Archive for July, 2009

Kids are NOT fickle!

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

A number of years ago, I read an article in trade journal, in which a sales and marketing manager for a UK soft drinks manufacturer was quoted as saying: “Children are extremely fickle, changing their tastes quickly and without warning.” At the time, I accepted this sentiment as a truth – but these words continued to nag me for many subsequent years, until I came to the realisation that the opposite is more true.

A few years later, at a conference, my colleagues and I were commissioned to lead a one-day workshop on how to work effectively with young consumers. In the two days preceding our workshop day, we frequently heard speakers make the assertion that “kids are fickle”. By the third or fourth time this statement was made, I became exceedingly agitated, so much so that I spent fifteen minutes at the beginning of our workshop giving the reasons I feel that this statement is untrue.

We can say unequivocally that kids ARE NOT fickle.

To be fickle means that a child is fast to change his/her purpose, and nothing could be further from the truth. The ‘purpose’ of childhood is to mature into an adult, and that is exactly what, in the main, children are doing. The trick, then, is to understand this maturation process, and to use it in the most effective way. By understanding the major and underlying drivers of children with regard to food and beverage choice, we stop focusing on the symptoms of growing into adulthood (i.e. ‘changing their minds’) and deal with the motivations and causes.

I believe we hear this said so often, simply because it is a ‘reasonable’ excuse for why a brand or product didn’t perform to expectations. We also hear it said as a reason to avoid the development of products for kids. What we perceive as ‘fickle’ behavior, is merely kids doing their job – trying on ideas and thoughts, and experiencing these various options.

Let’s not make excuses any more.

Tags: ,
Posted in Kids | 1 Comment »

The pain of birth

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Looking into her eyes as she screeched and howled, I felt so sad, and so helpless. This was her first litter, and she really didn’t understand what was going on – though I could tell that it was incredibly painful. I was excited about the birth, because I could see beyond it and imagine the puppies that were soon to be born. My dog, though, could not see beyond the pain at the moment.

This reminded me of a number of new product development initiatives – when it doesn’t go well, the teams are too ensconced in the momentary pain, and cannot see beyond it. Successful teams are more capable of capturing the future success of the idea.

Attitudes to research vary too.

Some teams do consumer research merely for due diligence, and in a sense are trying to find reasons for their product idea to fail. Successful teams find glimmers of hope from the consumers, and then build from this and further develop.

Some time ago we were researching a new idea for nappies, and most consumers saw no value – and in fact scoffed at the idea. A few consumers, though, expressed sheer delight at the idea (though they, too, saw the problems), and gave clear guidance as to what needed to be done to fix them.

Instead of using the negative consumer feedback as an excuse to give up, they worked to find the hooks of success, and from these points then built and improved. Through several rounds, improvements have been made, and this product idea has turned the corner. Now we get consumer comments like, “this is the nappy I have been waiting for!”.

My dog, too, can now see the success of the pain of birth as she instinctively licks and nuzzles her puppies. I wish that I could have taught her in advance – and indeed teach some new product development team members – that the pain would eventually be forgotten as the ‘idea’ enters into the world and takes on an exciting life of its own.

Tags: ,
Posted in Perspective | No Comments »

Kids talk old, but eat young

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Everyone is obsessed that kids are getting older, younger.

In some ways that may be true, but in reality, kids are following similar patterns as previous generations – the difference is that modern life has more stimulus, and their reaction to this stimulus makes them more savvy.  And since kids aspire to be older than they are, they are always looking forward to see what things and privileges older kids get – they feel that if they get those things, then they are indeed older.  The principle of aspiration hasn’t really changed, the world has.

Whilst we need to talk to kids (via communication in all its forms) as if they are 1 to 3 years older than they are – what kid wants to be talked down to and treated as if they are younger, “like a baby”? – there are time when kids still want to be younger.

I remember working with a group of 14 and 15 year olds, we were discussing growing up, and how sometimes they felt patronized.  “We aren’t kids anymore!”, they proclaimed.  They taught me that they really want to be treated more like adults, and less like kids.

They talked about things that they did when they were kids, things that they still do.  An interesting pattern emerged, they all agreed that they would go back to playing with specific toys when they wanted to “feel like a kid again.”  This occurred predominantly in times of stress or frustration, when they wanted to slow down, take a step back, and feel nurtured.  In these times they would take out their old Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels – and play.

Food was another important connection to their childhood.  They like to eat ‘kid’s food’ – perhaps not when they are with their friends, but when they are alone or within the safety of their family environment.

I can relate to that.  Though I haven’t recently pulled out my Hot Wheels, I still enjoy foods that I have had since I was very young.  It makes me wonder – how much of kids’ food is actually eaten by kids??

Tags: , ,
Posted in Food, Kids | 1 Comment »

Linking new to familiar

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Those that work in innovation are so often keen to be so completely new and different, that they forget to take the consumer along for the ride.

Admittedly, this is a reaction to a common statement heard from consumers. “I’m tired of the same old thing! I want something new and different!” is their mantra. Yet in reality, when looking at their behavior, they tend to choose things that are familiar. And though they may choose novel things from time to time, the staple choices tend to be built on familiar, tried and trusted brands and products.

What’s the lesson in this? Should we forgo innovating, and merely try to sell more of the familiar stuff? No – those that win in innovating, tend to win big. And some innovations can make those ‘tried and trusted’ brands and products obsolete.

The answer, as shown again and again in our research, is to find ways to be both new and familiar. The name of the product is only part of the solution. The ‘redefining of the category’ is the rest of the answer.

An excellent example of this is the automobile: originally it was called a ‘horseless carriage’. The link with familiar horse-pulled carriages at the time allowed the consumers to understand what the new idea was all about. Walkman was called a ‘personal stereo’ – again, clearly indicating what it was, based on familiar.

Familiar is our friend – and when we are trying to build something new and innovative, we need to acknowledge our friend. This will take consumers along with us, and allow them to see the new innovation in a familiar way – finding their own personal benefits.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Consumer | 1 Comment »

Finding perspective in a blue line

Friday, July 17th, 2009

For all of us, our perspective governs our decisions – our decisions on the big things, like choices of belief systems and values, but also of the smaller things, like brands, products and services. In research, then, it is critical to strive to see the world from the perspective of those from whom we are learning.

This was a lesson early in my experience in research, and an experience helped to engender in me the heart of a researcher.

I was working as a marketer for a food ingredient company, and I was keen to establish a clear point of difference for my company in a fairly crowded industry. An idea was to become the company that was truly consumer led (which was novel at the time), so I bought some reports and commissioned some consumer research. The research with adults was interesting and insightful, but the research with the kids was very poorly done. I recall sitting and observing the research thinking, “there’s no way that those kids are saying what they really think. They are just saying what they think the moderator wants to hear.”

That poorly executed research changed my life. Out of frustration and necessity, I began to seek out different experts; different methods. I did not have much luck with consumer research experts, as they were constantly suggesting to use adult methods, slightly modified to use with kids. I had much better luck with other professionals that work regularly with kids – and a particular insight from a teacher who taught children with special learning and behavioural needs. After an initial meeting, he invited me to spend time with him in his classroom.

One of his students was severely autistic – and spent much of his time sitting at a desk, drawing a line with a blue or red crayon, from one side of the page to the other. The teacher told me more of this young boy’s story. A year previously, informed the teacher, this child was only able to draw a red line from one side of the page to the other, and after a year of working with the child, he could now switch colours: back and forth from red to blue.

I was aghast. “A whole year just to be able to switch colours?” I asked incredulously. “Wasn’t that a waste of a lot of effort?”

With a knowing smile the teacher informed me kindly that he was quite proud of the child’s accomplishment, because after all, the child’s experience had doubled in only a year.

I was very humbled, yet this lesson was powerful and changed the course of my work. I had failed to see the world from that young boy’s perspective, and vowed that I would never make the same mistake again. And since then, all the methods we try and the projects we carry out are fashioned to see the situation, product, service and brand from the research subject’s point of view. Only from that vantage point can we truly understand and make the right decisions.

I learned my lesson: perspective is key.

Tags: ,
Posted in Consumer, Perspective | No Comments »

Travelling at warp speed

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Who says that we can’t travel faster than the speed of light? Smells transport us at faster-than-light speeds to the past, and can also be a warp-speed shortcut to powerful feelings.

Memories of mother or grandmother come back to life with the smell of items baking in the oven. We are instantly transported to previous travels in foreign lands and lovely holidays when we catch a whiff of a certain scent. We subconsciously create sensorial ambiences using smells. Think cinnamon, gingerbread and vanilla for the winter holiday period; fresh florals for the spring; or citrus fruits for the summer.

Why do these work? Because they evoke a sense of a time, place, person and even feeling.

Childhood is an important link to sense memories. In our work with Prime Timers (consumers over 55 years), we continually find that the most powerful memories generated by sensory exposure are often linked to when the study participants were children, or at a time when they were involved raising their children. The senses of smell and taste are most powerful, though distinctive touches, sights and sounds can also quickly evokes memories and feelings.

In recent work with children, they also talk about memory associations with various smells and tastes – and even mix up the senses in a delightful way: “…it smells tasty”; or “…it smells warm and happy”. Most interesting is the link to strong feelings and the effect of the association. Moods change and feelings can alter in an instant. A gentle smell of lavender can calm a child and slow his/her rate of breathing. Minty smells can help a child focus and concentrate. TV and computer experiences don’t yet have directly associated smells, but that is not to say that this couldn’t be established in the future.

Finding ways to create sense memories can build powerful connections to brands or products. Collective memories – memories that are shared with a large population – can be useful to shortcut with adults. Exciting is the opportunity to establish within brands, products and experiences some unique and own-able sensory focal points for kids so that they can experience warp-speed travel when they are adults.

Most importantly, though, outside of the commercial world, parents have an opportunity to build positive, familial emotion-smells that are unique and will ultimately be transporting, long after the child has grown.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Consumer, Sensory | No Comments »