We explore people and culture beyond and within categories to uncover patterns, tensions and shifts others miss. Informing innovation and enabling confident decisions across brand, government and place.
Let’s Explore!
Since 2004, our core service has been mixed-method explorations of people and culture to inspire innovation and confident decisions — for brands, governments and critical sectors.
We design customised, mixed-method explorations — from ethnography and in-home conversations to surveys, human data and expert perspectives — to uncover how people live, think and connect.
By revealing the patterns, tensions and shifts others miss, we’ve built compounding evidence over two decades, across sectors from arts and wine to FMCG, B2B, housing, environment and education. We help brands, governments ancd sectors understand reality, challenge assumptions and uncover unmet needs.
Our recent work spans wine consumption shifts, multicultural Australia, AI adoption, youth and education trends, and the changing face of housing. From beer to tech, architecture to zoos, chocolate to wine, we help decision-makers see clearly and move forward with confidence.
Market Research
Traditional market research tells you what people think and do.
We go deeper — uncovering why behaviour is changing by exploring the broader context shaping decisions, through our Explore > Test > Monitor methodology.
We uncover deep insights into customers, markets and culture through tailored methods like focus groups, ethnography, surveys and analysis of sales, digital and other data. For 20+ years, our research has helped government, business and brands decode shifting behaviours and unmet needs to make smarter, confident decisions. Whether you’re navigating complexity or chasing innovation, we provide the clarity to move forward with impact.
- Category / culture exploration
- Personas / journey development
- Brand positioning / growth
- Product innovation roadmap
- New market entry pathway
Bold ideas deserve more than blind faith. With two decades of experience, we help business and government test new concepts—from food, beverage and product prototypes to brand, advertising and digital UX – refining what works and revealing what doesn’t. Our approach gives you cultural and commercial confidence to launch stronger, sharper ideas with real-world traction.
- Scenario planning / reimagining
- Service design / improvement
- Brand / advertising development
- Product testing / path-to-market
- Policy / planning refinement
Decades of tracking brand health, NPS and behaviour change campaigns – alongside measuring human data, sentiment and social cohesion – mean we know what signals to watch. We monitor real-time customer feedback, social media, sales and trends to help you stay ahead of shifting behaviours and attitudes. The result? Strategies that remain culturally in tune and commercially effective as the world evolves.
- Culture / sentiment / behaviour
- Customer feedback / NPS / CSAT
- Brand / advertising
- Product innovation
- New market growth
Workshops and more
Beyond our core work, we support teams through Think! — our weekly cultural insight publication — along with workshops, talks and tailored sessions designed to bring fresh perspective.
Combined with our engaged community of real people for rapid feedback and exploration, we help organisations stay connected.
Epitomising our deep curiosity about people since 2004, Square Holes’ weekly Friday publication Think! explores culture, behaviour and bold ideas. Each edition features original insights, guest contributors, podcast episodes, media picks and research findings — all crafted to spark curiosity and meaningful conversation. We also regularly contribute cultural insight articles to leading publications.
Square Holes regularly hosts sessions on cultural insights, behaviour change and consumer trends — including trend lunches, online forums and future opportunity workshops. We’re available for lunch-and-learn sessions, keynote talks, panels and tailored education programs. Our team and global network of human-curious researchers and strategists deliver fresh thinking to spark meaningful change.
Leverage our engaged community of real people sharing their lives, hopes, dreams and struggles and feedback on products, ads and new tech. Trend hunters and rapid feedback providers.
Innovation foundation
We combine cultural insight with AI, automation and a global network to deliver deeper understanding: faster and more efficiently.
Our innovation foundation enables smarter exploration, scalable analysis and real-world application, helping organisations move quickly from insight to action with clarity and confidence.
Square Holes has in-house capability to develop Private AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), enabling deeper exploration through AI, machine learning, and automation to swiftly deliver insights and identify patterns. These tools can be applied to single projects (qualitative or quantitative data) or across multiple projects and datasets, empowering internal teams to make greater informed, human insight-guided decisions.
Our in-house research tech incubation explores new ways to collect, interpret, and apply human insight – developing smarter tools that are faster, more accessible, and designed for real-world impact. From agile product testing platforms to AI-enhanced analysis, we’re building solutions that unlock deeper understanding, reduce costs and accelerate decision-making for our clients.
Our in-house research tech incubation explores new ways to collect, interpret, and apply human insight – developing smarter tools that are faster, more accessible, and designed for real-world impact. From agile product testing platforms to AI-enhanced analysis, we’re building solutions that unlock deeper understanding, reduce costs and accelerate decision-making for our clients.
Square Holes has established a local and global partner network of human-curious market researchers, cultural insight experts and strategists, all ready to provide targeted insights for your brand or organisation. When capacity, expertise, or speed is required — we plug into your team or act as your research partner behind the scenes.
Who we work with
Square Holes’ clients generally become longer-term partners – tailored research programs that help internal teams stay grounded and forward-focused. Combining tracking of culture, customer and market trends, data analysis and collaborative strategy. A smart, low-cost investment (under 5% of key marketing / product / customer budgets) that builds clarity and confidence to outperform the category — into new markets, new ideas and new opportunities.
Typically growth focused SMEs to larger national or multinational businesses seeking strategic clarity and innovation pathway, including Innovation & Strategy Leads, Product Developers, Insights Managers, CX and Service Design Leaders and Brand & Marketing Directors.
Leaders shaping cities, policies and social impact, including Department heads, advisors and planners (e.g. Health, Education, Housing, Environment and Transport), Economic Development Officers, Policy, Marketing & Behavioural Advisors, Infrastructure & Planning Managers and Arts & Culture Strategists.
Square Holes partners with collaborative industries like wine, hospitality, retail and building to understand shifting consumer trends and market priorities – supporting their sectors, including priorities for small, medium and large businesses to survive and thrive in evolving and shrinking markets, including working with Sector Analysts, Industry Advocates and Engagement Managers.
We also work with academic and advocacy groups seeking systemised and expert collection and analysis social or sector data and insights, such as University Research Units, Think Tanks, Professional Associations and Education Institutions.
Agile, funded, fast-growth companies and challenger brands, including Founders, COOs, Product Managers (SaaS, Apps), and Marketing Leads focused on culture, niche and new market relevance and rapid feedback, product / service evolution.
Collaborators driving strategy and expansion, seeking an expert research partner, including Creative & Brand Agencies, Town Planners, Accountants, Lawyers, Management Consultants, Strategists, Start-up Funders and Advisors and Export & Growth Leads.
