Consumer Insights
Deep insights into consumers can drive your business forward, but don't rely on only focus groups and surveys to find them.
The act of doing research changes people's answers. The more artificial the situation (think focus group room), the worse the problem is. That is why going into consumer's homes to speak with them and observe them, or reading what they have to say on social media, offers a more natural way to do research and often leads to more revealing findings.
Some methods, beyond focus groups and surveys, I have used to help companies get closer to their customers include:
-
In-home ethnography
-
Diary and blog research
-
"Shop-a-longs" and "Ride-a-longs"
-
Segmentation
-
Social media analysis
Case Study: Liberty Mutual
Because of its long history as a provider of workers compensation insurance, Liberty Mutual has a great deal of expertise in safety. In fact, they have their own safety institute. This expertise was being used as a key part of their marketing strategy, but the company wanted to understand how to make this even more relevant to their consumer audience.
Rather than undertake focus groups, we recruited consumers across the country and sent them diaries. In each diary were a series of exercises we asked them to complete: drawings, photos, thoughts and more. We then went and interviewed these people in their homes for a few hours.
What we found was that there were many different layers of safety people built into their life: economic, physical, etc. Insurance was something for when all of those layers failed, and however much you prepare, there are some things that they could not prevent. What frustrated them to no end, however, was when insurance companies argued with their claim or refused to honor it.
These findings gave us the ammunition we needed to adapt the campaign and make it even more effective. The print and TV advertising shown here successfully increased brand metrics such as awareness and consideration, and increased sales.
