The automotive marketing company reached out to Manifold for help, knowing that Manifold’s collaborative and tech-forward approach to market research could quickly help them understand new market dynamics and the competitors involved.

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The engagement began with a broad look at competitors. Manifold used Pitchbook and CBInsight to amass a 250-company-long list of competitors in the automotive space, then turned to Speciate, Manifold's AI-powered market monitoring solution for support. With Speciate, Manifold was able to narrow the list based on a specific variable: the frequency of mention of the 250 companies in conjunction with car industry topics in news articles. The new list provided a manageable and meaningful competitor set for strategic decision-making.

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In parallel, Manifold searched for risks and threats by scanning news, articles, and publications of competitors and OEMs to determine new technologies that could threaten the company.

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A key to the successful outcome was interviews in close collaboration with the client. Manifold involved stakeholders throughout the project, delivering and presenting key insights during weekly calls and updates. The regular, open communication with the client allowed Manifold to refine its hypotheses throughout the engagement and leverage the client’s insider knowledge and experience.