It examines how cultural patterns, values, and narratives shape consumer thinking. It reveals frameworks of interpretation. For example, it can investigate reactions to economic anxiety, changes in the value of loyalty, cultural narratives regarding old age, or any phenomenon that impacts consumer decisions.

Through the analysis and connection of various cultural sources (media, advertisements, language use, consumer narratives). It is important that it utilizes a vast number of sources and works from a very broad scope (even outside the main category being researched), formulating connections based on the identified phenomena.

Fundamental cultural phenomena and insights tend to be more general because we are looking at the big picture, which makes them applicable in the long term. Economic anxiety is a general insight that both premium and mainstream brands, financial service providers, and FMCG brands have to address - just in different ways.

Cultural insight works with collective patterns (the big picture), while consumer insight is built from individual experiences; in other words, they complement each other. If you are interested in what your consumers and customers think about your brand and how they use it, let’s ask them. However, if you are interested in which cultural phenomena your brand and product resonate with, consumers won't be the ones to tell you.

Trend research shows what is happening, while cultural insight research explains why it is happening. It operates at a deeper, structural level. For example, (synthetic) fur coats are trendy right now. But why? Because in the digital world, we crave texture and the feeling of being "wrapped up" in something large. It is also important that it be visually striking and "extra" (Instagrammable), serving as a kind of ironic response to luxury.

Semiotics provides a tool for interpreting various phenomena and meanings, while cultural insight connects these into an interpretive framework at a strategic level. They often build upon one another.

It is primarily used for brand strategy, positioning, communication planning, and establishing innovation concepts - essentially, when thinking long-term. It provides more than just answers to the "why" and "how"; cultural insights can be translated into specific directions for communication, product, and service development. We can ask consumers where and how they get their information and which sources they trust, but that alone won't answer what credibility or personality means today, how their values are changing, or how these should be interpreted for your brand, product, service, and consumers' everyday lives. This is where cultural insight research excels.

When planning for the long term and when it is crucial to see the larger cultural drivers behind consumer thinking and decisions. For example: positioning, strategy, or innovation directions.

Our world is accelerating exponentially, so our values and their meanings are changing faster as well; furthermore, new solutions create new contexts for everyone. Currently (in 2026), I believe it’s worth revisiting these changes every 3–5 years, but I might rewrite this to 1–2 years by next year (or even this year)... Whenever something happens that has a powerful, long-term impact on our values and behavior (e.g., Covid and AI are two such global experiences), it is worth considering how it affects consumer culture.

It is relevant for both brands (services, products) and advertising agencies alike.

Consumer research typically focuses on examining a specific product, service, or offer. Cultural insights support your brand in the long run at a strategic level and assist in higher-level decision-making - so when you are in such a position, it is well worth the investment.

It largely depends on the specific task and brief, but it typically involves desk research (online, offline), fieldwork (consumer interviews - the goal of which is not to test specific products, but to understand consumer perceptions of various cultural phenomena within the given target group), and expert interviews. The more sources we work from, the more reliable the results. This is followed by analysis, then the delivery and presentation of results - ideally in the form of a workshop, which helps with the internal processing and further development of the findings.

There is no general recipe. A comprehensive, strategic research project can take 3 months or more. If you are short on time, we can focus the objective and the methodology accordingly.

It is an interdisciplinary approach situated at the intersection of linguistics, psychology, social sciences, communication, arts, and visual culture. It is an expert methodology - I also like to call it a perspective - that studies signs within the context of society and culture: how these signs (behaviors, cultural codes, communication, and design solutions) are created, change, and are interpreted. Your customers don't just buy chocolate, a soft drink, or a bank account; they buy happiness, freshness, simplicity, or rebellion. This is why it is crucial to understand their meanings.

The source of semiotic analysis is anything that carries meaning. In essence, everything! It examines cultural representations, words, language, images, objects, arts, and the layers of consumer culture - mythologies and narratives, both high and mainstream culture and all their branches, both online and offline - tailored to the specific research goal. In the case of innovation research, we also look outside the given category and look abroad.

The analysis and methodology itself can be complex, but the findings don't have to be. The insights are not vague theories, but rather a set of frameworks and practical findings (signs, codes). It primarily operates at a strategic level, but the results can be translated into concrete, tangible decisions - such as what should be on the packaging (visual and textual signs, codes).

Instead of "what is happening" (what they buy, where they click, etc.), it answers the question of "why it is happening." Why does the color blue radiate coldness instead of reliability? Why can't consumers distinguish between product lines based on packaging? When you hear from a consumer that a brand is "old," why do they feel that way? What is the difference between "old" and traditional, classic, timeless, proven, nostalgic, or conservative? Which one exactly expresses it? Semiotics helps by decoding these signs and organizing them into a precise system.

Semiotic analysis is based on systems, recurring patterns, and cultural contexts, not on individual impressions. Analyses are always born from the collective examination of multiple signs, and while these are interpretations, they are not arbitrary. There are established conceptual frameworks and levels of analysis. The abundance of sources examined, along with the parallel use of other research methodologies, validates the results.

Yes, this is one of the most important benefits of semiotic research, making it an excellent methodology for innovation. It views the values and trends related to a given category within a system and can associate them with easily interpretable and tangible signs, codes, and symbols. "Safety" is a constantly important value - but does it mean the same thing today as it did 5-6 years ago? How is its meaning changing, and what are its latest interpretations? Why is everything "rounded" now, even at a design level? If "quiet luxury" is already a mainstream trend, what does "real" luxury mean today? Is sugar the "good guy" now, or sweeteners, or what?

There are certain research questions where valid conclusions can be reached without consumer interviews - for example: visual code analysis, competitive landscape analysis, storytelling (narrative analysis), or trend forecasting. However, if the task is not the interpretation of specific visual signs and codes but the understanding of larger correlations, it is worth combining it with cultural insight research, expert interviews, and, depending on the goal, a linguistic approach.

It does not examine what consumers say - instead, it investigates how those thoughts enter their minds in the first place. In other words, it looks at the source: consumer culture, and the underlying cultural patterns and meanings.

Because consumers often don't know, or cannot precisely articulate, what drives their decisions. For example, regarding design, they can tell you what they like and often why, providing valuable feedback. However, it is not their job to tell you in how many ways, or with which specific signs and codes, a given brand value or message can and should be communicated on a specific piece of packaging.

It doesn't replace them; it complements them. Semiotics helps interpret what is said in a focus group - and also what remains unsaid. The source of information is different: it's not what comes out of the consumers' mouths, but the cultural representations and phenomena that shape our thinking.

Yes, primarily in two areas. First, it supports the interpretation of results, helping to answer the "why" behind the "how many." Second, it helps you measure what you actually want to measure, leading to more tangible results. In practice, for instance, it can greatly assist in designing a good questionnaire, whether by compiling a list of premium design elements or by providing a deeper interpretation of a product attribute or brand value (my personal favorite example is the adjective "quality").

It is useful at any stage of the research process, depending on the goal. For example, in packaging development, it is suitable for developing new directions (category mapping, identifying visual codes, assigning them to brand values) and for fine-tuning after consumer testing of the new design. In the case of communication development, innovation, and strategic planning, it is worth "unpacking" the meaning of core concepts beforehand so that the advertising agency receives a precise brief. In the case of integrated methodology, it can also run parallel to consumer research, as its sources are not the consumers themselves.

It serves a different purpose, so it’s not worth comparing them directly. It is worth it because you can test packaging and innovation directions that are relevant and understandable. And it is worth it because you will spend significant amounts on advertising campaigns and communication only after you precisely understand and know what you want to say and how you can achieve it.

It is relevant for both brands (services, products) and advertising agencies alike.

In practice, it begins with the analysis of cultural representations (advertisements, packaging, language use, visual codes, etc., depending on the goal). Once we have examined a sufficient number of these, patterns emerge, revealing the structure of meanings and the "map" of a given value, word, or concept. The codes associated with these form the basis for practical implementation.

The great thing about it is that it can do both, depending on the goal. It can point out deeper correlations and meanings behind a concept, value, or buzzword if you are working on your brand (by examining cultural signs). And if you want to develop your packaging, it can support you through the analysis, decoding, and systematic organization of visual signs.

For example, the result could be a map of domestic food culture and trends, with associated values and motivations, and the "unpacking" of major phenomena and directions at both visual and linguistic levels (visual codes and keywords). This helps in exploring the positioning of both the brand and the products, as well as in understanding the narrower and broader competitive environment. It shows which direction is worth developing, both at the communication and product levels. A typical semiotic research project involves examining core brand values, uncovering their meaning content, and defining the ideal positioning.

Language is never neutral: it reflects thoughts, values, and power dynamics. A linguistic analysis demonstrates how the world of meaning for a brand or category is constructed and what nuances of meaning are attached to brand values. This helps ensure that the intended meaning (what you want to say) and the perceived meaning (what consumers actually understand) align as closely as possible to trigger the desired impact and reaction.

It helps in creating better questionnaires. Precise phrasing and word choice ensure that you are measuring what you actually intend to measure, while the style of the questionnaire contributes to clarity and increases respondent engagement.

A brand's communication style must simultaneously align with brand values and meet fundamental requirements such as clarity, attractiveness, and uniqueness. Because of AI, we are increasingly flooded with uniformized text and visual content; in parallel, a unique style is becoming more valuable. During style research, we identify the appropriate tone of voice for your brand based on communication context criteria (target group, channel, situation, category, brand, and content).

Linguistic research covers a much narrower area; it can even involve mapping the meaning content of a specific word. Style research is a more complex approach, during which we analyze the textual, visual, and other stylistic elements of a brand, taking into account various channels and the expectations of the given target group.

In the case of a linguistic question, yes; however, style is a more complex issue. If we are examining communication style, it is important to bring an expert perspective into the thinking, as well as to understand your target group's stylistic expectations.

If your campaign has a core concept and/or a specific word that the whole thing is built upon, exploring its meaning content can broaden your thinking and the framework for brainstorming (by showing how that concept is constructed and what meanings it holds). You can avoid using a given expression inaccurately or in a meaning/context that does not support your brand building.

For example: financial service providers (at a category level) must simultaneously meet the expectations of clarity, simplicity, credibility, and professionalism. They have premium clients as well as those who struggle with the loan application process. Style research helps here by identifying fundamental communication trends, various target groups' expectations regarding the category, channel-related expectations, and the expected style values based on the given situation and communication content. This provides a concrete guide for the most important segmentation boundaries (such as age groups or levels of education), so we know where, when, with whom, and in what style the brand should communicate.

Desk research maps the existing cultural and market context: discourses, trends, and narratives. This ensures that the research doesn’t start from scratch but builds upon an interpreted background. It is an indispensable part of cultural insight and semiotic research.

They allow us to approach a research question from a different perspective, enabling us to either deepen our knowledge in a specific field or see the big picture more clearly. I don’t only consider academics or cultural figures as experts; I also include individuals with a unique insight into the specific research area. For example, if the topic is children’s habits, we interview a few teachers; if we are researching employee habits, we can learn a lot from HR specialists.

Of course! Organizing the results of fieldwork (whether it’s consumer interviews or desk research) takes a tremendous amount of time, and AI can shorten this process. Thanks to this, more time and energy remain for interpreting experiences and phenomena and for understanding the cultural context. As of Spring 2026, I believe that qualitative research cannot (yet?) be fully entrusted to AI. While it already knows a lot, for now, it only knows what it sees and hears - but not what isn't there. Meaning is often revealed in absence and silence; even silence can speak.

I used to love them, but since AI has been integrated into these types of research - and participants with high online affinity use it frequently - I’ve become less enthusiastic. In consumer research, I find journaling and mobile ethnography solutions to be more credible, tangible, and vivid than online blogging.

Semiotic and cultural insight research is similar to a UX approach in that they are predominantly observation-based rather than relying solely on consumer questioning. The approach I use helps to interpret the consumer experience in its full complexity and provides a framework for understanding and managing these perspectives.

Desk research fundamentally involves the examination of social media sites. Specific social listening research is available, but it is "human-powered" and qualitative. In my opinion, the secret to good social listening research lies in two things: a quality sample (which is questionable with AI, especially when considering images) and a quality interpretative framework. This framework is not created by grouping individual words, visual phenomena, or colors, but based on meanings. In decoding the latter, humans are still stronger than AI - for now.

Because physical space, objects, and routine behaviors carry meanings that are often invisible online or that consumers are reluctant to show. The more familiar you are with the sign system of the world around us, the better you can "read" the consumers' homes.

I am responsible for every research project and work actively on all of them. I believe that multiple perspectives lead to better insights, so I often collaborate with clients, other researchers, and subject matter experts, and I also enjoy involving others in fieldwork and the interpretation of results.

As much as your time and needs allow. You can participate as a research partner, constantly thinking along with me; however, if you are only interested in the results, I am happy to handle everything from a basic brief to the final presentation, with just a few focused alignment points during the project.

As a freelancer, I am in contact with several recruitment agencies; I typically request quotes from multiple providers to optimize project timing and costs.

Personally, I only do qualitative research, but I am happy to collaborate with quantitative researchers and firms. In many cases, the two together provide a complete picture.

I am happy to work with both international research firms and brands. Cultural insight research helps international brands develop locally relevant communication. I take true pleasure in sharing the characteristics of the local cultural environment and discovering the mindset and local specificities of another country.

It depends on the objective (strategic or a narrower scope) and the chosen methodology. If your resources are limited, we can find a solution to get answers to your most important questions. However, I’ll be honest: in the case of tenders (e.g., "we want 6 focus groups on topic X"), it is almost 100% certain that I won't be the cheapest option. It is worth working with me if you want to understand the research question and the related cultural context more deeply.

This depends on several factors: the research question, the methodology - and, of course, the deadline. Typically 1–3 months; this can be longer in the case of brand strategy. If you have an inquiry that requires a qualitative approach but there is little time for a consumer research rollout or a more complex methodology, let's talk.

I work on a maximum of two projects simultaneously to ensure the depth I expect of myself and to remain flexible for consultations and communication throughout the duration of the research.

Everything in the world can be examined through qualitative research, and I am curious by nature, so I am open to most topics as long as we share basic ethical standards. I do not wish to provide advice on how to encourage minors to consume alcohol, but I am happy to help you better engage an explicitly adult target audience. I have never conducted research for political parties or related organizations, and I never will.