NEW FROM ILLUMINATION…NEXT DAY VIDEO LIBRARY!

Introducing a brand new capability from Illumination - Next Day Video Libraries - for research conducted at our Facility in Mason, OH or BRIC. This unique capability allows us to provide a 1 day turn around on video footage from research conducted at BRIC and our onsite facility. The video library consists of a series of short clips, organized by topics which are pre-determined by the research team. These clips can then easily be incorporated into the research summary or presentations, to management, customers or other stakeholders.

For more details and pricing, please contact Heather Hall at hhall@illumination-research.com

Susan has spent over 25 years talking with respondents from all walks of life. Her passion to dig deep and understand core emotions  help her drive business building ideas.

Susan’s professionalism and energy is ideal when connecting with respondents to fully understand their attitudes and opinions and working with clients to identify key questions.

Susan’s breadth of CPG experience runs the gamut: from Automotive and Healthcare to Beauty Products and Wine/Spirits.

WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT SUSAN

“Susan was stellar; she worked well with our team, provided consistent feedback to team questions, and showed exceptional flexibility throughout the research.”  CMK Digestive Wellness

“It was great – you asked just what we were thinking in the back room.”  -Landor

“THANK YOU again for your fantastic leadership during the research.”   -Kroger

To learn more about Susan:

Watch her Video Bio!

Connect via LinkedIn

ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD GAINS DEEP INSIGHTS FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION 

WebPosts™ CASE STUDY

A  leading CPG brand wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the physical and emotional role of the product in consumers’ lives. A three part qualitative research study was conducted which included Learning Connects, In-home interviews and Online Bulletin Boards (OLBB).  The research was conducted across three segments of consumers to discover women’s attitudes and behaviors toward the product. The OLBB consisted of 8 respondents who were pre-recruited from the Learning Connects and In-homes.  The objectives of the OLBB research were to:

1. Gather insights into consumers’ routines and understand the role of product X.
2. Learn how product X work as a replacement for other products.
3. Identify product attributes that are important to consumers.
4. Understand strengths and weaknesses of concepts.

“The OLBB was a way for us to deepen the relationship we had already created with the women we interviewed.  Since we had already spent many hours together, we were able use the OLBB to strengthen our relationship with the respondents.”  Amy Spera, Insight Strategist

WHEN TO USE ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS

• When deeper dives are needed into respondent reactions and insights
• Testing a large number of stimuli
• When iterative research over time is beneficial
• When a national sample is desired, but travel budgets are low

ADVANTAGES OF OLBB

• Allows participants to post pictures and videos
• Option to change concepts over the course of research
• Greater respondent flexibility and time for input
• Less respondent influence
• Larger respondent base: Participants can be from a mix of geographic locations

The OLBB can be set up in various modes:

One-on-one mode — each participant communicates with the moderator, but does not see or respond to comments from other participants

Blinded or masked mode — participants must post their own comments before they can see and reply to what other participants have posted

Group mode — all participants can see and reply to each others comments in a threaded discussion.

“We were able to customize our board, enabling respondents to see and comment on each other’s postings, sharing ideas and building upon experiences.” Amy Spera, Insight Strategist

EXAMPLE OLBB TOOLS

Concept feedback via white board – respondent’s markup concept.

• Print images with respondent comments
• Heat maps showing collective feedback
• Can be segmented by respondent segment (m/f, age,) or by response type (positive  negative)

Card sorts – respondents click and drag into groupings.

View text and video responses by participant, segment or screener criteria.

Analysis – responses can be tagged (topic, positive/negative, etc.) and filtered for more timely an accurate analysis.

“We used a variety of tools that enabled us to go beyond basic text postings.  By combining card sort, white boards, and video/picture posts, we were able to achieve the richness of traditional research with the efficiency of online.”  Amy Spera, Insight Strategist

STUDY RESULTS

• Identified ideas for product improvement
• Identified potential jobs for product X relating to woman’s beauty care
• Discovered the strengths and opportunities of the potential job and version of product X

“Unlike traditional research, the OLBB lives on, with easy to access transcripts, video posts, and pictures that can be continually mined for insights beyond the original objectives.” Amy Spera, Insight Strategist

 FULLY CONNECT WITH YOUR CONSUMERS!

Did you know that only 15% of qualitative research is conducted online while nearly 45% of quantitative research happens online? 

Is it because we know body language and facial cues are important to understanding true human reactions and thoughts?  Is it because we like to get out of the office and engage with consumers in their homes and stores?  Absolutely, but why not do both!  At Illumination Research, we preserve the integrity of face to face qualitative research while building in the benefits of online technologies.  To read more and see a case study that showcases the perfect marriage of online and offline research

Consumers and shoppers, the lifeblood of market research, are embracing new technology in many aspects of their lives affecting how they interact with one another as well as with products and services.  Interactions include traditional texting via mobile phones and devices to tweeting and posting via social media options.     At Illumination, we are embracing new technology and have developed a suite of online tools to stay connected with customers and prime prospects when and where they are interacting with your products or services.   

Walk before you run- Find creative ways to integrate online technology into a more traditional piece of research.    Instead of having your consumers do a typical collage exercise, have them go into an online bulletin board and post key pictures, quotes or thoughts instead.   These posts can often provide richer and more insightful information.   Even leverage respondents after research to review optimized concepts.

Bring them to you- When travel budgets shrink, consider using online groups.  An economical alternative for traditional groups or challenging recruits, online research is a great way to gather respondents from various markets while sitting in the comfort of your own office.  Our Insight Strategists who lead this effort are continually developing creative ways to keep participants engaged and involved during the longer-term sessions - increasing the success of online groups.

Listen closely- Consumers and shoppers are interacting with one another and your products and services every day, telling you about it through online ratings and reviews, tweeting about it and even ‘liking it’ or  posting about it on sites such as Facebook.  Online ethnography provides the opportunity for your target to provide input and thoughts at the true ‘moments of truth’.   Technology today allows flexibility for the target respondent to provide input to you at the moment they see your ad or pick up your product.   Our EthnoScape™ capability was implemented to virtually observe product usage in the home with the ability to probe deeply on the experience either online or in person.  

Outstanding research happens when you can gather as much insightful human understanding in the most relevant and realistic way possible.  New technology enables us to change and adapt to new ways of gathering our insights on human behavior.   We’ve fully embraced this evolution…join us!  Contact us today to see how you too can leverage our online tools and incorporate them into your comprehensive research plans.  Click here to see our online suite of tools.

ABRIENDO EL COFRE DEL TESORO Abriendo
(Opening the Treasure Chest)
TOOLS TO OPEN THE TREASURE CHEST OF HISPANIC RESEARCH

It’s no secret that interest in the Hispanic consumer has risen to unprecedented levels, and for due reasons:

• Hispanics represent 16% of the total US population (US Census Bureau). 
• The spending power among Hispanics is growing at double the rate of the non-Hispanic population.

Conducting successful Hispanic research requires a thorough understanding of this unique population.  Illumination Research has its very own Hispanic Insight Strategist – Carolina Varela – who shares her unique perspective about this consumer segment.   

There are many factors that must be thoroughly understood prior to conducting Hispanic research.  The respondents’ country of origin, language spoken, and acculturation must be taken into consideration when designing and planning your Hispanic research project.  During the research it is important to recognize that many Hispanics are less comfortable sharing and expressing their opinions.  Many have an ingrained desire to please, making it challenging to get to the real truth and deeper insights. 
Research led by a moderator who belongs to the Hispanic culture and knows how to navigate all the nuances of Hispanic research is critical to understanding the Hispanic consumer and ultimately capitalizing on the growth of this segment.   Having grown up in Venezuela and spent time working in the US and Latin America, Carolina has helped many clients successfully navigate this unique market segment. 

Below highlights a recent project and Illumination’s approach to the research:
Case Study: 
•    Objectives:  A coffee manufacturer wanted to understand their Hispanic consumer and the role of different coffee brands in their lives.
•    Research design:  why this design?  Suggest including your rationale.  Thirty-six In-Home interviews with Hispanic consumers across the acculturation spectrum, covering a range of countries of origin, preferred language (English and in Spanish), and across three different markets.
•    Secondary research: gathered information and data about the general population coffee consumer to compare and contrast with research learning.
•    Research Insights: Key differences were identified, not only in the general Hispanic population, but also based on the respondent’s country of origin, current living location, and acculturation level.  These key insights helped the coffee manufacturer develop a strategic differentiation of the brands with distinct communication insights and product offerings for each target segment.  Additionally, a wealth of visual insights and metaphors were gathered during the ethnographies and were leveraged in the brand’s communication strategy. 
•    Add-Ons:  Do we say ‘add on’ or added value?   Due to the nature of this research, client participation during the interviews was limited.  The Illumination Research team created a Mindscape Video Montage which brought the learning of this research to be shared with the entire client team.
For more details about our Hispanic Research capabilities, see our website at: http://www.illumination-research.com/hispanic-research-design