Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

Hello Out There, Is Anyone Listening?

Who out there is using EBES and U&A (Early Brand Evaluating System and Usage & Attitudes) to determine their course of brand action?  Let me be very straight forward in suggesting a different method for your consideration.  In the past, I have only hinted at different ways but today, I will not only outline a method but show the degree in which this method differs in results.

The method I am suggesting is called Negative Brand Share.  It is one of the many Point-of-Purchase techniques developed in the late 1970s and 1980s at P&G.  The purpose of NBS is to determine why the consumer does not purchase/re-purchase a brand.

In the late 1970s, P&G introduced into a Seattle Test Market, a hand dishwashing product called Cinch.  Cinch was designed specifically for those tough dishwashing cleaning tasks.  The market results were not as expected so they went back to the drawing board and opened a new test market in Phoenix.  Again the results were not what was needed for a national expansion.  A third try at positioning was scheduled to take place in St. Louis.  About this time I was transferred from my work in surgical supplies and gerontology to my old home in the Packaged Soap Division.  At this time R&D and Marketing had not been exposed to the concept of Assessment in Context, the basis for point-of-purchase research.  I suggested that we go back to the previous two test markets and conduct some Negative Brand Share Research.  The following was Marketing's conclusion regarding this research.
 

This research showed Cinch abrasiveness as having a larger effect on Cinch acceptance than in previous studies (referring to a 17% abrasive negative in this study).  Specifically, EBES results have consistently showed about 2-3% claiming they would not purchase Cinch for abrasiveness reasons.  In five month U&A's 5-6% of those interviewed commented that they did not like Cinch's abrasiveness.  We believe these different results reflect test method differences, i.e., point-of-purchase versus home telephone interviews.  We also believe point-of-purchase results reflect more accurately why consumers do and do not purchase Cinch."
In this Negative Brand Share Study, 17% of the consumers specifically stated that they did not purchase Cinch because of its abrasiveness.

Cinch dishwashing detergent was dropped from the market.  Cinch (the name) went on to become a spray cleaner.

There are good ways to conduct research.
There are better ways to conduct research.
And yes, there are poor ways to conduct research.

Different protocols yield different results.  The important question is, which one has the highest degree of validity?

If anyone would like to discuss the merits of Assessment in Context, please call me or your Sorensen representative.

Sponsor:  Sorensen Associates    Portland, OR (800) 542-4321    Minneapolis, MN (888) 616-0123
The In-Store Research Company


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