The Problem
A major generative AI provider was building a marketing plan to target early-stage startups and compete with leading players in the space. They needed to understand the drivers of GenAI demand, how startup leaders evaluated and selected GenAI solutions, and the best ways to reach them.
The Approach
Designed an interview-based study with startup CTOs, CIOs, and VPs of Engineering responsible for selecting GenAI solutions:
– Segmented recruits by GenAI product usage to enable direct comparisons across leading solutions and surface insights specific to each platform’s user base.
– Explored business needs, evaluation criteria, and decision-making processes to understand what drove GenAI selection and switching behavior.
– Probed on preferred methods for learning about GenAI solutions and capabilities to identify the most effective channels for reaching this audience.
The Results
» Found that output accuracy was the consistent metric used in head-to-head GenAI comparisons, showing our client the need to highlight technical superiority and performance in their marketing collateral.
» Isolated several specific newsletters, YouTube channels, and podcasts frequently used by startup leaders to learn about GenAI.
» Uncovered a desire for in-person “hackathons” to facilitate connections with other startup leaders bringing GenAI to market, leading our client to begin development of events oriented around specific industry use cases.
Did you know
The quality of your research insights is directly tied to how carefully you qualify participants. Loose recruitment criteria might fill your sample quickly, but it often brings in respondents who lack the relevant experience to answer your questions meaningfully. Tight qualification — even if it makes recruitment harder — ensures that every interview delivers actionable, credible insights from people who truly represent your target audience.
