Client Issue

As part of a global study the client wanted to evaluate their beverage product against competitor brands. Each consumer was required to taste and evaluate 16 products exactly replicating the protocols used overseas in the study.

Client Requirements

Consumers would need to return on 4 consecutive occasions to complete the evaluation and to avoid consumer sensory overload. Consumers would be required to complete a separate questionnaire for each product evaluated.

Recruitment Specifications

80 pre-recruited consumers to attend a central location session on 4 separate occasions on specific dates.

2 venues in locations specified by the client were required in Sydney city.

Brand and frequency of usage quotas applied.

Quotas were required for a range of main brand preferences.

Fieldwork

Air conditioned venues were required with good kitchen facilities including refrigeration.

Large bench areas were needed for mugs and urns of boiling water.

A complex rotation design was required to ensure all products were evaluated in equal positioning to avoid any positional bias.

A large amount of pre-measured quantities of the beverage powder was required as well as a selection of pre-measured milk and sweeteners.

At each subsequent tasting session each consumer was served the exact quantity of milk/sweetener as at the first session.

The temperature of the water was monitored to ensure the product was presented to each consumer at the required level.

Despite experiencing some of the hottest days of summer and public holidays intervening there was a 100% turn up rate for the entire project.

Client Issue

Several new product variants had launched very successfully with initial sales on target and the outlook was positive. However, after the first two quarters, sales were dropping below expectation.

Client Requirements

The client had some ideas for possible reasons for low repeat sales, but wanted to explore these further with targeted consumers. The client marketing team and their advertising agency wanted to speak to consumers at the time of purchase or consumption of the  product.

Recruitment Specifications

50 pre-recruited consumers across 10 categories were scheduled for depth interviews lasting 1.5 hours according to an extensive matrix.

All consumers were required to complete a pre-work diary prior to the interview.

Each of the 10 categories had a different consumer profile requirement in age, gender, occasion of interview and brand usage.

Fieldwork

Interview times were scheduled across 2-3 weeks to suit client, advertising agency personnel and consumers.

Consumers were emailed the pre-work diary in advance of the interview.

A range of locations were required to ensure the target respondents were interviewed in the required purchase situation—in home, at a café during lunch, at a shopping centre, at the respondent’s workplace, at the respondents gym or after a team game.

Client Issue

The client wanted to rework an existing TV ad for a consumer indulgence product.  Two possible advertising campaigns had been prepared, each using different personalities presenting the product.

Client Requirements

Investigate consumer responses to 2 separate TV ad video clips.

Establish consumer preference for the personality presenting in the video clip.

Explore consumer perception of the brand.

Recruitment Specifications

120 pre-recruited female consumers aged 25-50 years.

50% needed to be based in Sydney and 50% in Melbourne.

White collar, upper income bracket required.

At least one child aged less than 16 years was to be living in the household.

Consumers needed to be regularly purchasing premium brand indulgence products.

All participants had to be non-rejecters of specific brands.

Fieldwork

Venues were selected in each city to provide facilities and space required to show stimulus video and conduct recorded interviews.

Interview times were scheduled to allow a representative sample of working and non-working consumers to attend.

Consumers each viewed 1 of 2 advertisement segments then recorded a face-to-face, one-on-one interview.

Selected consumers were then required to view an additional video segment prior to completing a questionnaire.

Voice recorded interviews were downloaded to PCs for submission and transcription. Questionnaire data was captured using specific templates.

Client Issue

Client required consumers to evaluate a new chilled beverage containing health-giving additives.

Client Requirements

Consumers were required to evaluate and respond to several new concept ideas prior to the taste testing. Each consumer was required to taste test 2 products at CLT and then take one complete bottle of their preferred product home to test in their typical consumption environment. After the IHUT component consumers would be required to complete an online questionnaire.

Recruitment Specifications

200 (2 Cells of N=100) pre-recruited consumers were required to attend a central location session for a 30 minute taste test and online evaluation questionnaire.

Venues in locations specified by the client were required in both metro and regional Sydney.

Consumers were recruited and quotas filled according to their brand preference, ‘collar colour’, purchase channel and frequency of purchase.

Fieldwork

Air conditioned and well-lit venues were required with good refrigeration facilities.

IT support was necessary to setup computers, test each computer, test the link and to ensure no issues occurred with the computers during the project.

Refrigeration and water baths were used to ensure the product was served at consistently 4 degrees Celsius.

Palate cleansers were used by consumers between each product tasting.

THN scripted and hosted the client questionnaires both for CLT and IHUT.

IHUT product and instructions were prepared by THN field staff.

The completion of IHUT questionnaire was managed and monitored by THN.

All data was coded and the data file was forwarded in Excel format.

Payment of consumer incentive for both CLT and IHUT was organised by THN.