Sam Eady

As Head of Research at Wrapped, Sam leads the agency’s research team, uncovering the audience, market and competitor insights that inform brand, marketing and digital strategy. His expertise spans audience profiling, search behaviour, competitor analysis, brand research, social listening and AI search, bringing together different sources of evidence to understand how people think, search, make decisions and respond to brands.

Sam and his team specialise in turning complex research findings into clear, actionable insights. Rather than relying on assumptions or looking at individual data sources in isolation, they examine how audience needs, search trends, competitor activity and wider market behaviour connect. This helps clients understand where opportunities exist, what barriers may be preventing people from taking action and how their marketing can respond more effectively.

Their research is particularly valuable in healthcare, financial services, charities and other complex or regulated sectors, where audiences can be highly specific and the subjects being communicated are often sensitive or difficult to understand. Sam recognises that traditional search data doesn’t always reveal the full picture, particularly when audiences use different language from the industry or when a product, service or concept is relatively new. By combining search analysis with audience research, social listening and other behavioural signals, his team develops a more complete understanding of what people need and how they express those needs.

An example of this approach is Wrapped’s campaign for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, developed to encourage people experiencing gut health concerns to recognise symptoms, access reliable information and take steps towards diagnosis. Sam led the research underpinning the campaign, working with his team to investigate audience behaviours, search patterns, competitor activity and the barriers that can prevent people from seeking help.

The challenge was particularly sensitive. People experiencing gut symptoms may feel embarrassed discussing them, dismiss their concerns or struggle to understand when medical advice is needed. Sam and his team’s research helped establish how different audiences, including adults with symptoms, parents concerned about their children and healthcare professionals, approached the subject and what information they needed. These insights informed the campaign’s messaging, creative direction and channel strategy, helping the wider agency develop communications that were accessible, relevant and sensitive to the audience.

The resulting campaign combined creative development, digital advertising, website content and targeted media activity to encourage people to use Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s resources. In one month, the wider campaign generated 699,913 advertising impressions, 11,243 website sessions and 929 resource downloads, demonstrating how research-informed marketing can help turn awareness into meaningful action.

As Head of Research, Sam also leads the team’s exploration of how changes in search technology are influencing the way people discover and evaluate information. Their work considers both traditional search engines and AI-powered platforms, including how brands are represented in generative search results, what questions audiences are asking and how emerging search behaviours can inform content, digital strategy and brand visibility.

For Sam, the advantage of working within a full-service agency is that research doesn’t end when a report is delivered. He and his team work directly with Wrapped’s brand strategists, creatives, communications specialists and digital teams to ensure insights influence the decisions that follow. Equally, those teams can challenge the research with questions emerging from campaign development, content planning and performance data. This creates an ongoing exchange between research and delivery, allowing Sam’s team to test assumptions, identify new opportunities and keep marketing decisions grounded in evidence.