Tools of the Trade: Know Your Market
Survey respondents are asked to respond to images from eCollage, part of Imagic Response, and to describe how the images make them feel.
New technology by BuzzBack Market Research could provide in-depth information about your target customer.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorImagic Response is a new online market research platform created by BuzzBack Market Research to collect consumer feedback about a new product, brand image, or design concept. A few cosmetic and personal care companies, including GlaxoSmithKline and Beiersdorf, have used it to yield deeper consumer insights that might influence purchasing decisions.
Using Imagic Response, respondents are asked to complete online surveys that ask them to react to a range of images, sounds, and videos, instead of simply words. Survey participants are asked to describe how the images make them feel and why. Consumers are also asked to select elements from image libraries they feel fit together best and to configure the elements into their ideal package design. They are then asked to explain their package and why they chose specific elements.
Another of Imagic Response’s survey tools is called eCollage. Participants are asked to create a multimedia collage of images that reflect how a new product, brand, or concept makes them feel. These collages are meant to act as catalysts to bring to mind memories and emotions, which respondents are then asked to describe in words. These findings can also be cross-tabulated and further analyzed by criteria such as demographics or purchase behavior.
“Most traditional market research only captures decision making at the conscious level; yet, the majority of purchasing decisions are made on a subconscious level. Text-based questions don’t trigger any emotional responses,” says Carol Fitzgerald, president and cofounder of BuzzBack. BuzzBack delivers both qualitative and quantitative data.
Survey participants are recruited and screened from BuzzBack’s panel of approximately 600,000 consumers. Groups are chosen based on demographic and other criteria appropriate for a brand. Unlike more-traditional focus groups, having all surveys conducted online allows consumers to participate on their own at any time without being influenced by others who are answering the same questions.
According to Fitzgerald, traditional surveys and focus groups are outdated. “Sometimes, focus groups are used or a gut decision is made on package design modifications. Neither one of these methods provide reliable data. If a budget allows, a company might do a quantitative study, but that might not reveal why one package scored higher or lower than others. Our methods provide the full story,” says Fitzgerald.
We asked a package designer’s opinion. Chad Lavigne of Chad Lavigne LLC says, “In focus groups, consumers can be so severely influenced by other factors, such as other attendees, which is why [focus groups] can sometimes be a disaster.” Exactly how much influence market research has on package design and product development often varies within different companies. Lavigne says he always absorbs all of the testing results given to him before starting a project. However, he believes that following research can sometimes be limiting from a creative standpoint.
“I am not one to really play it safe in my approach to design. If you don’t push a concept into new territory, it just becomes too familiar to the consumer and doesn’t lead in any way. Taking risks can be incredibly uncomfortable, but often results in new, groundbreaking packages,” says Lavigne.
Still, just about every beauty company does utilize some form of market research. BuzzBack’s innovative data collection methods could provide companies with the tools for more-effective market research.