About
Martin & Stowe was founded in 1991 in San Mateo, California and is now located in Portland, Oregon. Martin & Stowe provides a full range of qualitative research services to US and international clients.
We specialize in focus groups and in-depth discussions conducted wherever your audience is best engaged or observed: traditional focus group, at home/work/play, on the phone or over the Web.
The focus of the company is providing clients with the kind of consumer understanding and powerful strategic thinking they need to propel their businesses and organizations forward.
On every project, clients work directly with one of the principals of the company.
Our Guiding Principles
We have three guiding principles that drive our approach
across projects.
- We believe in fostering a close working
relationship with our clients. - We bring a commitment to excellence
to every project we undertake. - We strive to make every project an efficient
and seamless endeavor for the client.
Carol Martin
Carol founded Martin & Stowe, along with partner Marshall Stowe, in 1991. The firm has grown to be a respected partner to corporations and, more recently, cultural organizations in helping them to fashion strategies that speak to real consumer needs.
Prior to forming Martin & Stowe, Carol was Vice President and senior research/planning executive at the advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco. In her years at FCB she directed the research on many accounts including Clorox and Levi Strauss.
Throughout her career Carol has focused her energies on delving deeply into the minds of consumers, uncovering both the emotional as well as rational components of decision making. By merging keen consumer insights with her own vision, she has helped many Fortune 500 companies, smaller start-ups and non-profit organizations develop highly successful products, advertising, brand identities and marketing programs.
When she’s not working, Carol enjoys the arts, loves to walk, hike and bike and is trying to master the coordination skills, it takes to play the accordion.
Carol has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in Art History from the University of Michigan.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
Marshall Stowe
Marshall founded Martin & Stowe, with Carol Martin, in 1991. Since then he has conducted thousands of in-depth conversations with consumer and business-to-business targets in focus groups and in-depth interviews. He is also a skilled meeting facilitator, and works with high level clients to accomplish their goals.
Prior to forming Martin & Stowe, Marshall honed his marketing expertise in the financial sector. He launched his career with CitiBank and then went on to introduce a number of highly successful products in retail banking and trade finance for major regional financial institutions.
Regardless of the product or category, Marshall approaches each project with a keen intuitive grasp of issues and an ability to cut to the core of what motivates the consumer. It is this mix of talents that allows Marshall to work very effectively with clients to deliver products, marketing and advertising programs that respond to real consumer or business needs.
In his free time, Marshall loves to read fiction and non-fiction, mess around with new apps or anything new online and let his dog take him for long walks.
Marshall earned his MA and BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University.