History

A favorite childhood route, from Santa Monica to Malibu

Goldsmith Strategic Research was founded in Los Angeles in 1993 by Caryn Goldsmith to fulfill a market need for top-quality, supplemental marketing research and account planning services. Clients were so satisfied with our work that we were frequently asked to participant in strategic planning assignments.

That same year, the new “World Wide Web” captured Caryn’s attention. She began to explore and work in this new medium out of a desire to learn more about how the Internet would impact consumer behaviors and attitudes.

In 1996, Caryn was asked to become V.P., Research and Planning for what became one of the largest interactive agencies on the West Coast. Clients included Gillette, Citi, Dell, CarsDirect.com, and many others. Her responsibilities included developing new techniques for planning websites and for testing/measuring website effectiveness and usability.

Goldsmith Strategic Research was re-established as Goldsmith Strategic Services in 2001. Our guiding principles all center around helping to provide clients with even greater target-consumer understanding:

Always Listen

Listening to the client helps to refine their research and strategic planning needs; it also provides a foundation for a productive, successful working relationship. Listening to clients’ target consumers, to what they’re saying and what they’re unable to say, serves as the foundation for insights which contribute to business growth and opportunity.

Design to Needs

Remain technique-neutral in order to recommend to the client what’s best for their situation.  Attention to Detail: In project design, execution and analysis, attention to detail is critical – for without it, quality work is not possible.

Research Should Tell a (Great) Story

“Reports” stay in someone’s file. Stories get told and retold, and are woven into the mindset of business decision-makers. In other words, always make sure that research is delivered to a client in a way that they’re most likely to learn from and use.

Consumer Advocacy

First and foremost, be the target consumers’ voice in the business planning process. Others will represent the brand, the financial issues, the operational issues, etc. – but far too often, the consumer voice isn’t at the table when decisions are made. Be that voice.