WORK

DONNA MURPHY

DONNA@OURINSIDEVOICE.COM

case studies

Target had plans to open on the East Coast. Target was a big brand...in the Midwest. Virtually unknown in New York and surrounding areas – where there was just a disdain for big box shops that were moving in and changing neighborhoods. Donna and her team created a 2-prong strategy, ‘design for the masses’ that inspired James Hitchcock to create the Form & Function campaign, and for the actual store opening event: ‘Midwesterners have landed’. Which inspired Kuntz &Maguire’s hilarious and captivating campaign “Too Nice for New York.” The Menlo Park store is still the most successful launch east of the Mississippi for Target today.

What would happen if recorded stories embraced digital transformation? Audible arrived at this nascent moment. We asked: could listening be as captivating as watching HBO original series? Could ears steal eye-ball time? Would celebrities and a caliber of storyteller come to a listening platform? Research pointed to YES. And while consumers couldn’t quite imagine (this is pre-podcast world and pre-ubiquitous iPhones!) how engaging listening would become, we created a strategic position for Audible to chart a course on its revolutionary path to transform listening and become the darling of Amazon.

A growth spurt had begun for the small, privately owned beverage brand out of Long Island. Pre-internet, pre-social media, this was the best case study in the power and virality of word of mouth. And then we lit it on fire. By recognizing just that, a friend told a friend. Then that friend found “their” flavor. And like that, they had a stake in Snapple and spread the story. We replicated that love by leaning deeply into 100% Natural. The campaign featured real consumer letters, led by Wendy who actually answered the letters. We layered the traditional campaign with a first ever experiential campaign of answering letters in person. Result: Triple digit sales increases and the birth of “new age beverages” and massive competitive war.

The launch of the General Motors Credit Card instigated a small innovative arm of GM and revolutionized the credit card industry by ushering in affinity credit cards. The card was considered the most important introduction since the AT&T Universal Card. And set the stage for the advent of consumer-driven loyalty cards. While created to stave off car sales market share loss (a high of 45% share in the 1980’s, and facing a 35.4% to 34.9% drop in the eight month period leading tothe launch of the card. The GM Mastercard brought in ~3M holders with the notion “turning buying power into horsepower”.

clients

testimonials

Donna Murphy has a brilliant way of disarming consumers and gaining rapport to unlock why people feel/think/act the way they do.
Donna sees around corners to anticipate how consumers’ changing perceptions will influence their behaviors. She uncovers insights
and leverages data to guide brands, provoke strategic considerations,
and influence outcomes.

Marybeth Sullivan

former DSCA alum

I had the pleasure of working with Donna for six years at Discovery - working side by side across the global business. Donna is a hugely inspiring and collaborative leader. Her passion for understanding the consumer, and translating that understanding into actionable insight, is outstanding. Donna is also a great speaker and strives to ensure the business is open to listening and adaptive to change. I would strongly recommend working with Donna for creative and consumer strategy and storytelling.

Rachel Shaw

Portfolio Head of Audiences, BBC

Having worked closely with Donna Murphy over the last several years in a corporate environment, I can attest to not only her best-in-class leadership style and extensive expertise in all areas of global marketing, consumer behavior and research, but in her profound capability to create and innovate. I learned so much from her and often said: “Donna is my brain”. Donna’s passion, intellectual curiosity and drive to perform are evident from the start and are key contributors to the success of her established career in the media industry. Can’t say enough how instrumental Donna has been to our business and know she will do the same for yours...

David Leavy

DISCOVERY INC.

Her real skill isn’t just an ability to synthesise audience and executive insight to explain what’s going on, she’s also able to go steps further and help you understand why its happening, what’s likely to happen next and what could happen if you made particular interventions. Just as Covid19 and BLM turn old certainties on their heads InsideVoice is a timely aide to navigate the new normal.

Patrick Younge, Managing Director

CARDIFF PRODUCTIONS LIMITED, London, United Kingdom

I had the opportunity to work with Donna at critical point in Audible’s journey from technology brand to full fledged entertainment destination brand. She was able to combine the rigor of traditional research methodologies with the art of connecting the dots - of real human understanding and gaining strategic insights that helped articulate the important role that Audible could play in listeners’ lives. Her articulation formed the foundation of a powerful brand platform that has made Audible the household name it is today.

Shoshana Winter

Head of Strategy North America FCB Six

Donna really understands how to motivate and inspire a creative team. She takes the time to thoroughly understand the business need to come up with bespoke ways to help my team think differently. All of the workshops and offsites I have done with her over the years have led to great ideas and fresh thinking that took my teams in new creative directions.

Amy Savitsky

AETN

Donna is creative to her core. She sees widely and thinks deeply, allowing her to understand and anticipate cultural trends way ahead of the curve. She cares about people and relationships. Warm, engaging and real, Donna can inspire and bring together teams.

Elle Harrison

Founder, Wild Courage, Inc.

Everyone is swimming in information but few are armed with true understanding. Donna is a master at crafting data-backed narratives that unpack and explain the nature and dynamics of issues, categories and brands. Narratives that surface why consumers think, believe and behave as they do. Plain and simple, what Donna offers her clients is insight that equates to an extraordinary competitive advantage.

Pam Scott, Founder

THE CURIOUS COMPANY

I love, love, love working with Donna Murphy. It was her strategy that made the re-launch of Target the phenomenon that it is today. I get asked all the time what led to the completely innovative creative that drove the success of Target and my answer is simple, Donna Murphy's insight, research and creative brief that inspired all the work. She did it again while at Discovery breathing new life into Shark Week, Myth Busters, Deadliest Catch and launching our digital and social marketing efforts for the company. When I joined Esri, (the world’s largest global enterprise mapping soft-ware company), she was the first call I made. Her research and understanding of the world’s consumers and C-Suite executives helped us launch our first branding campaign to huge success. Donna has the unique ability to translate key insights so you can be more creative, while also being increasingly effective. I am beyond a fan, but someone who would highly recommend her to any organization that is looking to make a positive impact for themselves and the greater good.

James Hitchcock,

ESRI

Donna's insights are truly enlightening and often game changing. Donna is outstanding in terms of identifying the right data to use and extracting actionable insights, which make a true difference to your work.

Alexander Nielsen

Research Director, The Walt Disney Company Nordic