About  Us

We are independently recognized as a top business decision insight firm. Our team of experts create flexible designs, and use powerful analytics, innovative data collection, and connected data to inform strategic business decisions. We craft insights into compelling visual stories and deliver them in engaging formats that drive action in organizations.

We excel in innovation & optimization, brand & customer experience, brand strategy, business intelligence, and storytelling & visualization across a wide range of industries, and on a global scale.

Our Company
  • 175 Employees
  • Based in Cincinnati, OH with regional offices around the US
  • Founded in 1988
  • Owned by senior staff
Our People
  • Industry and category experts
  • Average 15+ years experience
  • Many with client-side experience
  • Consistent staff - 94% retention
Our Mission
  • Our mission is to form long-term business partnerships with our clients through:
  • Superior design, analysis, communication, and unsurpassed responsiveness

Our approach is CUSTOMIZED. Our tools and creativity are LIMITLESS.

At Directions, we believe you deserve to have research and analyses designed with your needs, situation and category in mind. While we have many proven tools to meet business needs, we don’t force “canned” products or “black boxes.” We offer flexible solutions that drive actionable insights.

Innovation is the key to success and it’s never been easy, but it’s getting harder. We know you need a supplier who can move quickly and is willing to go beyond traditional rigid approaches.

Every day, our seasoned researchers deliver solutions to help the world’s biggest brands innovate and optimize their offerings. So whether it’s a large scale testing system, an ad hoc project, or volumetrics we can help.

Innovation & Optimization

From idea creation to launch and beyond.

How consumers experience and interact with brands is quickly and drastically evolving. Thus, truly understanding consumers is more critical than ever.

From customer experience to brand tracking, we have sensitive tools that deliver meaningful insight to inform your strategy to win with current and potential customers. We bring the consumer to life for you so you can bring more to them.

Customer & Brand Experience

Evolving with today's consumers.

Our experienced Data Engineers combine industry leading marketing research know-how with modern data management tools to extract value from Connected Data.

We draw from operations research, direct-to-consumer modeling, web/social media analytics, point-of-sales/syndicated data to provide marketing focused predictive analytics.

When this knowledge is applied to Connected Data, stand back and watch the sparks fly!

Business Intelligence

Insight and connecting data to move your business forward.

Client  Testimonial

Based on an annual survey of research buyers conducted by Prevision and Inside Research, Directions continues to outperform the competition on all attributes, including on-time delivery, value, and relative cost.

What’s  New

TIM URMSTON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF SEEK COMPANY, PASSES TORCH TO COURTNEY PEGAN
February 21, 2023

Courtney PeGan has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of parent company, Directions Inc, to serve as President of SEEK upon his retirement and lead the division into the next era of growth, innovation, and human-centric insights.

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DIRECTIONS INC ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF ELIZABETH FINN TO CHIEF CLIENT OFFICER
January 3, 2023

Directions Inc announced this week the promotion of Elizabeth (Beth) Finn to Chief Client Officer as the company positions itself for continued growth as a go-to strategic marketing advisor for clients.

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Stacey Wetterer Joins Directions Inc
August 31, 2022

Stacey Wetterer Joins Directions Inc as SVP of Talent Acquisition and Professional Development

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Directions Inc logo and six Top Work Places flags for the years 2017-2022
2022 Top Workplace!
June 6, 2022

Directions Inc is named a 2022 Top Workplace by the Cincinnati Enquirer!

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Directions & Aimpoint Research
Aimpoint Research Joins Directions
November 9, 2021

Directions and Aimpoint Research unite to broaden capabilities, enhance services across industries.

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Cincinnati Marketing Research and Insight Firms Partner on New Internship Program to Promote Greater Diversity in The Industry
April 15, 2021

Cincinnati marketing research and insight firms Burke, Inc., Directions Research, EMI Research Solutions, and MarketVision Research are excited to announce the creation and launch of the Minority Access Partnership Program.

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Directions Announces Promotions of Several Key Leaders
July 20, 2020

Directions recently promoted and expanded roles of several key leaders to create alignments based on industry expertise and better position the company to help clients achieve business impact.

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Resources
Coronavirus COVID-19 Resources
March 23, 2020

Get the answers you need to help you navigate the ever-evolving marketplace.

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Jason Ebbing
Directions Hires Operations Veteran Jason Ebbing
February 10, 2020

Directions announced today that Jason Ebbing has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Executional Excellence.

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IdeaSprint light bulb
Introducing Ideasprint
August 19, 2019

A breakthrough way to fill your pipeline with creative confidence

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Directions Expands Board of Directors
July 11, 2019

Directions announces the expansion of its Board of Directors with the election of Tim Laake and Carley Metsker.

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Seek Joins Directions
Seek Joins Directions, Adding Empathy To Insight
December 3, 2018

Directions Research, Inc. announced today its acquisition of SEEK, an insights and innovation consultancy focused on connecting brands and humans through empathy. Together, the companies will provide clients a fully integrated, multi-approach solution set to address their business issues.

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Directions Sharpens Technology Focus with Dedicated Group
Directions Sharpens Technology Focus with Dedicated Group
June 6, 2018

Directions Research announced today organizational changes to sharpen its focus on technology solutions. These solutions are being implemented to build an industry-leading flow of data through the organization, elevating Directions’ ability to deliver quality insights to clients at increasingly fast speeds.

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Directions Research promotes Tim Laake to CMO
Directions Research promotes Tim Laake to CMO
March 14, 2018

Directions Research is pleased to announce the promotion of Tim Laake to Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Tim will be responsible for all aspects of the Directions brand, from its digital footprint to speaking engagements at industry events.

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CrowdSight
Foresight To Spot And Shape Commercial Ideas
March 9, 2018


Directions is pleased to announce the launch of CrowdSight. Our new solution to test product ideas, positioning/messaging routes, taglines, names, pack designs, claims, ad ideas, and more.

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Expanding Our Shopper Practice
December 1, 2016

Directions Research is pleased to announce that Beth Finn has joined the firm as Vice President, Shopper Practice Lead, Client Service.

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Introducing R2
Ratings and Rankings


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Introducing AMO - Adaptive Marketing Optimizer
Conjoint Results without the Complexity and Costs
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Introducing Menu IQ
Comprehensive Suite of Insight Solutions
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Directions Research Announces New President
May 14, 2015

We are pleased to announce that Jim Lane has been elected the new President & Chief Marketing Officer of Directions. Jim, who is currently CMO, will be taking over for Randy Brooks who, after serving as Founder and President for the past 27 years, will assume the role as Chairman of the Board.

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Careers

Directions is an award-winning employer and one of the most respected names in the industry. This success is because our talented people make it happen. We attract, promote and reward people who have the passion to make a significant contribution to our clients and our firm.

We offer a highly competitive compensation package including bonus potential, medical/dental/life/disability insurance, 401(k) match, paid vacation and holiday benefit, and an energetic, supportive work environment. And we have been awarded numerous awards for being one of the top places to work and the healthiest employer.

View our current career opportunities

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
EEO, including disability/vets

If unable to use online sources due to disability, please contact Human Resources 513-651-2990.

Security

At Directions Research, we understand what it means to be a trusted, strategic partner. We take the obligation of protecting client confidential information such as product concepts, marketing plans, personally identifiable information (PII), and industry regulated data very seriously.

Contact  Us

We would love to hear from you no matter what the business or research challenge.

Cincinnati

401 E. Court Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1379