets to determine where the client has permission and opportunity to extend or flex.
Navigate
We developed a comprehensive playbook featuring an inventory of opportunity areas for the client’s internal teams to rally behind as strategic project briefs – aimed at addressing unmet user needs, gaps left in the competitive space, and target areas for superior execution.
Our Solution
This foundational research amplified our client’s understanding of the market and surfaced a series of opportunities at the intersection of user needs and brand strengths.
The insights and archetypes directly informed the development of new features, product experiences and content strategies, as the client continues to evolve their offerings to align with the values, identities, and digital habits of young consumers. This included a stronger emphasis on reducing friction, empowering creators, engaging communities, and enhancing live experiences.
We paved a roadmap of initiatives to facilitate strategic alignment across client teams, and an evaluative framework to simplify decision-making. By addressing the identified opportunity areas, the client is positioned to accelerate its relevance and maintain its competitive edge.
Our Impact
Improved Satisfaction
Projected to improve overall NPS score by 250% after Phase I implementation
Higher Conversion
Estimated to grow conversion rate among target audience by roughly 150+%
Greater Relevance
Anticipated to increase overall market share by about 45%