— Ask less. Uncover more.
Predict how your
marketing will land before you spend.
What people can tell us is only part of the story. We uncover the fast, instinctive responses they can’t articulate, so you can optimise with confidence before you launch.
— The challenge
If research is only giving you surface level insights, it’s costing you.
Most research gives you what consumers are willing and able to tell you. But the responses that actually drive choice – the ones that happen quickly, emotionally, instinctively – happen beneath the surface across advertising, packaging, concepts and Point of Sale. Because you can’t ask your way to these, self-report can be incomplete at best and misleading at worst. And decisions made on incomplete or misleading insight carry a real cost.
Consumers decide quickly, then explain it afterwards.
Emotion and meaning are often subtle and hard to articulate.
Internal debate grows when insight can’t reliably predict behaviour.
— Who’s behind Unspoken Truth?
Unspoken Truth was founded by Jackie Dhaeyere, a consumer insights specialist with 30 years of experience across agency, client-side and independent practice. Over three decades in the field, Jackie learnt that the most important consumer responses were the ones that cannot be captured through surveys alone. Her work sits at the intersection of traditional research and mindscience – combining what consumers can tell you with what only specialised tools can reveal.
— What we do differently
Because the whole truth matters.
We don’t rely on spoken words alone. We measure what people process automatically, and integrate it with what they say, so you can make stronger marketing decisions before you spend.
01
Implicit response
Fast, automatic, instinctive. What happens beneath conscious awareness.
02
Explicit response
Conscious evaluations, stated preferences and reasoned opinions. What people report.
Together, these two layers reveal what pulls people in, what pushes them away, and what to change.
I have known and worked with Jackie for over two decades, across SAB and KFC SA. Most recently, she led a research project for Hyundai to assess the relevance of an ad we had created for one of our models within the young adult segment – work that had a profound business impact. As a skeptic of traditional research, I challenged Jackie to propose an alternative methodology that would unpack the underlying subliminal drivers of our audience’s response. What we learned about this complex young adult segment was so significant that we took the decision to disregard ads we had already spent R2 million producing, and start from scratch. Considering the risk of running communication that could have dented the credibility of that model, it remains to this day the less costly decision.
As CMO for KFC Africa I was fortunate enough to have had Jackie pioneer and lead a modern and progressive approach to research and insights that substantially drove both sales and brand metrics. Her passion and contagious energy ensured everybody was on board and created a sustainable change.
Jackie’s progressive and strong working knowledge of neuroscience, how our minds operate and influence our decisions allowed her to deliver insightful and actionable recommendations that helped KFC and Nando’s make informed strategic marketing decisions. Jackie demonstrates deep, impactful knowledge in her field.