WHO WE ARE
We like to think of our approach to research as storytelling. The setting and the research subjects are essential to understanding the role of the main character: our clients’ products and services. We illuminate the key events in the story to chart a clear and actionable quest for our main character…and we like that story to have a compelling, meaningful ending.
OUR STORY
ICG’s story begins with behavioral economics
When our partners teamed up to form ICG, Mark Ingwer (a clinical psychologist) and Nate Hoffberg (a seasoned economist and sales veteran), unified their distinct disciplines to create the powerful lens that allows us to accurately identify psychology-informed insights and effectively convey their impact through a commercial lens.
Throughout the years, ICG has had the privilege to lead a variety of research engagements for cross-category industry leaders, but our passion lies in healthcare. Early on, ICG recognized that the human-centric methodologies that were being utilized in the consumer space weren’t being used in healthcare.
We wondered, “Why? Patients are people, physicians are people – the same immersive, creative, and empathetic approaches should apply.”
So we gave it a shot. We pioneered processes for capturing the patient/physician voice in real time and were able to demonstrate the unique value and financial impact of leveraging those voices. Since then, we have partnered with top pharmaceutical companies to uncover empathetic marketing insights for blockbuster brands and rare disease market entrants; medical devices and health-tech innovations, and strategic marketing communications to name a few…and we’re just scratching the surface.
THE BASICS
We are a nimble, marketing research firm specializing in healthcare
We are a
25-year old
company
We call Chicago
home
We are a full-service
team with In-House
Recruitment
We produce custom
products at a fast
and flexible rate
We are published
Thought Leaders in
our space
OUR LEADERS
Mark Ingwer
MANAGING PARTNER | FOUNDER
Mark Ingwer, Ph.D., founded ICG after identifying a need in the marketplace to understand the impact of human behavior on decision making and to create business solutions that capitalize on the insights uncovered through market research. Mark has since published a groundbreaking resource for marketers, Empathetic Marketing.
Mark applies his psychology, advertising and market research skills to a full range of business issues for ICG’s clients, in addition to speaking as an industry KOL. In recent years, Mark has focused on strategic research issues including brand positioning and brand equity research, while pioneering new projective methods.
Nate Hoffberg
MANAGING PARTNER
Nate joined ICG with a mission to apply his understanding of behavioral economics to improving marketing impact through measurable ROI across brands and products.
At ICG, Nate looks for challenging business issues in corporate, commercial and portfolio strategy for industry leaders and small businesses alike, providing research-informed strategic marketing direction and consultative services for clients. Additionally, Nate leverages his cross-industry experience and his academic background to develop scalable research models that provide brand confidence and predictive power.
Chris Schnaars
PRINCIPAL, LIFE SCIENCES
Chris is an experienced pharmaceutical leader who joined ICG in 2010, bringing his passion for excellence in multiple functional areas such as sales, marketing and training to each client interaction.
As a leader at ICG, Chris holds a role that is fundamental to customer partnership and success. Chris focuses on engaging each client to establish meaningful partnerships, defining clear business needs and designing innovative strategic solutions actionable deliverables and consistent business results. Chris brings an inspiring spirit and wealth of experience to make each client engagement an exceptional experience.
Melissa Ashford
SR. PROJECT MANAGER, TEAM LEAD
Melissa joined ICG with over 10 years of market research experience. She leads the charge for ICG in partnering with clients as well as patients and healthcare professionals to ensure high quality healthcare research.
Melissa has a passion for working on healthcare projects that allow her to connect with patients but also has a knack for finding HCPs and administrative and medical staff that allow for a comprehensive and holistic view of the healthcare experience for pharmaceutical and healthcare clients. While keeping the project and client objectives top of mind, she uses a strategic vision to execute research objectives, ensuring client satisfaction.
Kathryn Magliari
RESEARCH DIRECTOR
As an Research Director at ICG, Kathryn leads and executes each stage of research, with a targeted focus on extracting meaningful and actionable insights. Kathryn earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations & Advertising and a Master of Business Management, both from DePaul University. Before joining ICG, Kathryn gained seven years’ experience in the fields of advertising and marketing as an account manager, facilitating projects for Fortune 500 brands. Kathryn’s business-oriented background provides her with a clear picture of the market and an understanding of how qualitative insights translate to real-world impact.

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Rosemont, IL 60018
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