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.

What Is Market Research?

Market research involves providing critical information about the buying habits, needs, preferences and opinions of current and prospective customers, allowing our clients to make informed strategic and operational decisions.
Primary market research is the best way for businesses or service organisations to learn about their customers’ attitudes and opinions:
Researching current customers will identify what types of people are using a companies products or services, for what purpose, in what situation, and with what attitudes and opinions.
 
Researching potential customers will identify who they are, how they can be reached and most effectively communicated with, and how both your own and any competitors’ products, brands or services are perceived in the overall market.

This research can also be supplemented by secondary research information or business intelligence – including your own data, such as sales (what’s being bought, where and when?), the retail price index, government census information or published market sector surveys.

What types of things is market research used for?

In essence, research is used to find out whatever a client needs to know in order to underpin marketing or strategic decisions, such as will this product sell and for what price, how effective is my advertising, which is the best product design or most effective packaging– in essence all the activities aimed at optimising the performance of a product or service.

Research can be used for:

• New product or service development
• Measure advertising effectiveness
• Staff and store assessments
• Customer satisfaction research
• Brand evaluations and development
• Customer usage and attitudes
• Advertising or promotion recall
• Concept development
• Pricing strategies
• New-customer acquisition
• Retail audits
• Brand/company image research
• Government or political research
• Brand or advertising tracking
• Employee satisfaction and commitment
• Shopping behaviour
• Media consumption