Here’s the truth: to consumers, most things are “meh.” And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I’ve worked with marketers and innovators across industries from startups to Fortune 100s, and I’ve seen underdog projects surge in the marketplace, and I’ve seen top scoring material completely flop.

Instead of fearing ambivalence, we should mine it. Lean into the indifference, because somewhere inside that shrug is the clue to what’s missing — and how to fix it.

People in business are also building products and strategies on shaky ground and flashy trends. It’s time to call it what it is: biased thinking masquerading as insight.

I’m going to break down two of the biggest offenders with the hopes that it will help you better navigate choppy data waters: recency bias and anecdotal evidence. 

At Zero Point Strategy, we live in the space between research and reality. We’ve seen plenty of teams get paralyzed trying to reconcile every data point, overcorrect to satisfy loud voices, or lose momentum trying to get everyone to agree on the right direction.  

The truth is, the strongest strategies don’t emerge from pleasing everyone; they come from discipline, leadership, and consumer empathy.

Here’s how to approach challenging decisions with clarity and confidence.

Journey maps are tools that help marketers and brand leaders empathize with customers. They help you understand your customers at each step so you can design smarter, more effective touchpoints. The problem is, most customer journey maps are missing half the story. 

Private equity firms are known buying companies, cutting costs, and then selling them for a profit. It’s a solid business model, but it’s starting to show cracks. Here are 5 types of market research every private equity firm should do when making an investment: