Case Study – Pringles

Methodology: Hall Tests

Since 2005 Warwick Equest has been helping P&G extend and develop their famous Pringles snack ranges through extensive consumer testing of new flavours, production methods and ingredients.

New Pringles variants are exposed to the consumer in a series of hall tests where they are evaluated for over 30 different variables such as taste, colour, shape, texture, saltiness, crunchiness, aftertaste and greasiness.

By comparative testing of the different variants P&G are able to identify and refine the most appealing new products prior to production and launch.

Typically the recruitment criteria for Pringles hall tests are very wide – generally males or females aged between 18 -55 who are regular consumers of chips, crisps and snacks. As such it is common for each day’s hall testing to capture the opinions of over 100 respondents at a time.
 

Case Study – Thule

Methodology: Online Survey

When Boston Consulting Group were asked by their client Thule to develop brand stretch options we helped them assess the consumer reaction to their new concepts.

Online research with over 1,700 car owners was conducted in the UK, France, Germany and US. The fieldwork was completed within 14 days and the research not only helped BCG underpin their proposals, but provided valuable knowledge about the consumers’ awareness of Thule and competitor brands.

Case Study – RoDO

Methodology: Postal Survey

RoDO, a leading manufacturer of equipment, supplies and sundries for the professional decorator wanted to understand their customers’ attitudes to different brands, equipment design, product usage and the influence of price on their choice of equipment.

Because of the specialised nature of the market we first identified and built a database of professional decorators and tradesmen from specialist directory listings and trade associations. From this we were able to mail out a 2,000 strong postal survey, using a prize draw as an incentive to participation.

From the research results RoDO were able to identify design, packaging and branding issues that influence purchase decisions, gain an understanding of the positioning of their brands against those of competitors, and establish a trade research panel for future projects.

Focus Groups

Focus group discussions involve a small group of 8-12 people who come together and share their views, under the guidance and prompting of the researcher. The sharing can be done either in a central location, or via telephone or the Internet and acts as a ‘brainstorming’ session, generating a wide range of views and reactions,. These sessions represent an opportunity for participants to express ideas, or concerns, in an open forum and can help stimulate different ideas and opinions.

Focus group participants tend to be recruited to match set criteria – for example; heavy users of a particular product or loyal customers of a specific brand, or they may have similar characteristics – such as all being students, business professionals, or working mums.

Discussions generally last around an hour and a half, and are audio-taped, and sometimes videotaped for later analysis. The participants are ‘rewarded’ for their participation - generally with a money incentive.

Data Tabulation, Analysis & Reporting

Once all the research data has been collated it is common practice to tabulate and cross-analyse the information to identify significant trends or patterns in the data.   

The typical output from a project will be a report and presentation covering all the research findings in detail and including these data tables, cross analysis, an executive summary, conclusions and client recommendations.

The best researchers have a background of using research not for its own sake but as an effective guide to drive business decisions and strategy. They see their role as generating the maximum value out of research and delivering pragmatic, action-orientated insights that will be challenging and informative.    

Pricing

The main variables that impact on the price of a market research project are the number of people you wish to talk to and for how long, how accessible they are and how you intend to reach them.

The key factors are:-

• Sample size
• Recruitment criteria
• Research methodology
• Length of interview