Bureau West

Companies are currently trying to find the right balance: how to continue advertising so they stay in customers’ minds, but do so in a way that won’t annoy them. People are getting tired of “What XYZ Company is going about COVID-19” messages.

• On a related note, I’m conducting brainstorming groups with fellow marketers via webcam to discuss the best ways to respond to the crisis, both for current marketing efforts as well as over the next 6-12 months. Please contact me at info at bureauwest.com if you’d like to participate.

How are marketers striking the right tone with consumers right now?

• First, they’re making sure to avoid content that could upset people by reminding them of activities they can’t do now. Many are dropping or editing ads that included references to parties, travel or other group activities.
• Research is finding that people don’t want advertisers to ignore the pandemic; they actually respond more positively to ads that mention COVID-19. Some companies are replacing their regular advertising with ads that tell consumers about their activities to fight the virus, or ads that thank those who are doing so (e.g., Google thanking healthcare workers, Walmart’s CEO calling the company’s employees “heroes”).
• Some companies are using their advertising to encourage behaviors that will help fight the pandemic. IKEA Israel had some fun with that idea by tweeting the image below.
• Others are considering what people need while they’re stuck at home. Burger King France provided instructions for making their Whopper sandwich in your own kitchen. And don’t forget people’s most obvious needs: they want to know if businesses are open, if they deliver, and what they’re doing to protect their employees and customers in the process.

I’ll be sharing the outcome of my marketer brainstorming sessions in the near future. In the meantime, let me know if I can help you uncover the best way to talk to your customers and prospects. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com.

Sources: “The coronavirus mass shuffle in advertising: Dropped TV spots and emotional campaigns,” Los Angeles Times, 4/8/20; “18 Tips on Advertising During the Coronavirus Crisis,” Adweek, 4/6/20; “‘Acts not ads’: How firms should market themselves during the coronavirus crisis,” CNBC.com, 3/27/20; Bureau West research

Games are an effective way to get participants more engaged in market research. For example, playing “two truths and a lie” (where each participant says two true statements and a false one about themselves, and others have to guess which one is false) is a great ice-breaker exercise. And role-playing games can provide more candor and deeper insights than direct questions.

At the QRCA Annual Conference (“Keep Qual Human”) last month, I attended a fascinating and inspiring presentation by Oana Popa Rengle from Anamnesis in Romania. She talked about how she creates full board games to use in qualitative research. The story, competition and pure fun of the game gets participants much more involved in the research. They provide greater depth of thought and generate more ideas when playing games. Oana finds games particularly useful for generating insights, and she frequently involves clients in the games as part of a co-creation process.

In addition, participants are more willing to admit to socially unacceptable behaviors when playing a game (they can do so while playing a character that is different from themselves, or perhaps the game rules make it OK to lie in order to achieve a goal). Conversely, games can reward people for more authentic answers, for example, by providing extra points if participants can provide proof of their statements, perhaps by showing photos on their phones.

Games can also be helpful when trying to figure out how much people will pay for something. When we ask people in theory how much they would pay (for example, by giving them a certain number of colored dots), it’s easy for them to spend those dots; they tend to want to pay for all the potential features of a product. But in a game, participants earn currency though their efforts, and they don’t part with it as easily. That helps us understand what people will pay for despite the pain of spending their money.

Consider using games to get deeper insights in your research. I recommend the book Games and Gamification in Market Research by Betty Adamou. In addition, we have partnered with Oana Popa Rengle and can work with you to create games specifically for your research objectives. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com.

 

Sources: QRCA Annual Conference (“Keep Qual Human”), January, 2020; “2 years of creating boardgames for qualitative research,” Oana Popa Rengle, 12/2/19; Games and Gamification in Market Research, Betty Adamou, 2019

We did a lot of research in 2019, and as I look back on the various projects, something stands out to me.  Despite all the research we do with them, customers frequently still feel ignored!  I recall several amusing experiences where participants said things like “they should ask their customers what they want” and I thought to myself, “what do you think we’re doing right now?!”

Why the disconnect?  One reason: even though companies frequently ask customers how to improve their product or service, they usually ignore their answers, since making changes is perceived to be too difficult or expensive.  Instead, they look for ways to present their existing product in a more appealing manner, without making any changes.

Another reason customers feel ignored is surprising: they actually want more marketing communications!  But the catch is, they want communications that are customized to them based on their buying behavior.  Many consumers have said things like “they know all about my purchasing habits.  So why can’t they send me offers for things I’m actually interested in?”

What can companies do?  The second issue – customizing communications – is easier to address.  We have all kinds of purchasing data and analytics about our customers; it’s worth the time and resources to actually utilize that data to divide customers into segments and provide them with tailored offers.  Your customers will spend more!

The issue of changing a product or service based on customer input is more complex.  Of course, there are situations where it really isn’t feasible to make changes customers want.  But it’s important to remember that existing competitors and potential new companies are talking to your customers, too.  Is there some way to implement even part of what your customers are asking for?  In many cases, this requires involving the product team and senior management in the research.

Let’s design research to ensure your customers don’t feel ignored.  Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com.

 

Source: Bureau West research

There are many cases where we’re called upon to help our clients encourage people to change their behavior to do something they know they should be doing, but aren’t.  This can range from healthy behaviors like eating more vegetables to other areas like putting money in a retirement account on a regular basis.

Studies have uncovered the question-behavior effect, which actually gets people to change their behavior.  Here’s how it works: you ask people a yes-no question about their intended behavior.  For example: “are you going to exercise at least three times a week over the next month?”  In most cases, people answer “yes,” because they realize it’s something they should do.  It fits with their ideal conception of themselves.  And then cognitive dissonance kicks in.  Once they’ve said “yes,” people want to be consistent: studies show they are actually more likely to change their behavior!

How can we utilize this to create more effective marketing?  We need to figure out the right questions to ask to create behavior change.  What is it, related to your product or service, that people think they should be doing?  In focus groups, we utilize projective techniques to uncover the gap between participants’ current selves and their ideal selves.  This can provide the raw material for the creative team to develop great advertising.

Let’s design research to understand your prospects’ current and ideal selves.  Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com. 

 

Sources: Bureau West research; “Using the question-behavior effect to change multiple health behaviors: An exploratory randomized controlled trial,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, March 2019; “Science Says This Is the Best Way to Motivate Other People to Change Their Behavior,” Inc., May, 2018