Market research case study:
Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

London Business School

Featured in this case study: Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

The challenge

London Business School (LBS) was one of the world’s leading business schools, offering a variety of postgraduate business degrees and executive education programmes. Its largest degree programme was the two-year MBA.

The market research brief incorporated two elements: testing new marketing concepts for the MBA programme and exploring reactions to potential marketing approaches for a new one-year MBA programme that LBS was developing.

The objectives included identifying which creative concepts were most motivating and appealing for each programme type, and determining any potential refinements required to market the new programme.

The approach

A qualitative approach was adopted, comprising depth interviews via video calls with alumni of LBS’s existing MBA and Masters in Management (MiM) programmes spread across five continents. Alumni of similar programmes at other top global business schools were interviewed. To supplement this, two in-person focus groups were conducted with current LBS students in London.

Four marketing routes were tested for the main MBA programme, alongside three additional advertising concepts for the new one-year MBA programme. The research identified key perceptions and motivations among the different audiences, and which messages and elements within the communication concepts aligned most closely with these, thereby having the greatest appeal to potential applicants.

The results

The research informed further discussion and development of both the MBA marketing strategy and the new course offering at LBS. The new course was scheduled for launch in 2025.

Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback case study image 1

Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback case study image 2

Client testimonial: London Business School

Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

“DJS Research carried out in-depth discussions with our alumni and potential students to dig into the nuances of the marketing routes being developed. LBS alumni are very engaged and passionate about the LBS offer, and DJS Research dug into their opinions to identify what does and does not resonate with them, in potential marketing routes for the MBA programmes. We have worked with DJS Research on a wide range of projects over the years and know they understand LBS, our students and our market.”

Explore our testimonials archive

Other areas you might find interesting...

Explore

Sector:
Education

From exploring new course opportunities to evaluating brand perceptions and student satisfaction levels, our work across the education sector empowers our clients, providing the insight they need to innovate, diversify and grow. With decades of education experience, working with a broad range of institutions and organisations within this field, we have extensive knowledge of this ever-changing sector and its many, varied, challenges. As the world adjusts to the impacts of AI technologies, educational institutions, teaching professionals and students alike are navigating the risks and benefits of adoption and impacts on modes of learning. This is just one of the newer, multi-stranded, challenges facing the education sector today along with mounting economic pressures, funding concerns, suggested policy reforms and an increasing demand for flexible, hybrid learning models. Our education leads recognise the importance of understanding the wider context of, and current developments in, the sector on market research requirements. They use this knowledge to create bespoke solutions that deliver relevant insight, helping our education clients make informed, strategic decisions. We have a proven track record of delivering seamless, high-quality market research for organisations across the full education spectrum including: Universities and other HEIs. Further education colleges. Awarding bodies. Sector skills councils. Government departments. Educational publishers and other educational media creators. We understand the diverse and complex audiences within the education sector, how to reach them, and how to design research which engages them – from A-levels students to those in further and higher education, from teachers to careers advisors to employers. Our work includes both qualitative and quantitative research with a wide range of groups including: Students (primary, secondary, FE and HE). Alumni. Primary and secondary school teachers, heads of department and school leaders. Lecturers. Careers advisors. Private training providers. Adult learners. Employers. Other opinion leaders and stakeholders. We place great importance on the safety of our research participants and ensure everyone involved in our market research projects is treated with the utmost care and respect. Our specialist children and young people research team carry out all our projects with juvenile audiences, and researchers within this team who conduct regular research with under 18s have undergone the Enhanced DBS check. Delivering tailored research solutions for the education sector As a method-neutral, full-service market research agency, we draw upon our extensive range of research methodologies and services to build tailored solutions for our education clients. The scope of education market research we have conducted is wide-ranging, with needs varying significantly by client and organisation. For example, projects we have conducted for universities and FE colleges include: Advertising and communications research. Branding research. Research into new courses e.g. course feasibility research and student appetite. Course/proposition development. Market studies. Student surveys, including satisfaction research. Employee research. Employer perception research. Academic research. Supporting education research with our bespoke online panels Opinion Exchange is our in-house online panel of over 25,000 UK adults who have signed up to take part in market research studies, and this includes many education professionals such as classroom teachers, head teachers and lecturers. Our access to this vital audience of education providers is supplemented by our growing sub-panel VoicED, which extends our reach by upwards of 1,000. For projects that require engagement with children and young people specifically, we have a bespoke youth panel ChatterZone, which is comprised of young people and their parents/carers. To find out more about our expertise in the education sector, and discuss how we can provide the actionable insight you need to meet your business objectives, contact our team today.

Explore our experience

Explore

Specialism:
Qualitative

Qualitative research can take many forms, but at its heart it is about understanding how and why. For example, how do people feel about a certain product, brand or a new idea? Why are sales down? Why is a marketing message not cutting through? Why are people behaving in a certain way and how can we change that? Qualitative research is about detail, depth and understanding, and can be used to explain data trends or patterns of human behaviour. At DJS Research, our researchers have a wealth of experience moderating qualitative research, putting research participants at ease and exploring experiences, attitudes and behaviours to unlock those ‘golden nuggets’ of insight. We develop a bespoke approach to meet each client’s objectives, but some commonly used methods in our qualitative toolkit include: In-depth interviews. Focus groups. Online communities. Ethnography. Video vox pops. We draw on behavioural science to understand why people do what they do, not just what they say they do. We go beyond a basic question and answer format to examine the all-important context for decision-making, for example spending time with participants at home, observing their day-to-day life or asking them to complete a diary. We consider the behavioural biases at play and apply relevant frameworks or models to guide our analysis and recommendations. Ultimately, by uncovering and sharing real life stories and applying our knowledge of human behaviour, we deliver deeper insights that impact our clients’ decision-making. To find out more about our qualitative research capabilities, and discuss how we could craft a tailored solution to meet the specific needs of your organisation, contact us today.

Explore our experience

Explore

Specialism:
International

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: In-person and virtual depth interviews. Focus groups (in-market or remote). Ethnography, observational research and mobile diaries. Online communities and bulletin boards. CATI interviews. Online surveys. Intercepts and central-location testing. 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. 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.

Explore our experience

Market research in-depth interviews service shortcut image

Explore

Service:
Market research in-depth interviews

In-depth interviews offer the opportunity to have detailed, open-ended conversations with individual participants. They allow us to explore certain topics or reach particular audiences that would not be possible or appropriate with a focus group methodology. Whether exploring complex customer journeys, testing sensitive ideas, or speaking to senior stakeholders, in-depth interviews are a flexible and highly effective way to understand behaviours, attitudes and perceptions. In-depth interviews are particularly relevant for: Confidential, controversial or sensitive topics: Personal finance, health or sensitive business information, for example. Complex or detailed subject matter: Unpicking customer journeys, website testing or exploring sector-specific regulation and procurement processes for example. B2B audiences: In-depth interviews can be conveniently arranged to fit in with their busy work schedules. Marginalised or vulnerable audiences: Some audiences may feel less comfortable in a group setting and prefer a one-to-one interview. Encouraging honesty and capturing unbiased feedback. From interviews about debt, alcoholism and bereavement to software procurement processes and MedTech, there’s not much our sector experts haven’t covered before and all our researchers are trained in the art of in-depth interviewing. Our approach to in-depth interviews Choosing the right method: Once we have established that in-depth interviews are the right method for your project, we will recommend either online/video, telephone or in person interviews (or a combination). The specific approach will depend on the project objectives as well as budget, timescales and audience. For example, it may be important to gather rich contextual information, or utilise eye tracking technology, so we’ll visit respondents in their home or in a central location. Alternatively, online/video and telephone interviews remove geographical barriers and are typically more cost-effective and flexible. Recruiting the right people: Our in-house team will carefully recruit participants who match the desired criteria, whether that is based on demographics, behaviours, or attitudes. Whilst in-depth interviews are typically conducted one-to-one, we may recommend paired interviews, for example a couple or a child and parent. Thoughtful moderation: Our experienced moderators know how to put respondents at ease, build rapport and keep conversations on track. Our sector experts design discussion guides to ensure objectives are met. Actionable insight: We don’t just report what people say in interviews. We systematically review transcripts and recordings to identify recurring themes, patterns, and divergences in opinion. We look through a behavioural science lens and we uncover the insight that informs strategic decision-making. We then create engaging, visual reports using rich qualitative data such as video, audio, quotes and case studies to bring the findings to life, along with our carefully considered recommendations.

Explore our experience

Market research focus groups service shortcut image

Explore

Service:
Market research focus groups

Whether you're developing a new product, refining your messaging, or exploring emerging trends, focus groups offer a dynamic way to hear directly from your audience in their own words. Group settings are ideal for highlighting a range of behaviours and points of view between people and allow participants to build on each other’s views, attitudes, thoughts and feelings. They allow us to test and generate new ideas and offer a great setting for exploring stimuli such as advertising concepts, packaging, products and communications. Our tailored approach to focus groups Choosing the right method: Once we have established that groups are the right method for your project, we will recommend either online groups or in-person groups. This will depend on the project objectives as well as budget, timescales and audience. For example, in-person groups are crucial for testing physical product but online groups remove geographical barriers and can be more convenient for participants. We will also consider the ideal number of participants, duration and which engaging projective and enabling techniques will help us get the most out of each session. Recruiting the right people: Our in-house team will carefully recruit participants who match the desired criteria, whether that is based on demographics, behaviours, or attitudes. Thoughtful moderation: Our experienced moderators know how to ask the right questions, create a safe space for honest discussion, and keep conversations on track. We use projective and enabling techniques to push past ‘top of mind’ spontaneous responses and reveal how people really feel. Actionable insight: We don’t just report what people said in a focus group. We systematically review transcripts and recordings to identify recurring themes, patterns, and divergences in opinion. We look through a behavioural science lens and we uncover the insight that informs strategic decision-making. We then create engaging, visual reports using rich qualitative data such as video, audio, quotes and case studies to bring the findings to life, along with our carefully considered recommendations.

Explore our experience

Advertising effectiveness solution shortcut image

Explore

Solution:
Advertising effectiveness

Advertising that looks great doesn’t always perform great. A piece of advertising may generate high clicks rate, web traffic or impression volumes but has it made an impact on the consumer which will drive positive future behaviours? Brand strategists have suggested that it can be easy for organisations to over-invest in what’s easy to measure but they can under-invest in those harder to see factors that actually drives sales – loyalty and long-term brand value. At DJS Research we look beyond the numbers, and what’s immediately visible, to identify and understand the real impact of your advertising and translate these findings into actionable insight. Measuring advertising effectiveness isn’t just about scale of reach or volume of ads served. It’s about understanding how your message resonates with your audience; will they remember it later and will it motivate them to take action? In our fast-paced, multi-channel world, standing out isn’t enough, you need to be understood, preferable, and trusted. That’s where our advertising effectiveness research comes in: measuring not just what your audience saw, but what they did, felt, and believed as a result. Why is understanding advertising effectiveness important? You might get a million views on your advert, but if none of those people are convinced, engaged, or moved to act, what value has it delivered? Advertising effectiveness research addresses exactly this challenge. It helps you understand whether your creative, your messaging, and your media placement are achieving their intended goals, whether that’s boosting awareness, changing brand perception, increasing purchase intent, or delivering sales. Brands often struggle with unclear objectives, mixed signals, or missing links between spending and outcomes. Effectiveness research helps pinpoint where things are working and where they’re not. For example: Did it catch attention? Did it build memory? Was the message relevant? Or did your audience simply scroll past? It can also aid marketing decision-making and lead to wiser, better informed, budget allocations. Understanding the true impact of your advertising enables you to invest in the activities, channels and formats that will meet your business objectives. Long-term, it can support campaign optimisation, creative decisions and can lead to better alignment between a marketing team’s ambition and board member expectations. How do we approach advertising effectiveness research? At DJS Research, our approach blends the full range of quantitative and qualitative methods, tailoring each project to your objectives and audience. Quantitative research: We run post-campaign surveys to measure aided and unaided recall, brand lift, message take-out, and intent to purchase. We also carry out brand tracking and can use A/B testing, exposed vs. control group designs and behavioural science approaches to understand and measure the less visible impact of advertising on subconscious thoughts and behaviours. Qualitative research adds depth: Focus groups and depth interviews reveal how creative resonates, while online research communities provide a flexible, interactive platform to explore campaign reactions over time. These communities allow us to track engagement, test concepts iteratively, and capture feedback in real-world contexts. We can also apply innovative tools such as eye tracking technologies, which can show exactly where attention lands within your creative, whether in a TV spot, digital ad, or outdoor placement. By understanding what is both noticed and overlooked, we can fine-tune design and messaging to maximise cut-through. We can also use social listening and sentiment analysis to assess share of voice and campaign reach. With in-house fieldwork teams, a dedicated project manager, and director-level involvement throughout, we ensure projects are delivered with quality and care at every stage. Whether you need a snapshot survey turned around quickly or a deep-dive multi-market effectiveness tracker, we have the scale, expertise and flexibility to meet your requirements. What makes our approach different? At DJS Research, we don’t believe in measuring ads against generic benchmarks alone. Every campaign is different, with different objectives, audiences and creative challenges. That’s why we design our effectiveness research around your goals, delivering insight that’s relevant, actionable, and sector specific. Unlike pre-package, one-size-fits-all solutions, we create bespoke frameworks that reflect your market context. If your campaign aim is to drive immediate activation, we’ll focus on measuring behaviours like clicks, sign-ups or sales. If it’s about building long-term brand equity, we’ll track recall, associations and trust. And often it’s both, which is why our studies combine short-and long-term measures. We also pride ourselves on giving you more than numbers. Our researchers apply advanced analytics, from brand lift modelling to segmentation, to uncover exactly why some elements worked better than others. The result? Advertising effectiveness research that goes beyond reporting ROI delivering actionable insights which support the creation of campaigns that connect, persuade, and perform. Contact our team to discover how DJS Research can generate the actionable insight you need to optimise the effectiveness of your advertising.

Explore our experience

Campaign evaluation solution shortcut image

Explore

Solution:
Campaign evaluation

Every campaign represents significant investment – of time, budget and energy. But while short-term metrics like clicks or impressions are easy to count, they don’t always tell the full story. Campaign evaluation research digs far deeper than the numbers to explore how your activity actually achieved its objectives; how was your activity received by different audiences, where did it make the most impact and what learnings can be taken forward make your next campaign even more effective? What is campaign evaluation research? Campaign evaluation research is designed entirely to assess effectiveness. In this context effectiveness could mean measuring awareness, shifts in attitudes, engagement with messages, or the actions people take as a result of your campaign. At its core, campaign evaluation is about proving impact while harnessing insight to elevate and sharpen future activity. At DJS Research, we bring a flexible, evidence-led approach to evaluation projects. We work across sectors and media, from large-scale public information campaigns to highly targeted digital activity, selecting the best methods and techniques suited to your specific objectives. A successful campaign evaluation can… Demonstrate return on investment and accountability to stakeholders, funders or boards. Identify strengths and weaknesses, helping you refine strategy and messaging. Go beyond surface metrics to reveal genuine audience impact. Provide learnings you can apply immediately, not just for reporting purposes, but for actionable improvement. Examples of campaign evaluation studies Our evaluations are tailored to suit the campaign outputs and business needs of our clients. Some examples of projects we’ve conducted in this area include: Pre- and post-campaign tracking: Measuring awareness, attitudes and behaviours before and after a campaign to see what has changed. Brand lift studies: Isolating the effect of a campaign on brand perceptions and associations. Channel effectiveness analysis: Understanding which media channels delivered the strongest impact. Creative testing and resonance: Exploring how campaign messages, visuals or narratives were received and remembered. Longitudinal tracking: Assessing how campaigns contribute to long-term shifts in awareness, perception or behaviour. We combine a broad toolkit of methods, from large-scale quantitative surveys and advanced statistical modelling to qualitative interviews and online methods to deliver a rounded understanding of effectiveness. With experience evaluating campaigns across commercial, public sector and charity contexts, we ensure insights are not only robust, but directly relevant to your goals. Looking to understand the real impact of your campaign and how to make the next one even more effective? Get in touch with our team to start the conversation.

Explore our experience

Explore our case studies archive

Case study:
Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

London Business School

Featured in this case study: Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

The challenge

The objectives included identifying which creative concepts were most motivating and appealing for each programme type, and determining any potential refinements required to market the new programme.

The approach

Qualitative research can take many forms, but at its heart it is about understanding how and why. For example, how do people feel about a certain product, brand or a new idea? Why are sales down? Why is a marketing message not cutting through? Why are people behaving in a certain way and how can we change that? Qualitative research is about detail, depth and understanding, and can be used to explain data trends or patterns of human behaviour.

At DJS Research, our researchers have a wealth of experience moderating qualitative research, putting research participants at ease and exploring experiences, attitudes and behaviours to unlock those ‘golden nuggets’ of insight.

Methods in our qualitative toolkit

We develop a bespoke approach to meet each client’s objectives, but some commonly used methods in our qualitative toolkit include:

We draw on behavioural science to understand why people do what they do, not just what they say they do. We go beyond a basic question and answer format to examine the all-important context for decision-making, for example spending time with participants at home, observing their day-to-day life or asking them to complete a diary. We consider the behavioural biases at play and apply relevant frameworks or models to guide our analysis and recommendations.

Ultimately, by uncovering and sharing real life stories and applying our knowledge of human behaviour, we deliver deeper insights that impact our clients’ decision-making.

To find out more about our qualitative research capabilities, and discuss how we could craft a tailored solution to meet the specific needs of your organisation, contact us today.

The results

The research informed further discussion and development of both the MBA marketing strategy and the new course offering at LBS. The new course was scheduled for launch in 2025.

Client testimonial: London Business School

Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

Explore our testimonials archive

Market research case study: Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

London Business School

The challenge

The approach

The results

Client testimonial: London Business School

Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

Other areas you might find interesting...

Sector: Education

Specialism: Qualitative

Specialism: International

Service: Market research in-depth interviews

Service: Market research focus groups

Solution: Advertising effectiveness

Solution: Campaign evaluation

Case study: Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

London Business School

The challenge

The approach

The results

Client testimonial: London Business School

Education, Qualitative, International, Market research in-depth interviews, Market research focus groups, Advertising effectiveness, Campaign evaluation

Other areas you might find interesting...

Sector: Education

Specialism: Qualitative

Specialism: International

Service: Market research in-depth interviews

Service: Market research focus groups

Solution: Advertising effectiveness

Solution: Campaign evaluation

Market research case study:
Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

Sector:
Education

Specialism:
Qualitative

Specialism:
International

Service:
Market research in-depth interviews

Service:
Market research focus groups

Solution:
Advertising effectiveness

Solution:
Campaign evaluation

Case study:
Refining MBA marketing through alumni and student feedback

Sector:
Education

Specialism:
Qualitative

Specialism:
International

Service:
Market research in-depth interviews

Service:
Market research focus groups

Solution:
Advertising effectiveness

Solution:
Campaign evaluation