Marketing Research Case Histories

Below is a list of case studies detailing some of Decision Analyst's experiences from innovation and qualitative research to quantitative research to advanced analytics and database analytics. You can view each article by clicking on the title.

• A Decision Analyst Proprietary Panel of Users (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Tanning Products
  Methods: Proprietary Panel; Custom Research Panel; Tracking Research; Qualitative Research; Quantitative Research; Attitude, Usage, & Behavior Research
  Summary: A large consumer-packaged-goods company wanted to gain insights into two consumer groups’ attitudes, usage, and behaviors toward tanning products, over a period of 16 months. This time period of research was necessary to understand differences in product usage during peak tanning season and off season.
   
• A Fistful Of (Electronic) Dollars (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Gift Cards
  Methods: Market-Share Tracking, Consumer Trends
  Summary: Our client, Retailer A, a Fortune 100 company and one of the gift card market-share leaders, was interested in better understanding its competitive place in the gift card market, as well as understanding the gift card purchase decision and gift-card redemption experience. Decision Analyst recommended using quantitative surveys among both purchasers and recipients to capture gift card market share, as well as a deep dive into the motivations and behaviors surrounding a gift card purchase.

• A Hair-Raising Global Tracking Study (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Beauty Products
  Methods: Product Awareness and Usage, International Research, Product Attributes, Incidence, Customer Target Profile
  Summary: An international innovator of premium beauty products targeted to women wanted to better understand hair care needs and product usage among females in four countries. This research was conducted to help the company develop targeted marketing initiatives, enhance product offerings, and understand targets for new products.

• A Rose of Any Other Color... (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Children's Toys
  Methods: Package Testing, Virtual Shopping, Advanced Analytics, Quantitative Research, Shopper Insights
  Summary: Recently a major toy manufacturer was challenged by its management team to grow sales of its top brand. The brand, a long-established market leader, had weathered many economic ups and downs and was beloved by children and parents all over the world. The brand's marketers faced a big challenge and were considering a bold (and potentially risky) change to help shift the brand's growth trend upward. Consumer research was carefully crafted to understand shoppers' reactions to the revised packages and ultimately revealed that the proposed changes would benefit the brand. It also led to some unexpected and very informative discoveries.

• Advertising Testing Among Hispanics (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Retail
  Methods: Advertising Research, Hispanic Research
  Summary: Our client, Retailer B, noticed that Hispanics were increasingly part of their target market. Recognizing the revenue opportunities that the Hispanic market represents, Retailer B wanted to increase their market share among Hispanics by developing advertising campaigns targeted towards Hispanics. A large retailer, Retailer B, wanted to evaluate television, print, and radio ads among Hispanics in the U.S. Their goal was to grow their market share in the Hispanic segment.
   
• Concept Testing (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Automotive Aftermarket
  Methods: Concept Testing, Purchase Motivation, Brand Positioning
  Summary: The target market was fast-growing. Competitive brands were already beginning to occupy space on retailers’ shelves. The decision the client needed to make was whether to relabel and slightly reformulate its current product, or keep the original formulation as is and create an all-new sister product to meet the specific needs of the new market segment and the client’s retail partners. The primary objective was to measure consumer acceptance and purchase consideration for the two product concept alternatives.
   
• Database Analytics: Developing Strategic Value from a Consumer Affairs Database (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Food Product Manufacturer
  Methods: Database Analytics, Geospatial Analysis, Data Cleaning, Customer Loyalty, Customer Satisfaction
  Summary: A major international manufacturer of a food product sold in grocery stores had a database of consumer contacts going back several years and consisting of several million records. The Consumer Affairs department believed the database was underutilized as merely a tactical resource for dealing with consumer complaints and inquiries. The department wanted to develop the strategic value of the database and also wanted to improve methods used to deal with consumer inquiries and potential problems. Using sophisticated data cleaning and exploratory methods, geospatial analysis, and standard market research analysis methods, Decision Analyst was able to illuminate patterns in the data that impacted product development and testing, and target marketing.
   
• Games People Play (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Electronic Games
  Methods: Focus Groups, Depth Interviews, Projective Techniques, Motivational Research
  Summary: At the dawn of the digital age, a major international manufacturer of electronic systems and components assigned a team of engineers to develop digital games for the new electronic devices then emerging. The engineers viewed this as an opportunity to convert checkers, chess, and similar board games into electronic versions. Consumer research revealed a far vaster realm of opportunity, a fantasy world beyond the imaginations of the engineers.

• Getting Carded (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Gift Cards
  Methods: Customer Loyalty, Awareness and Usage, Customer Satisfaction, Tracking Study
  Summary: A multinational food and beverage chain wanted to measure over time the awareness and usage of its frequent user/gift card program and its impact on customer loyalty. This research was conducted to provide strategic direction for improving the overall effectiveness of the program as a customer relationship tool—to drive customer acquisition and retention, and to grow revenue.
   
• Hotel Services Innovation Program (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Hospitality
  Methods: Qualitative Research, Ideation, Quantitative Research, New Product Concept Development & Refinement, Advanced Analytics, MaxDiff Latent Class Choice Model
  Summary: A major hotel chain was interested in developing relevant and actionable new products and services designed to target the business traveler, and to project potential market appeal for each concept. We addressed this need using Decision Analyst’s Insights & Innovation Group to identify and develop new product and service concepts. Once the new product and service concepts were developed, Decision Analyst then used quantitative research combined with advanced analytics to identify the new concepts with the best potential for success.

• I Beg Your Pardon? (The Value of Unexpected Research Results) (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Business-to-Business (B2B) Electronics
  Methods: Profiling, International Research, Business-to-Business (B2B) Research, Attitude/Awareness/Usage Research, Diagnostic Research, Problem Solving, Teamwork
  Summary: A leading device manufacturer discovered that previously-held beliefs about the philosophical differences between U.S. and Italian office workers that were driving marketing simply weren’t accurate at all. The research that was originally designed to identify how to penetrate a market was ultimately used to identify how to encourage switching from a competitor’s product.

• International Advertising Research (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Retail Automotive Fuel Products
  Methods: Concept Testing, International Advertising Research
  Summary: A global, retail automotive fuel products company was interested in testing its magazine and TV advertising in several countries in an effort to drive improvement in brand awareness, familiarity, and sales.

• Leveraging Concept Testing (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Organic Food Manufacturer
  Methods: Concept Testing, Brand Name Testing, Packaging Research
  Summary: A large organic-foods manufacturer had a number of decisions to make about its new, healthier product formulation targeted to moms with young children. Specifically, the marketer had to decide how to package, name, and introduce the product. R&D was making great strides on a new and innovative package design that would not only make the product more fun and convenient, but would also generate a significant “splash” in the market. However, this new package design still needed some fine-tuning, while the production line was already set up to manufacture this product in traditional packaging. Finally, would a “kid-oriented” product name have greater appeal than the “flagship” name?

• Look Before Leaping (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Salty Snacks
  Methods: Concept Testing, Product Testing, In-Home Usage Testing, Pii® Product Improvement Index, Volumetric Forecasting, Sales Forecasting, Conceptor® Forecasting Models
  Summary: A salty snack manufacturer worked with a subcontractor to develop a completely new salty snack product. Decision Analyst conducted a large concept test, followed by in-home usage product tests for each major flavor of the new salty snack, and forecasted in-market sales volume with its Conceptor® forecasting models. The results were a shock to the client.
   
• Market Evaluation (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Automotive
  Methods: Market Evaluation, Quantitative Research, Market Overview
  Summary: A multinational automotive manufacturer (OEM) with no previous experience in the U.S. market was considering whether or not to attempt to introduce an all-new vehicle into the U.S. The need was to gain a fundamental understanding of the U.S. owner and intender of vehicles in one particular segment of the market. The client needed to gain an understanding of the market dynamics (including competitive strengths and weaknesses) and customer characteristics, in order to determine whether or not they were in a position to serve the U.S. market effectively.
   
• Market Mix Modeling: Measuring Return from Advertising in the Fresh Food Industry (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Fresh Food Manufacturer
  Methods: Advertising Research, Promotion Research, Marketing Mix Modeling, Econometric Modeling, DecisionSimulator™
  Summary: A major manufacturer of a fresh food product sold in grocery stores had spent $250,000 in the previous two years on advertising and $1.2 million per year in promotion allowances. The company believed it understood how to manage promotion allowances and how much return to expect in terms of sales. However, there was a question about the return on advertising expenditures: that is, how much stimulation of sales could be expected per Target Rating Point (TRP) of advertising?
   
• Never Trust an Engineer (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Electronic Calculators, Mathematics Training
  Methods: Focus Groups, Depth Interviews, Ethnography, Telephone Survey
  Summary: A large, worldwide manufacturer of electronic components and devices developed handheld calculators and mathematics training program for children in the first, second, and third grades. Field visits by the engineering team confirmed that the new calculators were terrific, and that the children were deeply engaged and emotionally involved with the devices. Senior marketing managers wanted to know how to market the new calculators and training program, and hired Decision Analyst. The research revealed some surprises.
   
• Not-So-Secret Identity (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Premium Packaged Goods
  Methods: Depth Interviews, Projective Techniques, Motivational Research, Survey Research, Advanced Analytics, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Packaged Goods
  Summary: During the economic boom of the mid-1990s, sales rose for new and old products alike. Marketers were benefiting, especially in the premium packaged goods industry. Our client’s brand was among the first of its kind, had been on the market for decades, and had maintained market share, yet our client wanted the brand to do more than just survive. They saw the booming economy and consumers’ growing interest in premium packaged goods as an opportunity to refresh and strengthen the brand’s identity. Our consumer research identified “key pillars” for the brand, which have helped propel it far beyond previous success and into new markets around the world.

• Optimizing ROI in Banner Ad Design (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Retail
  Methods: Predictive Modeling, Market Simulation, Advanced Analytics
  Summary: A large, online retailer decided to purchase banner ads on various websites within three different geographies. We applied an experimental design and choice modeling to optimize the color scheme, ad size, and geographic scope of the banner ads.
   
• Positioning Test with Segmentation (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Kitchen Appliance System
  Methods: Positioning Test, Market Segmentation, Latent Class Cluster Analysis
  Summary: A major consumer-packaged-goods company and a large appliance manufacturer had jointly designed a system to deliver a superior finished product, compared to traditional ways of preparing the product. Before bringing the new product to market, the manufacturer wanting to develop a positioning that was compelling and different than their competitors.

• Predicting and Optimizing Website Lead Generation (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Online Lead Generation
  Methods: Correlation/Cluster Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Cross-Validation, Simulation Modeling, Advanced Analytics
  Summary: A large U.S. military service branch uses websites to attract young men and women as potential recruits. By providing a form to be completed by those interested in a military career, data is captured that helps the military branch with recruitment. Predictive analytics was applied to data obtained from forms filled out on the website, page views, and lead generation. The resulting predictive models were used to adjust relative spending on different clusters of Web pages, maximizing ROI in terms of lead generation.

• Purchase Probability Modeling: Lead Classification System For a Cloud-Based Product (Download PDF Version)
  Category: B2B Software
  Methods: Purchase Probability Modeling, Predictive Modeling, Business-to-Business (B2B) Research, Sales Lead Classification, International Research
  Summary: An international, high-tech software company wanted to boost sales of its business-to-business hosted software service. A logistic regression model was developed that predicted the likelihood that a prospect would consider subscribing to the hosted service. The model was incorporated into an interactive scoring tool that allowed the sales force to enter prospect responses for each of the model predictors and forecast the likelihood of prospects to accept an offer of service. After the model was validated by the client company, the model was implemented across its sales force.
   
• Retail Point-of-Sale Tracking (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Retail
  Methods: Point-of-Sale Surveys, Tracking, Customer Satisfaction Monitoring
  Summary: A major retailer needed a way to better understand the experiences of their customers in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
   
• Retail Sales Forecasting (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Fashion Retailing
  Methods: Retail Store Location Analysis, GeoAnalytics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  Summary: A national retail apparel chain sought help from Decision Analyst in identifying new market opportunities. The chain felt that major metropolitan areas offered limited growth opportunities, and wondered if smaller towns might be viable for its retail stores. Decision Analyst combined survey research, competitive analyses, and geographic analyses and modeling to forecast sales of new stores in smaller markets.
   
• Sell Those MBA's (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Graduate Education
  Methods: Syndicated Data Analysis, Secondary Data Analysis, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), GeoAnalytics, GeoMapping, Site Selection, Sales Forecasting, Concept Optimization, Choice Modeling, DecisionSimulator™
  Summary: A major university in a large midwestern metropolitan area offered an array of MBA graduate degrees at its downtown campus. Its Executive MBA (EMBA) program was the most profitable, and the university sought to expand this graduate offering. Decision Analyst was asked to help identify optimal locations for satellite classrooms to offer the EMBA degree. The results revealed complex interactions among the site-location variables.
   
• Strategic Global Research: Qualitative Research in China (Download PDF Version)
  Category: International Retail
  Methods: International Research, Strategic Research, Depth Interviews, Ethnographic Research, Focus Groups, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research
  Summary: A U.S.-based retailer wanted to evaluate an emerging market as part of their long-term expansion strategy. This research was undertaken to provide strategic direction for markets in China.

• Taking Advertising to the Next Level (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Discount Retailer
  Methods: Quantitative Research, Brand Awareness, Advertising Awareness, Tracking Study
  Summary: A large discount retail chain wanted to measure company brand and advertising awareness as well as consumer attitudes over time. This research was conducted to help the company identify ways to make their advertising more effective in driving store visits and sales.

• Time-Extended™ Online Qualitative Research (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Vehicle Loan Financing & Services
  Methods: Time-Extended™ Online Qualitative, Online Qualitative Research in a Bulletin Board Format
  Summary: An industry-leading, Web-based company that specializes in financing and servicing new and used vehicle loans for customers with less-than-perfect credit wanted to develop a targeted advertising campaign with their primary customers. Online, Time-Extended™ depth interviews were conducted to provide an intimate understanding of the consumer relationship with the service and reveal key drivers in the auto loan decision-making process. The learnings from the interviews have been used as a foundation in forming messaging for television advertisements, as well as for exploring new communication strategies to better suit changing customer needs.
   
• Using Market Research to Create Compelling Thought Leadership and Earn Industry Respect by Lisa Huck, Director, Global Research, Plantronics and Vickie Cole, Director, Technology Research, Decision Analyst Inc.
  Download PowerPoint Presentation
  Originally presented at IIR's The Market Research Event 2010, this presentation summarizes the results of an executive communication survey conducted by Decision Analyst on behalf of Plantronics. Technological advances in communication have changed our world and our workplace is beyond question. However, some have gone so far as to proclaim that email or text communication is actually preferred over voice, a position we felt should be investigated. Taking a “pure research” position, we devised a research plan to compare and contrast communication modes, and gauge their relative value to Team Knowledge Workers in both business and personal situations.
   
• Using Exploratory Research to Formulate Quantitative Research and a Discrete Choice Modeling Design (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Auto/Captive Financial Services
  Methods: Exploratory Research, Quantitative Research, Discrete Choice Modeling, In-Person Focus Groups, Simulated Purchasing Decisions
  Summary: The Captive Finance arm of a Global Auto Manufacturer had historically relied on a traditional approach to developing new business, utilizing the value of its automotive products as the primary conduit for attracting customers. The client was looking for new ways in which to grow and add value to its business.
   
• Utilities Customer Satisfaction (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Utility
  Methods: Customer Satisfaction, Customer Segmentation, Business-to-Business Research, Consumer Research
  Summary: A major national utility company was suffering from low customer satisfaction ratings and needed a plan to identify problems and address the issues in a timely manner.
   
• Volumetric Concept Testing (Download PDF Version)
  Category: Toy Industry
  Methods: Volumetric Concept Testing, Latent Class Choice Modeling, Calibration, DecisionSimulator™, Online Simulated Shopping
  Summary: A toy maker developed several toy concepts and wanted to know which of them should be taken to market. During an online survey, respondents were taken through two shopping exercises and made purchase decisions based on the available toys. Several latent-class choice models were developed measuring price and product utilities. Calibration to external sales data was applied to improve the reliability of volumetric estimates. After calibration, the total volume estimates were loaded into a DecisionSimulator™ that enabled the client to make toy selections based on potential units and revenue.