OUR MISSION
To open minds and inspire action.
Open Mind Strategy, LLC is a thought-leading hybrid (qualitative and quantitative) research consultancy specializing in unlocking and activating deep audience insights.
We help our clients reach their potential.
We help them not only see their consumers more clearly, but understand them more deeply, inspiring action to build brands and lines of business. With a client re-engagement rate of over 90%, the Open Minds are proud to have been able to help our clients achieve their aspirations.
Our Services
OMS methodologies uncover sparks that inform better strategies and stronger business. From creative exploratory to facilitation to skills certification, OMS has a track record of offering a competitive edge, or as we say, “an insight advantage.
STRATEGIC RESEARCH
OMS proprietary methodologies unlock consumer truths and uncover sparks that inform new thinking.
Virtual and In-person Discussion Groups
Audience Segmentation
Advertising and Product Evaluation
Brand Tracking
Thought Leadership Research
Virtual and In-person Ethnography
Custom Research Studies (Hybrid, Qualitative, or Quantitative)
Shop-Alongs and Product Research
TEAM FACILITATION AND IDEATION
Open Mind sessions guide teams to spark fresh ideas and actionable solutions. Interactive workshops with expert facilitation empower brands to unleash their potential and drive meaningful change.
Creativity Jumpstarts
Innovation Workshops
Brand Evolution Sessions
Experiential Trendscaping
Insight Activation
Custom Workshops
OPEN MIND TRAINING
With hundreds of thousands of “listening hours” under our belts, OMS has developed and honed curriculum for researchers, strategists, and leaders to elevate their skills.
Focus Group and IDI Moderation Training and Certification
One-on-one Strategic Coaching
Skills Workshops
Turning Insights Into Action
Strategic Skills for Account Managers
Intuitive Listening
Writing Better Brand and Marketing Briefs
Customized Training Sessions
BRAND STRATEGY
OMS goes beyond research findings to game-changing strategic input, leveraging unparalleled research-driven insight into consumer and B2B audiences to provide services including:
Creative Briefs
Brand Strategy Workshops
Competitive Brand Positioning
Brand Identity Check
CUSTOM CONSULTING
At Open Mind Strategy, we believe in a holistic approach to research and strategy that goes beyond traditional methodologies - and, at times - we invent new ones. Our research consulting services help our clients develop deep understanding of mission-critical audiences, drive impactful decisions, and pave the way for transformative growth.
Our Leadership Team
Robin Hafitz
FOUNDER/CEO
Driven by a vision of bringing greater humanity to research, Robin founded Open Mind Strategy, LLC in 2010, specializing in deep audience understanding and strategic guidance. The Open Mind Strategy team surveys and speaks with thousands of consumers every year about everything from brand preferences to the impact of new technologies. With a focus on uncovering insights into audiences through deep listening, Robin is an expert moderator, researcher, strategist, facilitator, and thought partner.
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Prior to founding OMS, Robin led her own companies, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, an award-winning creative advertising agency, and Big Picture Strategy, a brand consultancy, as well as joining the renowned agency kb+p as Managing Partner and Chief Strategic Officer. Her companies’ clients have spanned from Amazon and Anheuser-Busch to Verizon and Wendy’s, with particular strength in media and technology brands seeking to better understand and connect with their audiences.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Robin has been active in vision-led organizations, including chairing the 4As Account Strategy Committee, serving as a member of the National Advertising Review Board, and serving on the boards of non-profits like the Entrepreneurs Organization of New York and the Center to Prevent Youth Violence. She graduated Magna cum Laude from Yale with a major in fine art, and is an ordained interfaith minister and credentialed Spiritual Counselor, with post-graduate degrees from Yale Divinity School and One Spirit Interfaith Seminary.
Robin’s journey from eclectic roots in Nigeria, Washington D.C., Martha's Vineyard, and Montana, to Yale and onto the bustling creative energy of New York City has shaped her holistic approach to business and life. She currently resides in New York City and Willow, NY, with her husband, Andrew, a feature film editor, and their Chinook dogs Munjebel and Eighmey (“Amy”).
Lianna (Lee) Willoughby
SENIOR VP, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Lianna is a dynamic leader with a dual BA in Film and Spanish Language & Culture. She brings 15 years of research consultancy experience to her role as Managing Director at Open Mind Strategy, overseeing logistics on all qualitative and quantitative research endeavors, workshops, training programs, business development, vendor partnerships, and operations.
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With her extensive consumer insight experience across diverse industries, Lianna has comprehensive knowledge in media and tech audiences. Her contributions span diverse projects with industry leaders and agencies, including Amazon, Netflix, Nextdoor, Food Network, Comedy Central, Tombras, and Doremus.
Lianna is deeply committed to bringing about positive change in the world, leveraging her skills and expertise to drive innovation and create value for communities and organizations. She is known for her mindful approach to challenges, her curiosity, and her relentless pursuit of new insights and opportunities.
Our Values
Constant Learning
We are curious
We are open-minded
We are passionate about knowledge
Respect for all people
We see the people who participate in our research as actual human beings – not just “pieces of sample.”
We help our clients not just to understand their audiences, but to connect with them.
We respect one another, our participants, our partners, and our clients as individuals – recognizing that the individuality of each person strengthens our collective positive impact.
Empowerment
We help our clients define their needs and take intentional action.
We activate individuals and teams to achieve more with essential insights.
We tell the truth, and do so with clarity.
Positive Impact
We are genuinely passionate about our client's businesses, aiming to help them make a sustainable positive impact on the world.
We are a women-owned business that supports positive change-makers and purpose-drivers.
We are committed to offering products and methodologies that shape a better future for our industry and the world.
What Our Clients Say
“OMS is one of the few partners I work with who I know will always deliver. They bring passion, expertise, creativity, and rigor to every project and their insights are always on–point. Whether dealing with reality fans in Atlanta or senior executives at Viacom, they are great at keeping everyone involved and engaged.”
— SVP BRAND & CONSUMER INSIGHTS
“I have been working with various qualitative research companies for 25+ years. The creative focus groups that OMS led were some of the best I’ve ever attended. They were able to navigate customers through a complex messaging concept and intense amount of creative stimulus. This allowed us to gather meaningful feedback that helped us crystalize both the high-level strategic positioning and the detailed executional improvements of our specific messaging. Importantly, OMS elegantly summarized the learnings and presented us the findings with thoughtful implications and actionable next steps. They did excellent work.”
— CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC BRAND MARKETING
“OMS goes the extra mile in planning, execution, and summary analysis and advice. Rather than using boiler plate questionnaires or standardized approaches, OMS strategizes and creatively customizes to not only target the appropriate audience for the maximal result BUT to also target the client… to understand HOW to present the results in a way that is digestible so that it can be absorbed, which results in the client being open to the information and thereby creating directives that CAN and WILL be used.
— CHAIRMAN
“We get great service, thinking and insights that move our business forward - from everyone we work with, every time. Love OMS.”
— VP, CORPORATE RESEARCH
“Strategic, client and consumer-oriented, flexible. That’s OMS.”
— SVP, GLOBAL BRANDS
“Actionable research is a balance of art and science and the OMS team does it better than any other partner I work with.”
— VP, DIGITAL RESEARCH & ANALYTICS
“OMS? Smart, creative, with uncommon Insight”.
— PRESIDENT, INSIGHTS, RESEARCH, ANALYTICS
