Original research and reviews of the academic literature. All here for free - no email required.
Research library
Annual research
B2B Echo Chamber
The B2B Echo Chamber is our flag ship research.
2025’s edition saw 1,007 professional services companies from across the UK audited for their go-to-market messaging and market positioning.
The big findings were:
38% of companies rely on the words “business”, “legal” or “services” in their homepage headlines e.g. “business solutions” or “management services.”
55% of professional services companies don’t address the reader in their top-line messaging.
On average, firms talk about themselves as much as they talk to their audience (1:1), which is far from the recommended 1:3 ratio.
Academic and industry literature reviews
One third of UK marketers don’t have formal training in marketing - making marketing one of the least qualified professions, following HR and journalism.
These literature reviews bring together more than 80 years of academic thinking about positioning, differentiation, buyer and purchasing psychology, and effective, defensible, price increases.
All carefully reviewed and edited to provide you with access to the best thinking - all beautifully packaged and imminently readable.
The decline of skilled marketers
The decline of skilled marketers in the United States and United Kingdom Marketing is haemorrhaging capability. Over 60% of marketers say their team can't measure effectiveness, 88% of UK employers couldn't find the skills they needed last year, and almost half the workforce has no access to training. The result: declining effectiveness across every major dataset, billions wasted on dull creative ($189 billion in the US alone), and a profession that's younger, cheaper, and less experienced than the work demands. Read online.
The case for market positioning
The psychology of pricing in professional services A 5% price increase yields roughly 22% more operating profit, yet only 15% of companies conduct systematic pricing research. This report draws on decades of academic work to show how buyers use price, brand, and non-price signals to judge quality. 86% of B2B buyers see no real difference between suppliers, which forces decisions down to cost. Firms that credibly signal differentiation command higher, more resilient premiums. Read online.
Why your message isn’t landing
The real cost of not being different Only 5% of brands are considered unique by buyers. The rest compete on price or luck. This report quantifies what that costs: a 1% price improvement drives 6–14% more operating profit, yet 85% of B2B leaders admit their pricing needs work and only 15% have the tools to act. Meaningful difference accounts for 94% of pricing power. If buyers can't tell you apart from competitors, you're paying for it in every deal you don't win. Read online.
Purchasing psychology in professional service
Purchasing psychology in professional services Your buyer can't assess what you're selling before they've bought it. 86% of B2B buyers perceive no real difference between suppliers, and 40–60% of qualified opportunities end in no decision at all. This report maps five psychological forces (loss aversion, signalling theory, cognitive load, social proof, and price-quality perception) to show how a differentiated brand reduces buyer risk and gives the prospect the confidence to choose. Read online.
The real cost of not being different
The case for market positioning Positioning is the most consequential strategic decision a professional services firm can make. 90% of B2B purchases go to vendors already in the buyer's mind; half of B2B brands are mistaken for competitors in advertising. Firms that pursue undifferentiation actively damage their brand outcomes. High-growth firms are nearly three times more likely to have a strong differentiator. This report covers five decades of academic and industry evidence proving positioning drives measurable commercial returns. Read online.
Why your message isn't landing Six peer-reviewed studies, covering 51 million social media posts, 1,007 company audits, and 85 separate research papers, point to the same conclusion: messaging effectiveness depends on alignment between organisational strategy, message framing, and audience psychology. When all three are in sync, impact on brand perception and purchase intent multiplies. Read online.
The psychology of pricing in professional services
Access a database of more than 8,000 professional services firms
As well as a growing library of research and literature reviews, we maintain a database of more than 8,000 pan-european professional services companies. This lets our clients benchmark themselves against the entirety of their category to see exactly how their market position stacks up - and whether they’re a head of, or behind, the competition.
Database access is currently exclusive to Soba: Private Label clients.
Want to discuss the research?
Whether you want to organise a readout or discuss how the research impacts your business, we’re here to talk.
Just send through an email telling us what you need and we’ll set up a call.