HELLO, WHAT DOES SQUARE HOLES DO?
SQUARE HOLES
We’re a cultural insight studio.
PERSON
What does that mean?
SQUARE HOLES
We help organisations understand how people are changing.
PERSON
In what way?
SQUARE HOLES
How they live.
What they value.
What’s shifting around them.
Not just in their category,
but in the broader context of people’s lives.
PERSON
What is cultural insight?
SQUARE HOLES
It’s understanding how culture shapes behaviour.
Not just what people say or do,
but what’s influencing them.
Their values.
Their expectations.
The social dynamics around them.
Culture shapes everything.
It influences what people buy,
how they experience brands,
how they engage with institutions,
and how places and communities evolve.
Cultural insight helps explain why behaviour is changing —
not just what’s happening.
PERSON
Is that market research?
SQUARE HOLES
Square Holes is not a traditional market research agency.
As a cultural insight studio, we go beyond research to explore the cultural context shaping behaviour.
Market research usually focuses on specific questions.
Customer preferences. Brand performance. Product feedback.
Important questions.
But they sit inside the category.
Cultural insight looks beyond the category, using mixed method explorations.
Structured explorations of people and culture beyond the category
— combining qualitative, quantitative and cultural perspectives
to uncover patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour.
They explore the wider context shaping decisions.
That’s where you start to see the patterns, tensions and shifts others miss.
PERSON
Can you give me an example?
SQUARE HOLES
Take wine.
You could ask why people are drinking less wine.
Or which brands they prefer.
That’s useful.
But if you step back, you see something bigger.
Health trends.
Changing social occasions.
Different attitudes to alcohol.
New expectations of value and experience.
Those forces sit outside the category,
but shape what happens within it.
That’s where cultural insight sits.
PERSON
So you’re connecting the dots?
SQUARE HOLES
Yes.
We’re looking for patterns.
Not just individual data points,
but how things connect.
Where tensions are building.
Where assumptions are breaking.
Where behaviour is shifting before it becomes obvious.
PERSON
Why does that matter?
SQUARE HOLES
Because organisations are often very focused.
They understand their category.
Their customers.
Their competitors.
But that can create blind spots.
You get very good at optimising what exists,
but miss what’s changing around you.
Cultural insight helps you step back.
See the bigger picture.
And make clearer, more confident decisions.
PERSON
How do you actually do that?
SQUARE HOLES
We start with people.
We talk to them.
We observe behaviour.
We explore real-life context.
We combine that with surveys and data,
and bring in expert perspectives.
Different methods,
but one goal.
To understand how people’s lives are evolving —
and what that means.
PERSON
And then?
SQUARE HOLES
We make sense of it.
We identify patterns.
We surface tensions.
We track shifts.
Then we translate that into implications.
What does this mean for strategy?
Where are the opportunities?
What needs to change?
PERSON
So it’s not just research?
SQUARE HOLES
No.
Research is part of it.
But the impact is in what you do with it.
Clarity.
Direction.
Confident decisions.
PERSON
What does that look like in practice?
SQUARE HOLES
It depends on the landscape we’re exploring.
Sometimes it’s people.
How values, identity and behaviour are evolving.
Sometimes it’s brand.
How categories are shifting.
What feels relevant — and what doesn’t.
Sometimes it’s place.
How people experience cities, precincts and communities.
What makes somewhere feel vibrant or disconnected.
And sometimes it’s government.
How people engage with policy, services and institutions.
Where trust is building or breaking down.
Across those landscapes, we’ve worked in sectors like wine,
hospitality, arts and cultural organisations, universities,
technology, cities and communities.
From understanding multicultural socialising patterns,
to audience engagement in the arts,
to behaviour change in government programs.
Different sectors, same underlying question.
How are people changing —
and what does that mean?
PERSON
Why call yourselves a studio?
SQUARE HOLES
Because we work like one.
Like a design or film studio,
we bring together the right mix of people for each project.
A core team here,
connected to a wider network of thinkers, explorers,
researchers and academics locally and globally.
Different perspectives, working together
to explore the question properly.
And guide a better way forward.
PERSON
Is there much demand for this?
SQUARE HOLES
More and more.
The world is changing quickly.
Categories are blurring.
Expectations are shifting.
People don’t make decisions in isolation.
Organisations are realising
they need a broader view.
And that’s what cultural insight provides.
PERSON
Is that local or global?
SQUARE HOLES
Both.
Based in Adelaide with a Melbourne office, we work across Australia and internationally.
We help Australian organisations understand local markets, explore new opportunities and expand into new geographies. We also support global brands, agencies and strategy teams seeking trusted Australian cultural insight.
Our work contributes to projects across the UK, US, Europe and Asia — bringing local understanding to global decisions.
PERSON
Why?
SQUARE HOLES
Because the same fundamental questions are being asked everywhere.
How are people changing?
What does it mean?
What should we do next?
Demand for deeper cultural understanding is growing globally.
PERSON
What makes you different?
SQUARE HOLES
We’ve been doing this since 2004.
Over more than 20 years, we’ve built cumulative cultural knowledge across sectors and landscapes — and curated a global network of researchers, thinkers and specialists to bring the right perspectives to each exploration.
That means:
You recognise patterns earlier.
You see connections others miss.
You provide clearer direction.
PERSON
And what do clients actually get?
SQUARE HOLES
A crafted and engaging deliverable.
This often includes a report — but may also involve interactive dashboards, short films, workshops, or other ways of bringing the insight to life for your team.
It depends on what will create the most value and impact.
But more importantly:
Clarity.
What’s changing.
Why it matters.
What to do next.
PERSON
How long does it take? It sounds like this could take a while, and the world moves fast.
SQUARE HOLES
It depends on the question.
Deep strategic explorations can take longer, especially when exploring beyond the category for the first time.
But not every brief requires that level of depth.
PERSON
So you can move quickly when needed?
SQUARE HOLES
Absolutely.
Our Real People Community can often provide rapid feedback overnight, whether for product ideas, campaign testing or strategic questions ahead of tomorrow’s leadership meeting.
PERSON
How?
SQUARE HOLES
Because we’ve built systems to do so.
Our local team, global network, proprietary frameworks, technology and AI tools allow us to deliver insight that is deeper, faster and more cost-effective than traditional models.
PERSON
So how do you decide the pace?
SQUARE HOLES
We match the method and speed to the decision.
Fast where speed matters.
Deep where depth matters.
PERSON
This sounds great… but expensive?
SQUARE HOLES
It is an investment.
But done well, cultural insight pays compounding returns.
Better decisions.
Stronger strategy.
Smarter innovation.
Reduced risk.
And we work hard to ensure investment aligns with clear commercial or strategic outcomes.
PERSON
So is cultural insight only for big budgets?
SQUARE HOLES
Not at all.
We work with organisations of all sizes — from major brands and government departments to arts and cultural organisations operating with tight budgets.
Programs range from focused entry-point projects through to larger ongoing partnerships.
We tailor scope to strategic need, ambition and resources.
PERSON
Can smaller organisations still access this kind of thinking?
SQUARE HOLES
Absolutely.
Over the years we’ve worked with charities, arts organisations, emerging brands and values-aligned organisations with modest budgets.
We’re pragmatic.
If there’s alignment and impact, we’re open to shaping an approach that works.
We also regularly advise clients on grants and funding pathways where relevant.
PERSON
How should organisations think about cultural insight?
SQUARE HOLES
Not as a one-off project.
The best organisations build cultural understanding into how they think, plan and innovate.
They don’t wait for a crisis.
They stay curious continuously.
PERSON
Why?
SQUARE HOLES
Because insight compounds.
The more consistently you understand people and culture,
the better your decisions become over time.
PERSON
So it’s more of an ongoing capability than a one-off fix?
SQUARE HOLES
Exactly.
Many of our longest-standing clients began with a single project.
Today, we are embedded strategic partners in their ongoing planning, innovation and decision-making.
PERSON
What does that look like?
SQUARE HOLES
It can include:
Ongoing cultural monitoring.
Regular audience or customer listening.
Trend updates.
Strategic workshops.
Embedded advisory support.
Frameworks for internal decision-making.
PERSON
What if we’re not ready yet?
SQUARE HOLES
That’s okay.
Our Think! weekly eMag shares free cultural insight, trends and thinking every week.
With 450+ editions and a growing global subscriber base, it helps organisations build cultural understanding before they’re ready for deeper engagement.
PERSON
So where should we start?
SQUARE HOLES
With a conversation.
We can design an approach that fits your goals, timing and budget.
Or start smaller — with a workshop, leadership session, or trends presentation to spark thinking and align your team.
PERSON
So in simple terms, what does Square Holes do?
SQUARE HOLES
We help organisations understand how people and culture are changing —
and what that means for their future.