Find out if success is in the cards

Editor’s note: Judith Lerner is principal, Consumer Insights for Marketing, a New York research firm.

When developing and optimizing concept statements for quantitative screening, a number of alternative statements typically are written internally by the client, its advertising agency or a marketing or new products consulting firm. These approaches are then exposed to consumers for their reactions and suggestions. Those that seem of greatest interest are selected, optimized and tested. This is an efficient way to screen ideas: it yields definitive “yes” or “no” responses as well as getting at the “why” behind responses. Such exposure is usually done through a series of focus groups or one-on-one interviews. This approach helps to validate the new ideas or concepts and find ways to improve upon them, so that only the “best” concepts move on to the quantitative stage of testing.

As a qualitative research consultant I am often asked by clients - that is, companies that will be manufacturing the product or offering the service - to help in this development and optimization process. Too often, I find that a number of concepts have already been written so that consumers in the study are being asked to respond to statements which are typically too long, written with too much detail and are too ad-like in style.

A case in point is a study for which I was asked to conduct focus groups for a new toothbrush. Ten individual concept statements (one was an alternative version) had been developed by a marketing firm. Each had a headline that introduced the product by mentioning the manufacturer with a catchy-yet-descriptive name for the toothbrush, and which was modified by a descriptor such as “the first,” “breakthrough,” “revolutionary” or “next generation.” A line below summarized the benefits of the particular brush, and was followed by the body copy, which consisted of two paragraphs: the first stating the particular problem the new toothbrush would overcome, the second describing the brush and how it works. Each concept statement was accompanied by a detailed drawing of the proposed new brush.

Nine fully-developed statements is a lot for consumers to digest, particularly within the confines of the standard two-hour group! But even if we were to conduct longer sessions, as many of our European colleagues do, such statements, packed with detailed and complex ideas, are overwhelming. Consumers may be able to express general likes and dislikes about the ideas and the language and can help us to understand and (perhaps) modify the statement for optimum appeal. However, if each concept is too dense, anything more than immediate, superficial reactions is impossible. Most consumers lack the energy and motivation to respond with the necessary detail that we as marketers and researchers require. Even if the number of concept statements is reduced, such methodology invites consumers to be reactive - they can express what they really like or dislike but not what they really want. Further, there is the danger of locking them into what is being offered by a particular concept.

In their own language

Over the years, I have developed and used with different clients a means to build concept statements with consumers to get at what is truly important to them and be able to express it in their own language. This approach is completely exploratory. Prior to the groups, my client decides on a list of attributes and benefits (as words or phrases) that have been determined from one or more sources: trend analysis, prior market and consumer research, R&D capabilities, internal brainstorming. Each word or phrase is handwritten on a white card and each is exposed individually to the group. Based on the groups’ responses, the cards are sorted for relevance, appeal and similarity. Participants are encouraged to modify what is written on the cards as well as add their own desired attributes and benefits to include in the sort. That the original words or phrases are handwritten encourages spontaneity and creativity as participants see the process as fluid and experimental. In the course of this exercise, the underlying emotional, rather than only rational, reasons for the sort (i.e., why a particular attribute is consigned to the reject/not relevant pile or why a particular benefit makes it to the accept/highly desirable pile) can be probed. A second sort might further refine the “accept” pile and a ranking of the selected words and phrases reveals what is most important and appealing.

The process is constructive, as each succeeding group builds upon the sorting outcome of the previous one. Attributes and benefits that did not do well in one group can be eliminated, remain in the mix for another try, or be exposed in their consumer-modified form; those in the backroom can add additional words and phrases as ideas are sparked by the responses of the group participants.

The outcome is a series of ideas for concepts or positionings in consumers’ own language which ensures that the statements are understood and are meaningful. At the end of each session, a series of rudimentary concept statements can be assembled by physically putting together some of the winning elements (e.g., “[Brand or product name] is the one [category to which it belongs or type of product] that offers [consumer end benefit]” along with other language to be used in the body of the concept). The concept or concepts that emerge from this process can be made more concrete, tweaked and tested, with the knowledge that the inherent ideas originated with consumers.

Staying in the oral care arena, for the development of a whitening mouth rinse, users of tooth whiteners and mouth rinses built a whitening mouth rinse concept through a series of attribute/benefit statements. Following a discussion about their attitudes towards tooth whitening and usage of whitening products, these consumers were shown each statement one at a time, with exposure of each card grouped according to relevant categories (e.g., “sensory,” “whitening,” “cosmetic/therapeutic,” “reassurance”). The statements were rotated within each category to prevent order bias but the categories themselves were presented in the same order to each focus group. After seeing the individual statements in each category, consumers chose the statements that appealed most and ranked them; when they had selected and ranked the statements in all the categories, they selected from the different categories those statements that fit best with each other. This yielded some embryonic new-product statements from which my client was able to develop several concepts for further screening. The process also revealed those attributes and benefits, along with specific wording, that resonated most with the potential consumers of the product.

Used for existing products as well

While the example just given was for a product that did not yet exist, this same concept-building methodology can be used for existing products that need to be positioned or repositioned. A European candy manufacturer wished to introduce to the U.S.  market a breath freshener that, because of its flavor and packaging, had a feminine aspect, and the company felt it could not use the European positioning. First, focus groups were conducted among the target (women who typically use small hard candies or breath mints) to explore attitudes and usage towards the category and to elicit reactions to a description of the product, its packaging, and, finally, to the product itself. Based on these responses, a series of descriptors/attributes and benefits were developed for a second wave of research, the concept-building phase.

Women with a similar profile were given the product to use for a week while keeping a diary about their experiences. In a series of individual interviews, each woman discussed her reactions to the product’s appearance, packaging, taste and related issues. Those who rated it highly were asked to sort the statements (arranged in such clusters as taste, packaging, overall experience/uniqueness, and usage occasion) by appeal and product fit, and to then rank order the selected statements. In this way, each consumer built her own product positioning based on her experiences and perceptions. As a result of this consumer input, my client was able to develop alternative positionings for this breath mint.

Real influence

When we invite consumers to give us their time to participate in a research program, we tell them that this is a way for them to have a real influence on the products and services they want and use. Using the method described above to develop and refine concepts truly allows it to happen. Further, consumers enjoy the exercise for its creativity and because they immediately see that they are directly influencing product development and communications. For marketers, this method provides insight into the psychological bases of the category and its associated benefits, as well as ensuring that the concept or positioning will be meaningful to consumers - that is, it will describe a product or service that they want in language that they understand.