The brief
Springer Nature required competitor insight to support the development of a new division, encompassing a number of platforms and products across three key areas: research, data & analytics, and content. Nature were looking to better understand these markets, and the competitors within them.
This study updated previous work, in order to better reflect the current Springer Nature ecosystem. Products, their messaging and how they were sold were of particular interest. The research was global in scope, making the competitor set particularly broad. The research aimed to help support the development of a marketing strategy, using language and messaging which resonates with research offices and other key potential customers.
The approach
- Shift worked in collaboration with the Springer Nature team to set up a grid that collated data across a range of key business areas. This grid structure was continually open for review.
- An initial phase scoped the range of competitors, and the level of data available for each of these. This helped to refine the next stages of the project, and to understand where information was limited or unavailable.
- We then collected detailed data on over 45 products and services, across 10 different product/service types. We also analysed their intended audience and messaging.
The value
A concise final report was developed, outlining the structure of the market and spotlighting key competitors and their messaging and approach. We identified a range of different models in place, alongside noteworthy geographic differences.
