Category Archives: consumer research
Empathetic Consumer Understanding
I think that effective new product innovation is a result of empathizing with the customer. Traditional market research merely allows you to sympathize with them, and that often falls short. Let me explain. There is a key difference in … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer research, innovation, Insight2
How do you interpret what you see?
Have you ever noticed how different people can see the same thing but take away such different information? An optimist can read a newspaper article and note that while there are difficulties in the current economy, things are going to … Continue reading
A case for perseverance
I’ve been asked to return to my Alma Mater to speak to some classes. I graduated from Purdue University in 1983 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. That was not an easy curriculum for me. in fact I was probably … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer research, innovation
Sometimes you DO get what you pay for
It’s a tough economy out there, and everyone is looking to make their dollar stretch farther than ever. We’re delaying purchases, we’re going “without”, or we’re considering brands that we’ve not heard of before in hopes of finding satisfaction at … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer research, economy, innovation, Marketing
Is market research a dirty word?
It seems that in many organizations Market Research has become a dirty word (okay, a couple of dirty words… a dirty phrase?). It’s something that is perceived as needed, but dreaded at the same time. Kind of like a colonoscopy … Continue reading
Filed under consumer research, innovation, Marketing
Consumer research ala Columbo
There’s no doubt in my mind that the greatest television detective of all time was Columbo. Unwary suspects would write him off as an idiot, never realizing that with each “goofy question” he was actually coming closer to collaring them … Continue reading
Filed under consumer insight, consumer research, innovation
Innovation & MBTI
I’ve been a fan of the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for several years. If you are somehow unaware of this, it is a psychological profiling tool that measures your personality on four different scales; Introvert (I) vs. Extrovert (E), … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer research, innovation
The art of observation
How often do we claim to have seen something when we actually haven’t? I’m not talking about intentional deceit… It’s really more about self-deception. We all “observe” things everyday, but what we actually take in is what our mind filters … Continue reading
Filed under consumer research, innovation, unmet needs
Go with a good idea
Companies seem to fall into one of two distinct categories; those that don’t research anything and those that research everything. I’m a huge believer in understanding your targeted consumer and developing products and services that satisfy needs that they might … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer insight, consumer research, innovation, Marketing, unmet needs
Are unmet needs an oxymoron?
Unsettling thoughts in the shower this morning… What exactly is an unmet need, and why are so many people / companies fixated on satisfying them? Everybody talks about helping companies uncover their customers’ unmet needs. I’ve been guilty of it … Continue reading
Filed under consumer research, ethnography, innovation, unmet needs
