Market research case study:
International schools segmentation

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

The challenge

Cambridge University Press & Assessment commissioned DJS Research to conduct a segmentation of international schools providing education to students aged 5–18, to better understand educator needs and how best to communicate with them.

The approach

DJS Research conducted a bespoke segmentation project encompassing schools across all continents. The project aimed to understand the experiences of key audiences to enable the client to tailor messaging and communications by audience.

Key objectives of the research were to:

  • Identify distinctly different types of school teachers, school leaders, and administrators.
  • Establish a shared, common understanding of these audiences.
  • Develop detailed personas.
  • Obtain an up-to-date understanding of audience perceptions and needs.

The research began with an online survey using the international schools database. Over 1,000 responses were collected from across the world, including both the client’s customers and non-customers. Respondents included school teachers, heads of institutions, and exam officers.

Survey responses were analysed to create a segmentation combining demographics, attitudes, and needs, enabling the client to understand communication preferences. Following agreement on the segmentation, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with representatives from each segment to bring the segments to life and develop detailed audience personas. DJS Research identified the largest segments and highlighted priority segments for targeting.

The results

The research provided the client with a thorough understanding of each segment’s needs and challenges, enabling communications to be targeted effectively to maximise messaging.

International schools segmentation case study image 1 International schools segmentation case study image 2
International schools segmentation case study image 2
International schools segmentation case study image 3
International schools segmentation case study image 1

Case study:
International schools segmentation

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

The challenge

Cambridge University Press & Assessment commissioned DJS Research to conduct a segmentation of international schools providing education to students aged 5–18, to better understand educator needs and how best to communicate with them.

The approach

Organisations operating across multiple countries face a unique set of challenges, from designing research that works across cultures and languages, to coordinating multi-market fieldwork, managing time zones, and ensuring results are comparable, meaningful and actionable. Our clients tell us that international research is essential to their decision-making, but often difficult to resource internally. Different markets have different expectations, behaviours and cultural norms, and insight gathered in one country rarely lands without careful localisation.

Our international research capability exists to help you navigate these complexities with confidence. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, we bring the cultural intelligence, operational expertise and global partner networks needed to design and deliver robust programmes across regions. Whether you are conducting a multi-country study across Europe, APAC, the Americas or beyond, at DJS Research we work collaboratively with you to ensure your research is contextually grounded, consistently executed and strategically valuable. 

With a director-led approach and a focus on bespoke design, we support clients who need clarity on global audiences, confidence in multi-market decisions, and insight that connects local nuance with international strategy.

International market research solutions at DJS Research

We design and deliver research across all global regions, using primary and secondary methodologies tailored to your objectives. As a mid-sized agency, we have the agility to tailor our project teams to suit your requirement. We are small enough to offer collaborative, hands-on support, yet big enough to manage complex, multi-market programmes with rigour and efficiency. Every international project is built from the ground up – we simply don't do 'off-the-shelf' solutions.

Our in-house specialists and our vetted network of in-market partners enable us to reach:

  • Consumers: Across Europe, the Americas, APAC, Africa and the Middle East — including hard-to-reach populations and minority groups.
  • Business audiences and professionals: From senior decision-makers and technical specialists to frontline staff, intermediaries, and international supply chain stakeholders.
  • Public sector and NGO audiences: Educators, community groups, social sector partners and international representatives contributing to policy, culture and social outcomes.
  • Across the globe: We have delivered research in more than 80 countries, combining central oversight with contextual expertise to ensure findings remain locally relevant and internationally comparable.

We conduct qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research across the world using modalities such as:

Having access to such a wide range of methodologies enables us to mix and match methods to each country based on our years of experience, and knowledge of suitability between one market and another.

A wide range of methodologies

Small enough to listen, and big enough to answer – on a global scale

Clients choose us because we combine deep expertise in international research with the flexibility and senior involvement required to manage multi-market work effectively. We oversee complex studies across regions, ensuring consistency in design, translation, fieldwork, analysis and interpretation.

We know that global research requires more than coordination; it requires cultural fluency. Our expertise ensures that questionnaires, discussion guides and stimuli are accurately translated, appropriately localised and interpreted with nuance. We use industry-leading translation partners, in-market moderators and multilingual in-house teams, supported by senior researchers who stay close to the work from design to delivery.

Clients tell us we feel like an extension of their team: honest, pragmatic and responsive, delivering high-quality outputs that enable organisations to align across regions and act with clarity.

Whether you need help navigating complex fieldwork, managing stakeholder expectations, or interpreting cross-country insight, DJS Research brings the integrity, expertise and operational strength required to support confident international decision-making.

Bespoke international solutions which deliver actionable insight

Keen to find out more? Our international leads love nothing more than chatting about the nuances and complexities of global projects! You might wish to ask them...

  • How we can reach audiences in your target markets?
  • How we ensure translation accuracy and cultural relevance?
  • How we facilitate you attending fieldwork remotely, or in-person?
  • How we manage multi-country logistics?
  • How we interpret global findings in context?

Get in touch with our team today to discover how we could elevate your international research and deliver the outputs you need to achieve your multi-market goals. 

 

The results

The research provided the client with a thorough understanding of each segment’s needs and challenges, enabling communications to be targeted effectively to maximise messaging.

International schools segmentation case study image 2
International schools segmentation case study image 2
International schools segmentation case study image 3