ABOUT ATOMIC

Our approach can be best described as dialectical thinking, a philosophy of thought that seeks to bridge gaps between seemingly separate or contradictory forces or concepts. Our unique thinking and talents give us the ability to assess the full range of interrelated forces impacting a business from an aerial view and then "zoom in" at a microscopic level to evaluate areas of opportunity. This gives us the power to help create strategies, brands, products, experiences, and even music in a totally different and powerful way. ​We didn't consciously adopt this form of thought; truthfully, it's just a product of the brain we were built from and because we're comfortable following an unbeaten path. We approach every moment as a possible opportunity to evolve past our current understanding of the world. ​Whatever label best fits our macro/micro, art/science, new/old, people-centric, passion-fueled approach to business thinking-we do know it's one of our real-life superpowers. It's what always keeps us a few steps ahead and what people love about our work. Our approach also aligns with the new consumer mindset and provides a greater level of flexibility to evolve with them into the future. These consumers will continue to break down the walls that were once built to help understand and persuade them. They will approach the experience of living with greater fluidity and a set of new, ever-evolving needs. Our dialectical thinking is what makes us so gifted at bringing understanding to the abstract and predicting the forces that impact consumer perception and behavior several steps ahead.

Art and science are often thought of as opposing disciplines. But in our work, we've found that our ability to approach complexity with powerful levels of both scientific precision and creative talent is what allows us to guide our clients to the next level. We believe that art and science are both essential ingredients for innovation. Our science gives our creativity a license to take risks and consider options outside the safe and familiar set of choices. When creativity is backed by scientific methods, there are no limits to where you can travel to explore new concepts and develop new ideas! The ability to test new and unexplored concepts is what transforms our ideas into innovation. We are constantly exploring new ideas and developing a more in-depth understanding of the world around us. We conduct a large amount of self-funded research to gain new perspective and to approach our consulting with a higher level of insight. We also have a creative approach to how we deliver our results. We use data visualization and creative storytelling to help our clients more easily connect to and use the findings we deliver.

What makes our work unique is our experience as business psychologists and human subjects experts, both in regard to consumers and employees. In the new era we're entering, strategy cannot be developed around data science alone, nor can it be developed by instinct, aesthetic, limited perspectives, or savvy marketing messages. An in-depth understanding of the internal human experience is vital to the success of the entire brand experience. Our in-depth understanding of the cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, cultural, and social factors that contribute to consumer behavior allow us to approach strategy with greater level of depth and provide consumer-centric direction to every level of a company. We investigate both the ways that the world is changing people and the ways that people are changing the world. ​Today's leaders live in a world of dashboard data and AI systems. While these tools can be very helpful to gain an understanding of what consumers are doing, when they are doing it, where they are doing it, and how often they are doing it, there are essential elements missing: the understanding of why they are doing it...or why they aren't doing it. ​Brand is a concept that lives in the hearts and minds of people. Our research is designed to go beyond AI to explore the critical components of that experience: What creates brand loyalty? What language is effective in communicating a brand message? What music creates an emotional brand connection? How is a physical space creating a sense of brand personality? How can a service interaction contribute to the totality of brand experience? What problems can a product solve? What makes a brand seem authentic? Human? Purposeful? Unique? We are human experts with the power to turn perspective into vision, direction into innovation, and information into inspiration.

As we exit the information age and enter the age of experience, we have adapted our tools and approach to align with this new mindset. We go beyond satisfaction and transaction to explore engagement and experience. We use an integrated approach that spans every touchpoint, internal and external. We understand the complexity of a radically new type of consumer, as well as the simplicity of their fundamental motivation: to live one life to the best and fullest. To live a life with purpose. To express their identities with creativity and their values with conviction. To engage with other humans in meaningful ways. To have their senses, emotions, and intellects stimulated. To be active players in their futures rather than passive observers. To learn and take risks. To have an impact on the world around them. And to rewrite the rules.

We believe that music is and will increasingly become a powerful tool for creating brand loyalty. Music has the ability to build strong emotional connections, to create brand memories, and to drive brand loyalty. It's a way to tell your brand story in a way that consumers want to listen to. It can be used to broadcast a meaningful and consistent brand message across various audiences and channels. But it's critical that the musical elements of your brand experience are telling the right story and evoking the right emotional responses. We combine research expertise with high-level music industry experience to put strategy behind song and to help create musical content that brings brands to life. ​

We've designed an entire set of research and consulting services to help evaluate and design live brand experiences. In the new consumer age, live experiences will have a great potential to form lasting brand relationships. Whether it’s a branded live music event, a casino, a hotel, or a dining experience, we can help you deliver the perfect in-person brand experience to stimulate senses, evoke eomtions, and build deep connections. Our in-depth understanding of the live entertainment industry, casinos, and hospitality is a powerful guide to our work.

Mindfulness and meditation are important tools for our work. It improves our focus, inspires our creativity, and reduces stress. As workplaces become more distracted with meetings and technology, and as the need for innovation-fueling creativity grows, we believe that mindfulness will become an increasingly important workplace tool. The human mind is the #1 tool responsible for a company's success, but all too often workplaces do not offer programs that support this aspect of workplace wellness. Watch for our upcoming event series, Mind Your Business, to learn more about the tremendous value of mindfulness at the workplace.

We blur the lines of learning and working every day. Through mentorship and applied work, our employees are immersed in education throughout their employment experience. We believe that work is most meaningful when our goal is constant learning and evolution. We reward ambition to learn over impressive resumes. We are a group of people who treat every second of every day as a possible learning opportunity. We have chosen our career path largely because of the opportunity it presents us to constantly learn.

We understand how the new consumer mindset is disrupting traditional business practices. And that disruption has been evident in our own industry. We've learned that today's consumers need to be immersed in the experience of research rather than just sent an email or text inviting them to participate in our studies. Consumers who are engaged create richer and more accurate results. But even more importantly, its essential to gather representative and valid consumer samples. To engage today's consumer respondents means delivering an "experience of research." We've developed innovative sampling approaches that combine the classic, human-to-human interaction of intercept research, which pre-dated telephone sampling, with the modern technology and communication tools today's consumers use. We now have an entire department dedicated to respondent experience. We host events at our office and out in the communities we serve to give respondents the chance to engage with us. As we have shifted our model, we have found that the benefits of our approach are truly remarkable. In most small- to mid-size markets, landline and cellphone telephone sampling is still considered the standard practice for consumer research. Recognizing the scientific flaws in this approach, we set out to find the way to reach representative consumer samples in these communities. We are so proud of the new and improved level of opportunity for consumer sampling and recruiting we’ve introduced to in markets that have not had viable options for consumer sampling and recruiting in decades.

What we do is so much more than a career. We are a group of people truly doing what we love. And that makes us do it very, very well. It drives the quality of our work at every level. It compels us to create best practices when the standard practices of our industry are no longer the best. It pushes us to always learn more and to deliver more to our clients. Our love for what we do is channeled into everything we do. We have consistently had to sacrifice opportunities for financial growth to maintain our integrity and commitment to our values and our industry. We could have grown much more quickly by doing things the "old" way. But we chose to play the long game, get it right, and invest in the collective future of business. We're very proud to say we took that risk. Beyond all else, we are authentic. We love research because we are the seekers of truth, and that is what we deliver in both our work and our promise.