Know Your Client
What is the term for the specific group of consumers a business is trying to reach?
Target audience.
What does it mean to use hypothesis-driven thinking when identifying a problem?
Start with a possible explanation, then use research and evidence to test and refine it.
What's more valuable to a NUMAC client: 10 Instagram posts or a reusable content strategy? Why?
A reusable content strategy because the client can continue using the framework after the engagement.
What do we call data that NUMAC collects directly from people through methods like surveys or interviews?
Primary research.
While doing your assigned research, you find an interesting trend your Senior didn’t mention. What should you do?
Bring it to your Senior and explain why you think it could be useful to the project.
Luma Skin is an affordable skincare startup targeting college students. Its Instagram looks luxury and minimalist, but its website uses bright colors, slang, and playful messaging. What would you investigate?
Brand consistency—visual identity, tone of voice, messaging, positioning, and whether these align with the target audience.
After you brainstorm a possible solution to a challenge, what consulting process should you do before communicating it to your team?
Research and test it.
A recommendation could help the client immediately, but provides little value once NUMAC’s semester ends. Which brainstorming principle should the team reconsider?
Long-term impact.
A Junior Consultant uses an existing industry report to learn about consumer trends in the client’s market. What type of research is this?
Secondary research.
You finish your assigned work early, but the rest of your team is still working on a major deliverable. What should you do next?
Check in with your Senior or PM, see where you can contribute, and help the team move the project forward.
How do target audience and positioning work together when developing a marketing strategy?
The target audience defines who the brand wants to reach; positioning determines how the brand should be presented to appeal to that audience.
What can happen if a team starts brainstorming solutions before confirming the actual problem?
They may solve the wrong issue, waste time, or create recommendations that don’t address the client’s real needs.
Milo Café wants NUMAC to create TikToks because its competitors are successful on the platform. What should your team do next before recommending TikTok as a strategy?
Research Milo’s target audience and their platform behavior, analyze competitors’ TikTok strategies, review Milo’s current marketing performance, and determine whether TikTok supports the client’s goals.
When reviewing an IRL, what are you looking for when you compare the information provided with what you still need to answer the project’s key questions?
Data gaps.
Your Senior assigns you competitor research, but you’re not sure what information they want. What should you do?
Ask for clarification early so you understand the expectations before starting.
Sunday Studio says its target market is college students, but most of its customers are young professionals. What should NUMAC look into?
Whether the target audience should be expanded or changed.
Sage Fitness believes its $40 drop-in classes aren't selling because people don't know about them. Competitors charge $20–$25. What's one strong hypothesis?
The problem may be pricing/value positioning rather than awareness.
What's the difference between a short-term task and a long-term strategy?
A short-term task produces a one-time output; a long-term strategy gives the client a repeatable framework/tool they can continue using.
Modo Fitness wants to understand why competitors are attracting more college students. What two research methods (as mentioned in onboarding) would you use and what would you look for?
For example, competitor analysis to compare pricing, positioning, audiences, and marketing; content scans to compare social media, websites, messaging, and promotions; surveys to gather direct feedback on customer preferences, behaviors, and needs.
Your team receives the client’s website KPIs, past advertising performance, and advertising spend. What is the name of the document NUMAC requested to collect this internal client data?
Information Request List (IRL)
A client tells you their target audience is college students. What should you learn next to better understand that audience?
Their needs, behaviors, preferences, demographics, and what influences their purchasing decisions.
Name two of the four areas introduced in onboarding you might look at when identifying a client’s marketing problems.
Social media, competitor positioning, product/service gaps, or missed opportunities.
A team develops a strong marketing idea, but the client does not have the budget, staff, or time to implement it. Which brainstorming principle did the team fail to consider?
Feasibility.
What are the three types of data discussed in onboarding? Give one example of each.
Primary — surveys/interviews/social media audits; Secondary — industry reports/competitor websites; Internal — client materials, KPIs, past campaigns, etc.
What is the term for dividing a broad target market into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, needs, or behaviors?
Market segmentation