Before You Decide, Ask Ditto

A new approach to qualitative research for commodity boards, designed for decisions that move too fast for traditional methods. When you need to understand how people really think about your claims, messages, or decisions before they become public, Ditto gives you the clarity to move forward with confidence. This is qualitative research designed for the decisions that keep you up at night. The ones that matter too much to guess, but move too fast for a six-month study.

The Problem

You represent an entire category. Your decisions are scrutinized by producers, boards, stakeholders, the media, and the public. And increasingly, you're navigating issues that are emotionally charged—health claims, sustainability, trust. You can't afford to get it wrong. But traditional research is slow, expensive, and often impractical for the questions that arise in real time. What if you could ask before you decide? What if you could test a claim before releasing it? Understand how trade audiences will interpret a policy shift? Explore international perceptions before entering a new market? That's what Ditto does.

Decision maker navigating complex challenges

What Ditto Does

Ditto is a synthetic qualitative research platform for consumer insights that lets you have structured, exploratory conversations with carefully constructed panels of consumers, trade audiences, and stakeholders—anywhere in the world. It's designed to support the real work behind decisions - not to replace your judgment, but to inform it while ideas are still being shaped.

See Real Research Studies

How teams use Ditto

Test messages and claims across different audiences+

Ask the same question to a group and see where opinions align, diverge, or break down across consumers, trade audiences, or international markets.

Go deeper when something doesn't add up+

Move from group responses into one-on-one exchanges. Follow up. Probe. Understand what's underneath the first answer.

Test visual content and creative+

Upload ads, social posts, images, or campaign materials and explore how people react. See what stands out, what feels confusing, and what emotional response it creates.

Explore sensitive or uncomfortable topics honestly+

Ask about trust, confusion, fatigue, health worries, sustainability skepticism, and other topics people often soften or avoid when they feel observed.

Get clear takeaways you can actually use+

Insights are organized into themes, direct quotes, and observations you can share internally—helping teams align before a direction is finalized.

This is qualitative research designed to work at the speed and complexity of real decisions, while there's still time to adjust. You'll leave with clear themes, direct quotes, and a shareable summary your team can use in meetings, campaigns, board presentations, and agency briefs.

The questions that keep you up at night

Ditto works best with open, exploratory questions—the kind that help you understand why people think the way they do, not just how many think it. These are the types of questions commodity boards ask most often:

When you need to know how messages are actually landing.

What do people think this message means?
Where are they confused or skeptical?
What assumptions are we making that don't hold?
How does this align—or clash—with what they already believe?

When you need to know what feels believable.

Which claims feel credible—and which feel overstated?
What language increases trust? What triggers doubt?
Where does confidence break down?
What would make this feel more honest or grounded?

When you need to understand the gut response.

What's the first emotional reaction to this idea?
What feels reassuring? What feels irritating?
What would make someone lean in—or tune out?
If you were explaining this to a friend, what would you say?

When you need to test how to say something.

Which framing resonates with this audience?
What words feel natural vs. 'marketing speak'?
What parts would they repeat in their own words?
What's the one thing they'd remember tomorrow?

When you need to surface what people won't say out loud.

What makes this feel like more effort than it's worth?
What objections aren't being voiced directly?
What feels uncomfortable or embarrassing to admit?
What would have to change for this to feel relevant?

When you need to understand how reactions vary.

How do consumers vs. trade audiences think about this differently?
How do perceptions shift across generations or regions?
Where does alignment break down internally?
What works in one market but fails in another?

You can also test visual content—ads, social posts, infographics, campaign materials—and ask how people react.

What do you notice first?
What feels confusing or distracting?
What emotion does this create?
What feels believable—and what feels staged?

These aren't the only questions you can ask—they're just the most common starting points. If you're not sure how to frame a question, that's part of what the demo is for. We'll help you translate what you need to know into questions that get you useful answers.

Reach the audiences that matter

Access the perspectives you need, when you need them: • Consumers by generation, lifestyle, or attitude • Grocery buyers and retail decision-makers • Foodservice operators and chefs • Manufacturers and ingredient buyers • Dietitians and health professionals • Farmers, producers, and industry stakeholders • International trade audiences across priority markets If an audience matters to your work, we can build it. And because personas are grounded in real demographic, behavioral, and category data—not generated randomly—the conversations feel familiar to teams used to traditional qualitative research.

Diverse audiences across food and agriculture

Why the Insights Feel Different

In traditional qualitative research, people are influenced by group dynamics, moderators, time pressure, and the desire to sound informed or agreeable. On sensitive topics—health, sustainability, trust—they're even more careful.

Ditto removes those pressures.

How personas are built: Ditto's personas are calibrated against real demographic, behavioral, and category data—not generated randomly or imagined. The platform is built on peer-reviewed research and ongoing validation against real-world benchmarks, designed to complement, not replace, traditional research methods.

It gives you the qualitative depth similar to focus groups—without the logistics, recruiting, or social performance.

Synthetic panels don't need to impress anyone or protect their identity. They can explore confusion, skepticism, fatigue, mistrust, and uncomfortable truths without hesitation.

The result? Insight that often feels clearer—and sometimes more revealing—than expected.

This isn't about replacing traditional research. It's about filling the gap where decisions actually happen—between the big studies, when clarity matters most.

How It Fits Into Real Decisions

Ditto isn't just for research teams. It's designed to support the way commodity boards actually work:

Before board meetings: Test messaging or explore stakeholder reactions.

During campaign development: Validate claims and identify confusion before creative is finalized.

When questions arise: Get clarity on trade perceptions, international markets, or category trends without waiting months.

Alongside traditional research: explore early-stage ideas with Ditto, then validate with larger quantitative studies.

This is qualitative research designed to be used while decisions are still forming—not after they're finalized.

How to Get Started

Most teams begin in one of two ways:

Managed Research Study (Pilot)

A guided engagement where 6 Seeds designs and runs a focused qualitative study.

What's included:

One-month engagement
Up to 15 study questions
Audience and study design support
Clear, shareable outputs
Investment: Starting at $5,000

Annual Platform Access

Ongoing access for teams that want qualitative insight available year-round.

What's included:

One-year access to the platform
Training for key staff
Self-directed exploration across audiences and markets
Investment: Starting at $35,000/year

Both paths begin the same way: a conversation, a demo, no obligation.

Need a presentation for internal use?

If you need to present Ditto to internal stakeholders, we've prepared two ready-to-share files that explain the platform, its benefits, and how it works.

Download as PowerPoint Download as PDF

Ready to See It in Action?

If you're facing decisions where perception, trust, or reaction matters: Book a free demo We'll walk through real examples relevant to your category—and help you decide if this approach makes sense for your organization.

About the Platform

The 6 Seeds Synthetic Research Platform is operated under license by 6 Seeds Consulting, a strategy, communications, and research firm focused exclusively on food and agriculture.

We don't approach research as an abstract exercise. We approach it as part of decision-making in real organizations, under real constraints.

That perspective shapes how the platform is designed, how studies are structured, how insights are delivered, and how teams are supported.

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this qualitative or quantitative research?+

Qualitative. Ditto is designed for understanding why—not measuring how many. It complements quantitative research by providing depth, context, and early signal.

How is this different from traditional focus groups?+

Ditto removes the social pressures that shape traditional focus group behavior—group dynamics, moderator influence, and the desire to appear informed. This often results in more honest, revealing responses, especially on sensitive topics.

Can I test visual content?+

Yes. You can upload images, ads, social posts, or other creative materials and explore how audiences respond.

What audiences can I reach?+

Any audience relevant to food and agriculture—consumers, trade buyers, foodservice operators, manufacturers, dietitians, farmers, international stakeholders. If an audience matters to your mandate, we can usually build it.

How long does a study take?+

Timelines are measured in days or weeks, not months. Most studies deliver initial insights within 1–2 weeks.

Who owns the data?+

You do. Client inputs and outputs remain confidential, with secure access and optional data deletion upon request.

How do I know the insights are reliable?+

Personas are grounded in real demographic, psychographic, and category data. The platform is designed for qualitative direction and early signal—not statistical forecasting. It's meant to complement, not replace, traditional research.

What if I need help designing the study?+

That's what the Managed Research Study (Pilot) is for. 6 Seeds will work with you to design the study, run the conversations, and deliver clear, shareable outputs.

Can I use Ditto for international markets?+

Yes. The platform supports priority international markets, export-focused audiences, and region-specific contexts.

What does it cost?+

Pilots start at $5,000. Annual platform access starts at $35,000/year. Pricing varies based on scope, audiences, and level of support.