About

Managing Partner at Intensions Consulting, Nick Black's expertise is in market research and market psychology. He's lead research projects across North-America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific, for a wide range of Fortune 500 and non-profit clients. Nick holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Arts. His research findings have appeared in publications including the BBC, CBC, Daily Mail, Forbes, Toronto Star, and Vice News. His contact details can be found here.


What other people have to say:

"We've had the pleasure of working with Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting through our Movember funded Men's Depression & Suicide Network. As research partners, and external evaluators, they have played a substantive and valuable role in helping us to understand, measure and address public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide. I fully endorse and highly recommend the work of Intensions Consulting and look forward to our continuing partnership."

- Dr. John Oliffe, Professor, University of British Columbia

"I've worked with Nick on a number of projects and would work with him again at the drop of a heartbeat. His depth of knowledge and understanding of market research, market psychology and strategy is beyond impressive and his passion for it is contagious. Added to this, his ability to communicate the process, thinking and outcome of his work means clients aren't fogged by complex algorithms; instead they feel involved in the process, thinking and discussions that follow. I've seen clients totally blown away with the work he has presented and more so because new thinking like morphological research is (finally) giving us that human reality layer to research; a layer that's been missing for a long time and which ultimately, gives brands a tangible competitive advantage. I'd work with Nick again and am always thinking of ways I could get him involved with current projects, even though we have 9 hours time zones between us; Nick would make it happen!"

- Jon Haywood, Head of Strategy, Nomads Agency

"Research is critical to informing the creation and development of a brand and it takes a researcher who understands the complexity of brand development to set those wheels in motion. Thanks to the highly customized research approach Intensions Consulting produced and orchestrated for the Canada Beef global brand team, we were able to understand our key global markets in China, Japan, Mexico and at home in Canada in a whole new way. Intensions expertly guided us through an impressive array of statistics and provided our team with an interactive, collaborative and thought-provoking experience that will elevate our efforts for years to come. I look forward to more work with Intensions Consulting and I would be happy to recommend them."

- James Bradbury, Brand Officer, Canada Beef

"Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting have been a trusted source of research and insight for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. As research partners they have helped us define our strategic direction, refine our health promotion initiatives, and validate the impact of work across Canada. We're very happy to recommend Intensions Consulting and we thank them for helping us ‘Inspire Canadian Men to Live Healthy Lives'."

- Wayne Hartrick, President, Canadian Men's Health Foundation

"Working with the Nick and the team at Intensions was such a pleasure! Not only does Intensions bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in market research and psychology, but they also go above and beyond to ensure that you are satisfied. Many research studies have been conducted around the world on consumer preferences and buying behaviour in the agricultural field. However, none of these were quite like the research completed by Intensions for our organization and membership base. We learned not only what people think and how they behave, but also WHY they think what they do and how we can present information in an effective manner moving forward. The results from the work Intensions completed for us has gone a long way in informing our current practices and identifying a way forward."

- Dr. Angela Greter, Executive Director, Alberta Farm Animal Care

“It is with pleasure that I provide a recommendation for Nick Black. He was kind enough to serve as a guest lecturer for my Creativity in Business course at Simon Fraser University. The students LOVED him! He is all that you would expect from a professional and brings the added value of his passion for a psychological approach to business. His work is of strategic importance to any business that wants a competitive advantage."


Dr. Ginger Grant, Director of The Creativity Intelligence Lab, Simon Fraser University 

“Nick is a conceptual thinker who can articulate his thoughts and ideas well from board room directors to back room executives.”

Craig White, Head of Sales, 20th Century Fox

“Nick, through his work at Concerto Marketing, provided an unequaled depth of knowledge and insight into our target market. The techniques and methods he used have shone a brand new light into my view of consumer marketing.”

Bradley Hughes, CRM Senior Advisor, Consumer Global CRM, Dell

“Nick Black represents a new breed of marketing researcher. He utilizes the innovative tool of Morphology to bring a new perspective to consumer research. As a presenter at our conference in 2008 he had the audience on the edge of their seats. He guided them through the process, analysis and then utilization of the information that ultimately would bring them closer to their customers. I would highly recommend him and I look forward to working with him again.”

Paula Gray, Vice-President & Co-Founder, AIPMM

“If you are considering engaging Nick to speak to your group, book him now! Nick presented at the MN QRCA Chapter meeting in March, 2012 in Minneapolis and I was so glad to have attended. His presentation style is interactive, entertaining and brimming with highly actionable information. His topic, “The Six Drivers of Trust” helped me understand the ethereal, physiological brain response to trust signals and the other, tangible evidence that builds trust – which is vital to establishing, growing, and maintaining client relationships.” 

- Rosemary Sundin, President, Orman Guidance Research

“Nick Black's work on the adult milk drinkier in Alberta has provided a fresh and intriguing look at who is drinking milk and what has impacted on this habit. Having never used morphological research before, I really appreciated Nick's expertise to help us understand it better and to understand how it could be used in developing our messaging and our campaigns. All of my team who have worked with Nick are impressed with his passion, insight, and his ability to communicate the results. The results were clearly interpreted and we are a 100% satisfied with his work. I look forward to working with Nick again!” 

- Katherine Loughlin, Market Development Manager, Alberta Milk 


“It is with pleasure that I recommend Nick from Concerto. They came in to help us with a market study and marketing plan. Nick drove the process. He was professional, easy going, a great listener and clearly very knowledgeable in his field. The theories used to help us in our planning process was unique and very insightful. As a group we were impressed with the final result and look forward to continuing our working relationships with Nick and his team.” 


Kataneh SherkatHuman Resources Consultant, Western Management Consultants


“Since 2006, Nick has managed a number of brand strategy projects across the Sensis portfolio including work on the Sensis corporate brand and portfolio brands 1234 and Whereis. Despite tight timelines and business challenges, he has produced brand strategy that is creative, motivating and measurable - aligned to Sensis business objectives. From my experience, working with Nick has been an enjoyable, engaging and productive process that I’m only too happy to recommend.” 


- Nicky Ginger, Brand & Communication Insight Manager, Sensis

“Nick Black's work on the Eat Together project has been ground breaking and profound. Nick's talent with morphological research helped us discover how we eat… All of us who've worked with Nick are impressed with his passion, insight, and his ability to communicate the results. We are a 100% satisfied with his work.”

Liz Gurszky, Director of Communication & Market Development, BC Dairy Foundation

“Nick is a passionate and dedicated marketing strategist whom I was fortunate to engage on a number of brand strategy and innovation projects. Nick’s expertise in the generation and translation of proprietary consumer insights into strategic growth plans was highly evident in the execution of these projects… I recommend Nick’s services without reservation and look forward to the opportunity to work with Nick again in the future.”

Justine Carroll, Category Marketing Manager, PZ Cussons

“Nick completed a number of shopper research presentations for me and his attention to detail and professionalism is without question. I would highly recommend Nick without hesitation.”

Danny Athans, General Manager, Strategy & Customer Relations, Coca-Cola Amatil

“Nick consulted to the White Pages Product and Marketing group to develop a needs based framework for a product pipeline initiative. His dedication to the task and pursuit of useful outcomes, grew our knowledge of the needs of our consumers exponentially. His willingness to quickly understand our business and work within its complexities, creativity, enthusiasm and can-do attitude made him a pleasure to do business with.”

Adrian Fennell, Strategy Manager, Yellow & White Pages, Sensis