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Our 12 Stats of Christmas… and a partridge in a paw tree

December 17, 2021


It’s been another wild and successful year for Painted Dog, and as we wrap up the year that was, we want to take the chance to thank all our clients, suppliers and everyone else who helped make 2021 such a special year. 

In the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, we’ve compiled our own aptly named 12 stats of Christmas to cover off what we consider the highlights of Painted Dog Research’s year. Have a read below and check out some of the big things we’ve been up to, on and off the field. 


One exciting year of more growth and innovation 

What a year! 2021 has been another busy, exciting, dynamic year of growth and success for Painted Dog. Our pack has grown, we’ve worked on a tonne of cool projects and continued to innovate and stay across the latest thinking and tech in our industry. By our own standards, this year has been a record-breaker: 


Two new Painted Dog babies to love and spoil  

This year, our pack has grown in more ways than one! We’re blessed that two gorgeous Painted Pups have been brought into the world (well, one at the time of publication, with the second due any day!). Congratulations to Andrew and Alex on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl Alicia in August. Their little one is settling into life in Germany and already shadowing her Dad to become a mini data-tech genius. Also we can’t wait to celebrate with our lovely Aimee and her hubby Tim when their bundle of joy arrives (any day now – get your bets in quick for whether they’re having a girl or boy!).


Three new locations we’re based around the world

While Perth has been the home of Painted Dog, we haven’t been (and never will be) limited by geographic borders! Our team is now operating out of three additional locations. Andrew has been managing the Data Tech division from Germany, and has helped us leverage the latest innovations and provided ongoing services to our clients while we’re all asleep. Liam will be working from Canada for 12 months to mix market research with all things outdoor adventure. And Scotty, who has spent the last five or so years working in a variety of agencies has re-joined the pack to head up our Melbourne office…and it’s already growing (watch this space)!

We’re very proud that we can support our pack wherever life takes them, but still have them as essential parts of our team. We all adjusted to WFH (working from home) here and there, and now we look forward to getting used to WFG, WFM and WFC! When can we visit?!


Four projects completed per week

We mentioned it was a massive year – and we’ve got the stats to prove it! Across the company we’ve completed an average of four projects PER WEEK this year! Phew! That’s a lot of proposals, questionnaires, discussion guides, analyses, reports and presentations! Our projects have spanned a broad range of sectors and industries including Agriculture & Food, Arts & Community, Education, Insurance & Finance, Local Government, Media, Pharmaceutical, Property & Construction, Resources, Retail, Social & Health, Sport & Leisure, Transport, Telecommunications, Tourism & Events and Utilities… (and more! Phew that’s a lot of sectors). We’ve considered ourselves lucky to have had so many awesome clients to work with who trust us with their research. We’re super proud that our clients have kept coming back to us to do more and more! Bring on next year, can we make it five a week?!


Five big life moments – new homes, engagements and more!

This year, as well as being at the top of our game on the field, we’ve been at the top of our game off it too. Our team has been kicking goals all year long and at Painted Dog we love to celebrate personal milestones just as much as professional ones (if not more!).

  1. Zachary, Thomas, Matthew M and Vienna have flown the coop and set themselves up in their own places to call home.
  2. Michelle, Nick and Noah have taken the plunge into the property market and bought new homes!
  3. Nicole has landed a nice big rock on her finger.
  4. Ivan and Tara have graduated university with flying colours.
  5. Hayley had a beautiful wedding and danced all night.

We love to see our team grow and we’re excited for the upcoming chapters in all our Dog’s lives.


Six continents we’ve conducted global research in

In a time when planes and people can’t cross borders, we’ve found that research can! While proudly Australian, here at Painted Dog we’ve been busy conducting research on a global scale. Our research this year has spanned a whopping six continents (if anyone plans on expanding their operations to Antarctica, let us know!)! From grain in Africa, to consultancy in Europe, to minerals in the Americas – we’ve truly gone global. Painted Dog is about making a positive difference and while we still do that on the local and domestic front, we’re proud to have explored international markets to help our clients on their respective global missions!


Seven key ways we’ve kept our bodies and minds healthy

Every day at Painted Dog we’ve been checking in on our pack to ensure we we’re fighting fit and keeping ourselves (mind and body!) happy and healthy. This year we’ve gone above and beyond to look after one another:

  1. Looked after ourselves physically from morning runs to lunchtime walks around Lake Monger.
  2. Physically tested ourselves in some new and fun PDsports (you name it we’ve most likely tried it – lawn bowls, rock climbing, laser tag, croquet… you get the picture).
  3. Filled our social calendar with fun events to get out of the office…or just any excuse for a morning tea.
  4. Taking well-deserved days off throughout the year through our famous Dogs Days Off (DDOs).
  5. Had lunch in the local parks while throwing around a frisbee.
  6. Added in a relaxing office massages.
  7. Rolled-out a policy to help manage busy workloads which ensured all the Dogs kept a healthy work-life balance.

…and the list goes on! We know how important both physical and mental health is and did all we could to support and uplift the team every day.


Eight in 10 proposals won

This year has felt as busy as they come – and it’s no wonder when you’ve won more than eight in ten proposals submitted! We’ve thrown our hat in the ring for commercial, not-for-profit and government projects throughout Australia and the office ‘win’ bell has been ringing non-stop this year! It even got to the point where some began to wonder if they had tinnitus! What we’ve been able to achieve this year wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, passion and competitive spirit of the entire pack!


Nine new pack members who have joined our vibrant team

The pack continued to grow with both new and old (well, returning) dogs – who said you can’t teach old dogs new tricks! This year we welcomed NINE new members to the team. We told you it was a big year! Matt Scott made his return to the pack but now lives in Melbourne and some young pups have joined the pack too. From newbie PDR consultants (Matty Mo, Thomas, Noah, Tara, Hayley, Catherine and Alex) to fresh data techies (Zach) – we’ve welcomed a mix of both graduates and industry veterans to the team. In a busy year, they’ve all hit the ground running – however, not all of them have completed their initiation task of bringing in some baked treats within their first week. We’re expecting a smorgasbord of sweet delights on our first day back next year…


Ten critical social issues we’ve made a positive impact in

Our research has made a big impact on some major social and health issues.  We’ve loved getting the chance to work with our clients on these important topics that have also supported our vision to create a positive difference in everything we do. This year, we’ve worked with community, not for profit, federal and state government to help identify opportunities, build services and evaluate outcomes feeding into public policy and cabinet discussions – across a heap of areas:

  1. Mental health and wellbeing – we’ve worked with community and government mental health organisations to help them identify opportunities, build services and evaluate outcomes for mental health
  2. Vaccination sentiment and uptake – we’ve helped understand Australian’s sentiment throughout the pandemic and towards vaccinations to feed into Cabinet discussions and public policy decisions
  3. Preparing for future pandemics– we’ve helped understand how Australians are interacting with each other, to forecast (and be better prepared) on how future pandemics may spread in the community
  4. Aged care services – we’ve informed aged care service providers on industry perceptions and identified areas for future improvement in this quickly evolving (and ever-important) industry
  5. Problem gambling – we’ve helped to determine the key drivers of problem gambling behaviours and informed strategies to minimise risk and harm across the WA community
  6. Animal welfare – we’ve measured community attitudes towards animal welfare and informed funding priorities
  7. Disability services – we’ve helped to optimise online content, format and accessibility for those who are deafblind, to create equal access to information and ensure a positive user experience
  8. Aboriginal community wellbeing – we’ve measured the effectiveness of public campaigns aimed at improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths
  9. Children’s nutrition / physical health – we’ve helped in developing programs aimed at supporting healthy eating and drinking outcomes for parents, coaches and children involved in junior sports
  10. Environmental conservation – we’ve engaged the community to learn how we can improve waste management practices and the environmental implications of new infrastructure

…and the list goes on! We look forward to another year of meaningful research and genuinely helping make lives, communities, and the world better.


Eleven months of making media headlines

We’ve taken great pride in uncovering insights for our clients but we’ve also enjoyed keeping our finger on the pulse to keep West Aussies up to date on important issues going on around us. From changing support on border closures, sentiment towards vaccination and approval ratings of our leaders through to changing the Australia Day date and support for a 2050 net zero emissions policy, we’ve polled, surveyed and spoken to thousands and thousands of West Australians throughout the year as part of our People’s Voice survey.  Special thanks to RewardingViews.com.au for making these surveys possible and for Seven West Media for giving them a voice!

Due to the importance of our work, both The West Australian and Seven West Media have gotten our findings in front of the community. Almost every month this year, we’ve been in the paper or on TV – with two spots on Flashpoint (including a panel appearance by our very own Justin Scerri), half a dozen mentions on Sunrise and over 20 articles and front pages in The West Australian, it’s safe to say you’ve probably seen or heard us in the news over the past 12 months!


Twelve more months of fun together!

We’ve loved reminiscing with you about the year that was. A big year calls for big celebrations and when you work with friends, not just colleagues, it’s easy to do just that! We celebrated the midpoint of the year with an EOFY extravaganza and jumped at any opportunity to celebrate as a team. Birthdays, new staff and international days of burgers, coffee, and donuts all saw morning teas full of delicious treats and hearty laughs. Easter, Halloween, lockdown restriction lifting day – any reason to celebrate. They say if you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. We’re proud to embody this cliché and, while lots of work gets done, we’re looking forward to the next twelve months of fun shared with the pack!

Thanks for reading the blog and for your input to Painted Dog’s year! We hope you all have a very merry Christmas and enjoy your break with your loved ones!