Inspired by real people
Our mission:
Square Holes delivers market research and cultural insight for organisations and brands looking to elevate their strategic vision. Our research solutions provide evidence and illumination for confident decision making in rapidly changing markets and societies.
Since 2004 we have been providing support and a fresh outlook for our government, corporate and community clients, with many relationships spanning years. We pride ourselves on providing impactful outcomes for our clients, nurturing long term fruitful relationships and leading with curiosity always
Our name was inspired by Apple’s 1997 Think Different campaign – “the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently,” and Steve Job’s strategy to save the near bankrupt brand by “trying to get back to the basics (of great products, great marketing and great distribution).”
We help clients get the basics right.
Value 1: Impact
We inspire growth
Square Holes exists to drive an evolving narrative through data-driven research. We prioritise diligence, energy, and persuasion in communicating research evidence and insight to deliver exceptional results that drive positive impact – for business and community alike.
Two specialist areas
Flourishing Cities
Research to drive an evolving narrative, behaviour change and support leaders in education, environment, health, government and community services, housing, infrastructure, arts, sport, culture, lifestyle and economy.
“Working with Square Holes brings REDARC closer to our customers. Engaging in market research means we can better understand the needs of our customers and what drives them during the decision-making process” Anthony Kittel CEO Redarc, client since 2015
Value 2: Nurture
We grow together
Square Holes fosters collaboration, encourages team and client mastery, and promotes candour for collective growth. We commit to a nurturing and trusting team environment so that your business can benefit from transparent and direct insights.
“Such an excellent event and a great mix of people in the room. I agree (with other attendees), one of the best discussion sessions I’ve been to!” Client lunch attendee
Square Holes strengthens client relationships through exclusive sessions on cultural insights, behaviour change and consumer trends, including trend lunches and online forums. These events deepen understanding of market dynamics and support clients’ strategic decisions, fostering collaborative growth. Our focus on flourishing cities and business innovation helps clients stay industry leaders.
“Square Holes is a great way to feel a part of the community, to give feedback on the things around you and to be able to try and make a difference even in a very small way. It makes me feel like my opinion does matter.” Google Review
Square Holes has nurtured a devoted and rewarded community of real people who are paid as trend hunters and to share their lives and feedback in a safe and inclusive space. The community inspires decision makers to innovate and grow.
“Initially it was based on measuring brand health, then a part of this evolved into developing a company-wide KPI” Fiona Krawczyk Haigh’s
Value 3: Curiosity
We learn forever
Square Holes champions open-mindedness, analytical thinking, and creativity in our exploration for innovative solutions. We are constantly learning and evolving our understanding of the cultures and environments that surround your business, as well as new tools and technologies that sharpen our output.
Inspired by real people
We believe that meaningful change can only come from understanding people and culture. And one of the ways we have decided to illustrate that is through the our ‘Real People’ photographic series. Square Holes engaged local photographer Thomas McCammon to go out into the community and photograph individuals and locals, while learning about their stories, and has photographed around 50 people from across Australia, Europe, Asia and beyond.
Research incubation
We ever explore and adopt new technology to allow us to more deeply understand people and culture, communicate insights, as well as reduce costs, shorten timelines and support particular client segments. This includes being a thought leader in new possibilities such as artificial intelligence, synthetic data and machine learning, as well as emerging analysis and communications platforms. Our advisory service includes support in using AI to gain deeper on-going insights from data to guide innovation and growth.
Jason Dunstone recently had an article published for the (Australian) Research Society exploring global perspectives on new technology and research – Embracing Synthetic Data’s Potential While Valuing Real People, 27 June 2024
Square Holes’ in-house ‘product’ innovations including platform squareholes.community (community of real people helping to share their lives and support innovation), budgie.love (helping Australian SMEs to grow globally) and dagwood.dog (product innovation). We currently have research based ‘spin-offs’ being incubated focused on customer service and cultural insights.
Sponsoring curiosity
Square Holes partners with arts and cultural organisations such as the Adelaide Film Festival, Helpmann Academy, Southstart and Zoos SA. Square Holes has invested over $500,000 into these partnerships, as we believe that arts and culture are crucial to a flourishing city. A critical part of our curious DNA.
“I think we uncovered through the focus groups, a really clear understanding of where the community was on some of these issues. It got us to focus in on what was the one key message we can tell people to keep them safe” Paul Roberts Head of Corporate Affairs SA Power Networks, client since 2017
Think!
Think! is our weekly e-news that is delivered to subscribers every Friday morning. A mix of guest authors, industry thought leaders and staff input, Think! contains everything from articles, podcasts, research findings and media recommendations. It’s essentially the Square Holes calling card, and is delivered into the inboxes of our global community of human-curious decision makers.
“We identified loneliness as a significant issue in the community and in need of greater attention. We wanted to know how many were experiencing high rates of loneliness and what age groups were the most affected” Rachael Pearse, Uniting Communities Project Officer, client since 2020
In the media
Square Holes regularly appears in the media as a thought leader in market research and cultural insight, particularly in the areas of business growth, innovation and flourishing cities. We also present at conferences, lunch and learns, expert panels and otherwise to share our observations.
Contact us for media interviews, creation of original evidence articles or to share our expertise.
How can we help you?
