About

Copernicus Consulting is a social research firm. We help our clients understand the socio-cultural lives of their customers. Based in the amazing, multicultural city of Toronto, Canada, we serve Canada and the United States.

Our story
Nikolai Copernicus was an astronomer who shocked the 16th Century world when he argued that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This “heliocentric” view upended centuries of assumptions that the Earth was the centre of the universe. Copernicus Consulting offers clients the opportunity to enter a “customer-centric” universe.

We put your customers and their lives at the centre of inquiry. Typical projects include ethnographic field research, in-depth interviewing, and participant observation of everyday life. Our clients learn how to design better products services and how to communicate more effectively with their customers. If you want to understand how your customers think and what they think about you, Copernicus can help you.

Areas of expertise

• Financial services
• Pharmaceuticals and health care
• Consumer packaged goods
• Technology and telecom
• Government policy
• Not-for-profit and program evaluation

Segment experience

• Professionals: engineers; physicians
• Women
• Families
• Gays and lesbians
• Early technology adopters

Where we fit

Copernicus specializes in ethnography and contextual inquiry. That means our researchers immerse themselves in your customer’s environment. This kind of research is best used in:

• Product design
• Web site design
• Organizational change
• Mergers
• Go-to-market strategies
• Innovation programs

Our Team

Sam Ladner, PhD

Dr. Ladner is founder and principal consultant with Copernicus Consulting Group. Using a range of methods including interviewing, observation and ethnography, she consults on digital product design, organizational change, and the social aspects of technological innovation. She is an expert in the social aspects of technological change and mobile technology, and has published her research peer-reviewed journals including Time & Society and The Canadian Journal of Communication. She is also an experienced consultant, having worked with senior executives at companies like Citibank, Dell, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Smith Barney, GSK, Nokia, VeriSign and Genentech. She holds a PhD in sociology from York University. She is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Ryerson’s School of Management.

Dr. Ladner works with sociology colleagues on a project-by-project basis. Dr. Katherine Osterlund, Dr. Peter Dawson, Sarah Rogers, and Trish MacMillan have all worked with Dr. Ladner on various social research projects.