Yanbal has traditionally succeeded through Catalog Sales and a strong personal contact between their consumer and its salesforce. Technology, on the other hand, and specifically digital access, has become an important part of everyday activities. How would technology affect this business model? Will the purchase decisions and even the actual purchase be affected with the irruption of mobile devices and online access in Yanbal's consumer base? This paper will analyze its possible impact on the current business model through the combination of two innovative research methodologies: behavioral tracking and online communities.
Listening how GloboTV, one of the largest media companies in the world (producing around 2,400 hours of entertainment and 3,000 hours of journalism per year in Brazil) runs Conversa, a multi-platform online community to boost viewers engagement. Through its network Globo TV covers 98.6% of Brazil's territory. Recognized for its production quality, the company has already been presented with 14 Emmys. The international operations of Globo include seven pay-per-view television channels and a production and distribution division that distributes Brazilian sports and entertainment content to more than 190 countries around the world!
Can online consumers contribute to market research about fragrance, if we cant digitally transmit scents yet? Short answer: yes, most certainly. The leading global designer of fragrances and flavours IFF and innovation research company Winkle have recently begun adding input from online consumer communities to IFF's fragrance development process. We have developed a first, pioneering international research programme together, getting close and personal with consumers in each of IFF's seven priority markets. We interacted intensively with these groups about their prevalent perceptions of fabric care in general, and about the washing process and washing detergent fragrances in particular. The result is a wealth of actionable, qualitative, hands-on insights that IFF will benefit from for years to come.
Online research communities are the new star in market research. These online platforms connect a company with a group of interested and interesting consumers to collaborate with in qualitative research. With the rise of social media, Asian consumers are ready to co-create the future of brands, more than ever. But, are companies also ready for it too? In this article, we share a couple of tips on how to successfully collaborate with consumers in Asian markets, all illustrated with case studies . We also outline the key benefits of this relatively new method, and outline a simple, but very useful framework, to check the method effectiveness on 3 levels: 'automational', 'nformational' and 'transformational' benefits.
This presentation offers a hybrid analogy study showing how other business areas inspire product development for dental cementation. First, we used social media for a process of worldwide brainstorming with people doing cementation. We then chose experts who shared their experience with cementation in focus groups and developed new ideas together with internal professionals. During stage three we used a standardised questionnaire, five new ideas were evaluated by internal professionals regarding feasibility and potential. Finally, selected experts followed up on the development process in an online community by delivering ideas for improvement.
In our case study, we investigate the use of digital configurators within market research online communities (MROCs) as viable tools to empower consumers and fuel front-end innovation. Based on an online research community by Braun, an electronic devices brand of P&G, which featured a hairdryer configurator, we provide insights into how configurators can engage consumers and facilitate the dialogue in MROCs. It is highlighted how configurators help explore desirability and preferences of product features by having a guided conversation within a well-defined corridor. We argue that configurators may help design efficient co-creation processes whilst eliciting feelings of empowerment and freedom, i.e. performing meaningful and constructive tasks in new product development.
PepsiCo wanted to (re)connect the Ruffles brand with Turkish youngsters. For six weeks a market research online community (MROC) was the central hub in which a dialogue took place between Gen Y, the Ruffles brand team and the advertising agency. In three sequential stages we moved from generating insights over developing new product concepts to pre-testing activation platforms and campaigns. In order to connect all stakeholders with the target group, we created multiple touch points with the consumer world and the research results included a consumer news website, live chat sessions with members, creative brainstorm sessions and offline consumer safaris in Istanbul. This presentation gives insights into the power of triangulation in qual research and creating impact with research.
Our industry has embraced MROCS as a new tool. Whereas most researchers still celebrate the richness this phenomenon offers, others are already pushing the "cost-efficiency" button to squeeze in as many projects as possible. Already we have seen MROCs where this scenario became reality: response wears out and members drop out faster than new members can be recruited. This way we exploit communities the same way as telephone interviews and online access panels. A new promising methodology becomes exhausted before it even gets the chance to shine. This session presents a new approach in recruitment and differentiated moderation with the 5F-model, proving how communities generate more interaction and more insights with less investment. Just by pushing other buttons we create a sustainable future for MROCS.