WHAT WE DO
PROOF’s Emotional Market Research
Our emotional resonance research quantifies the emotions, attitudes, motivations, and preferences of human beings. It is highly actionable and intentional and it explains the “why” behind human behavior, interactions, and trends.
After years of working with countless types of market research that felt weak and impractical, we set out to create a method designed to align with how the human brain naturally works—because, ultimately, we’re studying people, not just data points.
Our emotional resonance research methodology is based on three key learnings from psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics…
Most research gets the psychology wrong.
Most market research relies on traditional surveys and focus groups, which ask respondents to consciously reflect and articulate their thoughts—a process that doesn’t align with how the brain naturally makes decisions. Human decision-making is largely emotional and intuitive, happening in milliseconds, often below the level of conscious awareness. Our first component, psychological scoring, is designed to mimic this natural process. By leveraging principles from neuroscience and behavioral economics, we measure the instinctive, gut-level reactions that drive real-world choices. This approach captures the emotional undercurrents that traditional methods miss, providing insights that are not only more authentic but also more predictive of actual behavior.
Emotions are what matters.
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio famously demonstrated that human decision-making is rooted in the limbic system—the brain’s center for emotions, memories, and beliefs. Even in complex scenarios, we rely more on emotion than on logic or reason. Our second component, emotional resonance message testing, is designed to reflect this reality. By focusing on how messages connect emotionally, we ensure our research aligns with the brain’s natural decision-making process, uncovering the emotional triggers that influence real-world choices.
Time is how to measure emotion.
By analyzing the time it takes for respondents to answer, we capture subtle cognitive and emotional responses that other research methods miss. Faster response times relative to the natural reading and answering speed of respondents often indicate instinctive, emotionally charged reactions, while slower times can reveal uncertainty or ambivalence. This granular data enables us to quantify the emotional resonance of messages, providing a deeper understanding of how they are perceived and processed. The result is actionable insights grounded in behavioral science and neuroscience, delivering a clear edge for crafting emotionally compelling communications.
The Resulting PROOF Method
The End Result is Emotional Resonance Scores (ERS).
Our Emotional Resonance Scoring is the culmination of three powerful methodologies: psychological scoring that mirrors the brain’s natural decision-making process, emotional resonance message testing to evaluate how your messaging connects with audiences, and a millisecond timing mechanism that measures intuitive reactions in real-time. Together, these methods create a robust, multidimensional understanding of how your messages land emotionally and cognitively. This comprehensive scoring system equips you with the insights needed to craft communications that not only capture attention but also drive meaningful, emotionally charged decisions.
12
Years Measuring People
500+
Studies performed to date
2
Working Patents
250+
Clients
PROOF uses emotional insights to help organizations say the right things to the right people.
Get PROOF.
Everyone has at least one burning question—and the answer may just take your brand to the next level. Take the guesswork out of your marketing strategy today and get proof.