Brand/Advertising/Strategy/Motivational Research
Segmentation is an informed means of organizing customers into groups, allowing efficient use of product development and marketing resources.
ICR offers a customized approach to segmentation that is tailored to the characteristics of each product or service category and the nature of the insight required.
- Grouping by product usage and loyalty behavior or demographic profiles
- Segmentation based on attitudes and perceptions, or on the emotive drivers of brand choice
- Consumption or usage occasions may also be a basis for segmentations. Consumers will fit into multiple segments depending on occasion-specific needs and consumption behavior
Product Concept Tests
Development and screening of new products and product line extensions is a critical component of a brand's marketing strategy. At ICR, we provide tools for:
- Screening ideas to determine which ones are worth investigation
- Developing ideas into practical concepts
- Assessing pricing and feature requirements
- Assessing potential demand to see of the business case works
Pricing Research
ICR utilizes key tools for assessing pricing and can advise you on:
- Optimal price strategies
- Marginal pricing value of specific features or improvements
- Promotional pricing and offers (even the optimal sequencing of offers)
Messaging
Messaging is the stimulus you must present to a potential customer to lead them to the internal mental response of your goal positioning.
Research to develop an effective message should follow definition of a target positioning. From that point, ICR will create maps of the message elements providing the best proof for the promise of your positioning.
Positioning
Positioning is the crisp, salient concept that comes to a customer's mind when they hear your brand's name or see its logo. You can make efforts to reinforce a positively differentiating positioning, or shift to one less favorable, but this means you must know where you stand currently. Perceptual mapping analysis places you in the context of your competition on key product features. And, we can combine such analysis with trade-off techniques to ensure that you move in a direction that will have the greatest impact on your offering's usage.
ICR usually combines Brand Positioning with Segmentation to provide a complete picture of consumer-brand dynamics. Brands are positioned against consumer segments to reveal the forces that drive and differentiate brand usage behavior.
Advertising Effectiveness
At ICR, we understand the relationship between advertising, brand and market success. Brand is a corporate asset; we offer a complete set of tools for assessing and devising ways to nurture that asset.
Ad Awareness and Recall
At ICR, we can assist you in determining how your advertising efforts are affecting your product's or brand's market performance. This is a multistage process, requiring a benchmark study prior to a launch to establish a baseline level of awareness and attitudes. Subsequent studies will determine if new efforts have been successful.
Brand Awareness (attitudes and usage) -understanding a brand's market power
Whether you're launching a new brand or evaluating the effectiveness of an established one, we can help you understand consumer purchase behavior. Attitude and Usage (A&U) studies, typically conducted for a new product at 3, 6, and 12 months and annually for established brands.
Brand image-developing a strategy for your brand
A strong brand image can be a powerful marketplace motivator. It differentiates you from the competition. It can allow you to charge a premium price for products or services. It can elevate the value of your company. At ICR, we can help you understand the personality of your brand and your competitors' brands from the consumer perspective.
The first stage of this work is qualitative research is conducted by a skilled moderator using focus groups or in-depth interviews.
The second stage is a quantitative survey of consumers to evaluate the brand's attributes, characteristics, and personality traits.
Finally, we use correspondence analysis to provide a graphic representation of the relationship between product attributes, characteristics and personality traits, show which brands "own" which product associations, and give you an understanding of where your brand is positioned in the consumer's mind.
Brand switching-understanding the competitive landscape
Keeping an eye on the competition-and understanding how it affects your brand-is vital in staying competitive. Brand "fence-sitters"-both yours and your competition's - can be an opportunity. With brand switching research at ICR, we can:
- Help you retain your own vulnerable customers
- Give you information to attract your competition's customers
Since there is no single, direct approach to investigate brand switching, in each case we develop a custom research plan designed to:
- Evaluate the degree of loyalty to the brand
- Determine practical vulnerability such as price points and features
- Determine emotional vulnerability such as relief, enjoyment and confidence in your brand
- Determine aspirational vulnerability such as the status of your brand
- Determine what the brand promise is to the consumer
Brand Equity - Determining the value of your brand
At ICR, we utilize a market approach to brand equity, examining how the brand itself impacts purchase decisions and how that impact compares to competing brands. We recommend an holistic approach to brand: A study conducted both internally and externally to provide insight into perceptions of the brand among customers, prospects and thought leaders in your company and industry.
