Bureau West ? Market Research

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Uncovering WhatCustomers Really ThinkHow to
Conduct Research that Gets to the Truth

• Bureau West, Inc.
• Market Research Marketing Strategy
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Tel [phone]
• Email info_at_bureauwest.com

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Bureau West research strategy

• Consortium of independent researchers
• Qualitative research (focus groups, interviews,
  online methods)
• Quantitative research (surveys)
• Website-related research (usability, conceptual)
• Agnostic when it comes to methodology
• Whats the best way to answer the research
  question?

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Asking direct questions

• When conducting market research, its tempting to
  simply ask participants direct questions
• Would you buy this product?
• What do you like about that product?
• What do you think of this brand?
• The problem is, research participants lie.
  (Perhaps unintentionally.)
• When asked a direct question, people try to
  theorize how they would make a decision in a
  given situation, which can be different than
  actually being in that situation.

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Behavioral economics how do people make
decisions?

• Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational
• Organ donations Germany 12, Austria 100
• Check the box below if you want to participate
  in the organ donor program
• Check the box below if you don't want to
  participate
• Do people choose the default because they don't
  care?
• On the contrary its because of the complexity
  of the decision

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Behavioral economics how do people make
decisions?

• It even happens with experts!
• Study conducted with doctors
• Patient with hip pain, medications hadnt worked,
  referred to have a hip replacement doctor
  discovered forgot to try one medication. Most
  doctors would pull patient back.
• Second scenario doctor discovered that two
  medications hadnt been tried. Majority opt for
  hip replacement.
• When the decision is complicated, the default has
  huge power.

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Behavioral economics how do people make
decisions?

• A more everyday example two sets of choices
• Weekend in Paris, including hotel and breakfast
• Weekend in Rome, including hotel and breakfast
• Or
• Weekend in Paris, including hotel and breakfast
• Weekend in Rome, including hotel and breakfast
• Weekend in Rome, including hotel and breakfast,
  but coffee is not included
• Third option has a surprising impact

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Asking direct questions

• The moral of the story when it comes to market
  research, direct questioning wont always work
• We need to give participants the context to
  answer the question
• Physical aspect (what are the choices?)
• Emotional aspect (how do they feel about it?)

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Understanding customers relationship with

• Direct questioning
• How do you feel about X?
• Why is it important to you?

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Understanding customers relationship with

• Choose a picture that best illustrates how you
  feel about X.
• Or
• Choose among colors.
• Choose among random pictures and tell a story
  about how it relates to X.

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Impressions and benefits of a brand

• Direct questioning
• What do you think of X?
• What do you like about it?
• What dont you like?

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Impressions and benefits of a brand

• Think of as many things as you can say about X
  and write them on the lines shown
• Or

Brand
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Impressions and benefits of a brand

• Laddering
• What attributes of X are important to you?
• Whats the benefit to you of attribute Y?
• Tell me a bit more about the personal value of
  that benefit to you. Why is it valuable?
• Or

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Impressions and benefits of a brand

• What do people say about the product or brand?
• What do they think about the product or brand?
• Can add What do they feel?
• Or
• Imagine a situation where the product was not
  available.
• Describe what life would be like.
• Or
• Write a love letter to the brand

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Which positioning statement is best?

• Direct questioning
• Please read this statement. This isnt an ad,
  but its an idea that might be behind an ad.
  What do you think of what its saying?
• Now please read this statement
• And this statement
• And this statement
• And this statement
• Which statement works best? Why do you say
  that?

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Which positioning statement is best?

• Provide a bullseye with the attributes the
  statements need to convey in the center.
• Participants place positioning statements based
  on how close they are to those attributes

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Where is the brand in the competitive field?

• Direct questioning
• Who are the competitors for X?
• How does X compare? In what ways is X better?
  In what ways is X worse?

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Where is the brand in the competitive field?

• Perceptual map
• (Based on attributes defined earlier)
• Where is X on this map?
• Where are the competitors? (one at a time)
• And dont forget
• If brand x, y and z were people at a party, what
  would they be like? What car would they drive up
  in? How would they be dressed? How would they
  behave?
• (Or for more broad-stroke impressions) What
  animal would they be? Why do you say that?

Higher
Less
More
Lower
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Which features are important?

• Direct questioning
• Here is a list of features. Which of these is
  important to you? Which are unimportant? Which
  are just nice to have?

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Which features are important?

• Here is a list of 20 features. You each have
  four green dots and four yellow dots. Put a
  green dot on the features you want the most, and
  put a yellow dot on the features that you want,
  but that arent as important to you as the
  green-dot ones.
• (Or give them a certain number of dollars to
  allocate.)

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Evaluating a new product

• Direct questioning
• Do you like this product? Why do you say that?

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Evaluating a new product

• The first stick figure is the typical customer
  for this product. Lets describe that person
• The second stick figure is you. Lets go over
  the same descriptions.
• Now lets compare the two.

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Evaluating a new product

• Imagine yourself using the product.
• What would change?
• How would it fit in to your routine?

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Evaluating designs, logos

• Direct questioning
• What does this communicate to you?

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Evaluating designs, logos

• Whats the first word that comes into your mind
  when you see this logo?
• Or
• Place the designs on a perceptual map, with the
  axes based on the attributes we want to convey.

Higher
Less
More
Lower
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Likelihood to buy

• Direct questioning
• How likely would you be to buy this?
• Alternate approach
• Here are your options and their prices. How do
  you go about choosing?

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Many other options

• Examples?
• Use your creativity. Consider
• Context
• Emotions
• Also, consider calling us for advice!

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Thank you

• Jay Zaltzman
• Bureau West - Market Research Marketing
  Strategy
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