The best brands do not guess at their consumer. They know them. Beyond exists because that kind of knowing — deep, cultural, human — is harder to find than it should be. Most research tells brands what they already suspect. We built something different.
Beyond is a global strategic insight and brand strategy company. We are the strategic insight partner to the world's most influential brands — helping them understand what is emerging, define direction, and decide what to create, what to say, and where to win next. We were founded in 2024 by Kelsey Hones and Nicola Strange. Between them, Kelsey and Nicola bring decades of experience in qualitative research, cultural strategy, and brand development across global markets. They have built Beyond into a company that operates at the highest level of the industry — working with brands like Nike, lululemon, The LEGO Group, Netflix, On Running, and Coca-Cola on the decisions that matter most. Beyond is headquartered in London and Los Angeles, with a hub in Shanghai and a global delivery network spanning more than 30 markets.
Kelsey is a former competitive soccer player whose career in consumer research grew out of a genuine obsession with understanding people — what drives them, what they care about, and what earns a place in their lives. As Managing Director, Kelsey ensures every project and piece of work Beyond delivers is run seamlessly and to the highest standard — the operational rigour that turns great research into great outcomes. She spends her time outside work trail running, hiking, and living in the world that Beyond researches.
Nicola is a former competitive swimmer who brings the same discipline she applied in the pool to the rigour of her research practice. Nicola is one of the most respected qualitative researchers working in sport and culture today — known for the quality of her thinking, the depth of her consumer understanding, and her ability to translate complex insight into strategic clarity that brand teams can act on. Like Kelsey, she is personally obsessed with sport, health, and the cultures that grow up around them.
Together, Kelsey and Nicola are not observers of the world they research. They live in it. That is not a small thing. It is the reason Beyond's work has a quality that is hard to replicate — a genuine insider understanding of sport culture, athletic identity, performance, wellness, and the consumer behaviours that surround them.
Beyond is a centre of excellence for consumer culture. We believe the most consequential insights come from going deeper — not wider. We work exclusively in qualitative research, by design. Not because quantitative data is not useful, but because the question that precedes the data — why does this consumer think and behave the way they do — is the one that actually changes decisions. That is the question we are built to answer. We do not report what has already happened. We identify what is emerging, translate it into strategic direction, and help brands move before the market catches up. Our work is qualitative-only, fast, and embedded. We are not a research supplier that hands over a report and moves on. We are a strategic partner that stays close until the insight has actually changed something.
Beyond operates from London and Los Angeles with a hub in Shanghai. We regularly deliver work across more than 30 markets — including Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, Sydney, Mexico City, São Paulo, Singapore, Beijing, Vancouver, Chicago, Miami, and Dubai. Global reach is not an aspiration for us. It is the reality of how we work every day.
Our curated network of industry icons, cultural practitioners, athletes, academics, and category experts across product and culture. The Black Book gives us access to perspectives that cannot be found through standard research recruitment — people at the leading edge of the categories our clients care about most. It spans more than 30 markets and is one of the things that makes Beyond's research genuinely different.
Our editorial platform, connecting cultural signals with commercial consequence. Tomorrow's Tomorrow publishes original essays and analysis on the intersection of culture, sport, and brand strategy — covering topics from sportswear fabrics and the rise of the C-suite athlete to women's economic power, biohacking, and brand behaviour in the attention economy. It is read by senior brand and strategy leaders who want to stay ahead of what is coming.
Sport and performance. Culture and lifestyle. Beauty and wellness. Entertainment and streaming. Consumer goods and retail. Technology. Within sport: running, trail running, basketball, football, soccer, golf, tennis, yoga, gym and lifting, pilates and studio culture, hiking, active lifestyle, athleisure, and loungewear. And increasingly, the categories growing up alongside sport — biohacking, health optimisation, sports nutrition, longevity, and performance culture. We work with CMOs, Heads of Strategy, Brand Directors, VPs of Product, Directors of Innovation, and Consumer Insights leads at the world's most competitive companies. The common thread is not the category or the geography. It is the quality of the question — and the need for insight that is robust enough to act on.
Closer to your consumer. Clearer on your direction. If you are deciding what to create, what to say, or where to win next — we are here to talk. hello@studiobeyond.co studiobeyond.co
30+ markets delivered globally 2 locations — London and Los Angeles 1 hub — Shanghai Clients across sport, culture, lifestyle, beauty, entertainment, consumer goods, and technology Founded 2024 by Kelsey Hones and Nicola Strange