Prayag Consulting

Tips for successful field research

In my experience “Nothing replaces the power of direct observation”. Business strategists, product and service designers, can gain several insights from watching people in their actual work environment and capturing a user’s latent/unspoken needs.

The way that you conduct your field research will have a significant impact on the quality of the results. Below are the key points from my experience, to remember when conducting your research and interpreting your results.

  Ask the right questions

If your questions are incorrectly phrased then they may produce misleading results. Avoid close ended questions which encourage the answer “yes” or “no”. For example – A company that asks customers if they intend to install an HRMS solution in the next year will find out just that – but they won’t discover “why” the customer is planning to install an HRMS solution, For example – Installing an HRMS solution automates the HR activities or improves the performance management process.   Talk to the right people

For example – If you are trying to garner how much HR spends on automation, and if you interview any HR employee in the company, this may not be the right representative of your market. Instead one needs to target employees who are decision makers in HR functions such as HR Heads, HR Director or a Sr. Manager HR. Therefore when drawing up the list of people to talk to, one needs to consider the profile of respondents carefully including seniority and job profile/role.   Talk to enough people

A survey, for example, of two people won’t get you enough information. Consider the right representative of the population in order to get a complete picture.   Statistical sampling is a science that takes into account the diversity of the population. For a homogeneous/uniform sample, for instance, a sample of 385 is the largest needed no matter if the population is 500,000 or 500,000,000,000 for 95% confidence and 5% error. One could use a sample size calculator to arrive at an accurate sample size.   Certainly, you can increase the sample size and enhance the accuracy and confidence level, however, this change increases both cost and time spent and the decision needs to be arrived based on the requirement and depth of detail expected from the findings.   Keep research impartial

It’s easy to encourage people to give the answer you want. For example, by asking leading questions or smiling at the ‘right’ answer. Discussions, where you’re not referring from a list of set questions, are particularly easy to distort. And in a focus group, individuals with strong opinions may influence the views of others.   Interpret results with care

You need to make sure you draw the right conclusions from your research. Be observant that people may distort the answers which will displace objective of the interview. For example, they might say they would be interested in a product “if the price was lower”.   Qualitative research – where you’re investigating feelings and attitudes – can be particularly difficult to interpret. However, qualitative research is quite helpful to understand the pulse of the customer. For ex. if a researcher needs to understand the nature of dissatisfaction among a respondent, a qualitative question can be asked to gather why the client/respondent was dissatisfied. One of the ways to interpret a qualitative data is by identifying a trend or a pattern in the responses provided by sample population. It is also useful to capture the sentiment which cannot really be quantified.   Be realistic

Focus on “Data and Decision-making” – Rx for manufacturers

Relevant data is possibly the only renewable source the planet has to offer today. It is profusely available and critical to understanding the world around us. That said, making sense of the abundant data requires systematic effort and research.   Consider the manufacturing industry in India as a case in point. Companies across segments- be it in the field of automotive, medical, energy, automation or any other- are operating in an environment of uncertain economy, changing standards and dynamic requirements.   Car makers like Ford, building technology content in vehicles, specifically focus on design with the end-user in mind. Through its extensive research, Ford identified the need for a sensor that can automatically detect the driver’s elevated stress levels in a patch of heavy traffic and block all incoming phone calls until the congestion dissipates. Great solution based on an understanding of driver behaviour!   3M’s constant focus on customer preferences makes them a customer-centric and one of the most innovative companies in the world. One of their fundamental strategies was to get close to customers and understand their needs.   3M started life by selling inferior form of sandpaper and the only way they could generate sales was by getting close to the customers and demonstrating their products to them. This helped them to understand customer’s needs better.   From the success of the initial approach, 3M found that if they offered customers what they wanted/needed, these customers will be loyal to their company.   Utilizing inputs from the customer to design your products remain a critical factor to innovation and growth going forward. Philip Kotler, marketing guru, in his book, “Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets”, discusses what a business has to do to be successful. He writes, “The premium will go to those companies that invent new ways to create, communicate and deliver value to their target markets”.   Knowledge is power, and the more power you have, the stronger your business will be. So, below are some of the reasons why businesses should really conduct market research and use data for better decision-making.

§  To understand the blue oceans (untapped or uncontested market place) in the market

§  To stay abreast of how competition is carrying out its strategies

§  To offer superior levels of customer service

§  To transform my current business model to the one that leads to higher growth

§  To adopt innovative ways to conduct business

Businesses must emphatically build their business and customer strategies based on knowledge and insights gained through market research.   In my role as a research professional, I have come across companies leveraging market intelligence in the following areas:-

§  Product/Service launch

§  Brand Perceptions

§  Advertising programs/Messaging

§  Service Improvements

§  Move into unfamiliar territories

§  Distribution effectiveness

§  Consumer behaviour in new markets

§  Competitor monitoring

Product Marketing lessons from the Burroti

The day before, I had Burrotis for lunch at an Indian fast food restaurant in downtown San Francisco. Essentially roti rolls with an Indian flavored filling, the restaurant had picked a really smart name for its flagship product (an anagram of the more popular burrito). And not only that, the visitor has an option of creating his own ‘burroti’ in a few simple steps: Pick the base (the burroti wrap); choose your protein (paneer/chicken/garbanzo beans); and add your flavor. A truly ingenious way to make a traditional Indian dish relatable and appealing to a wider (non-Indian) audience. Also, it repositions traditional Indian food, which has been known to be tasty (and overwhelmingly spicy) to be healthy and catering to a universal palate. And that is the essence of product marketing. Communicating what your product is simply, clearly and in a manner that appeals to your target audience.

Truth be told, the product itself is not all that unique. I have created such rolls so many times for my kids at home. But its branding (starting with its name), the brand promise (wholesome protein-rich flavorful meal), messaging and communication (so like the subway sandwich) is what makes it really innovative. In fact, its smart communication definitely entices the customer to want to try the product!

So what are the lessons for all B2B product marketers from this example? 1. Know your product- that is an imperative- the burroti’s communication reflects a deep understanding of its ‘features’ (protein-rich, fresh, customized etc) and its ‘benefits’ (healthy, tasty). Importantly, pick the salient features; do not overwhelm your audience with a laundry list.

2. Know your audience – As important as knowing your product, as it decided how to communicate. Burroti is clearly targeted at the global customer, and its messaging is bang on.  The communication  is designed to not overwhelm someone who is not used to the intricacies of the Indian kitchen.

3. Keep it simple- the communication is meant for the audience and needs to resonate with them, it is not meant for the creator (or the company) – so refrain from jargon and complex details and instead focus on what the audience is looking for.

4. Keep it real – Finally, the product experience needs to match the marketing- so make sure that the talk matches the ‘walk’. Often times, B2B marketers are guilty of pronouncing their products as unique, world-class, peerless and so on. But, in today’s connected world, messaging that is closer to ‘what you see is what you get’ than one that borders on the hyperbolic is more likely to work. In the burroti’s case, I did a quick check and found that reviews on yelp by and large corroborate the brand promise and communication.

The burroti is a great example of smart marketing backing a good product. My burroti lunch gave me much ‘ food ‘ for thought!

Repurposing content

Lots has been written on the importance of repurposing content and so on. Similarly at Prayag, we have been proposing the same for our clients as there is only a limited amount of original content that can be generated periodically owing to bandwidth and time pressures. Moreover with the multiple channels available to marketers today, it sure makes sense to maximize them and one way to do that is to repurpose content. The content that can be repurposed has to be substantive and significant like whitepapers, case studies, PoVs, research reports etc. This blog highlights the work we did with a global IT giant in this area as part of their India marketing campaigns.   The starting point was a case study complete with quotes from the client which was used to circulate both internally and externally. How was this content repurposed and what was the objective behind that? The client has planned a marketing campaign to promote its solutions and highlight the benefits delivered to the client. The target for this campaign was an external audience and the client decided to go for paid media campaigns. The media plan included advertorials, banner ads and slideshare ads to be placed in strategic business publications and portals.   The first step was the advertorial. Given that there is a limited window to capture the reader’s attention, we knew that a text based approach would not be successful. However, a certain amount of text is definitely needed to convey the right message. We decided on a hybrid approach of using a brief text description supported by a visually rich infographics to describe the case study. These advertorials appeared in leading business and IT publications. The next part of the media plan was to advertise in online business portals. A new way of doing this was to develop what was called as slideshare type ads – where the content would be placed in such a way to give an effect similar to what one gets on viewing a presentation on slideshare. Finally, we also helped create articles from these case studies which were featured in business portals.   Here are three ways in which the content was repurposed and there can be other channels too – for example, creating content for social media updates, blogs and so on. There are several opportunities and all it requires is a planned approach and execution. Of course, not all companies can afford to spend on media campaigns – however, with careful planning, it is possible to come up with a customized approach for each company and achieve the marketing objectives.   Have you come across similar examples where repurposing was successful? Will be great to hear from you on those.

Communication that touches the heart

Let’s talk videos. There are those short films/videos almost every corporate website has in a small little corner that not too many people event notice, and even if it did get noticed, it would probably have the regular ton of information, all nicely done of course – not too wow. And then there are the ‘videos’ – the ones that make you feel good, all warm and fuzzy, and the ones that get you so inspired that you begin to feel guilty for not doing something about it that very instant, and not to forget the ones that make you smile – although you may not immediately notice that you’re smiling. Good, rather great, videos are just about this – a message that touches the heart.   The visual medium has always captured millions of hearts because videos can do that much more in terms of communication. It’s not really about that fancy camera that has a frame rate of over 120 frames per second in high definition, or those fancy models, or those beautiful outdoor locations. You may have all of this in your video, but do you have a message in it that will appeal to human emotions and make you go ‘wow’? If the answer is no, you may perhaps have a good video but not a great one.   A few months ago, I had to make a video for one of our clients who runs a social business to depict a festive message. All I had with me at the time was a handycam of sorts, a few chocolates and a few children from an underprivileged background who were enthusiastic to stand in front of the camera. But what I caught on camera, however, was these children talking their hearts out and, at the end of it, wishing me for the occasion. I added to this by throwing in an appropriate sound track and now, every time I see someone watch this video, I cannot miss a smile on their face. I know I got it right!   Agreed that videos, especially the corporate ones need not make you feel warm and fuzzy, but they should appeal to an emotion. It is important to know what your audience is looking for and what emotion you can appeal to in them. That is when you know you can make communication that will have an impact. And the best form of communication is simple communication that will hit the right spot. That, in my opinion, is what should be the main focus for communication via this visual medium.

Is the internet killing off brands?

Brands are one of the most valuable assets of a company, and account for more than 30% of the stock market value of companies in the S&P100 index. Given the muscle power companies put behind their brands, it should come as no surprise that globally, Ronald McDonald is better known than Jesus! Historically, brands grew in response to the needs of consumers stuck in an information-poor environment. Brands gave consumers a certain level of assurance about the quality of the product or service. This continues to hold true in some areas such as pharmaceuticals, where many consumers prefer, for instance, to buy the more expensive branded Tylenol over the generic acetaminophen (certainly true for me, after a bad reaction to a generic). However, the rise of the internet and the growth of e-commerce have given consumers access to more information such as detailed product data, expert reviews and user reviews, and now 80% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. So are brands dying? Maybe not. This is because while the information-providing aspect of a brand may not be that relevant any more, a brand still continues to provide meaning and satisfies the emotional needs of a consumer. And therefore brands will continue to influence a purchase decision, though may be not to the same extent. With competition getting intense in almost every industry, and product differentiation getting increasingly blurry, a strong brand may be the only reason consumers buy a product over a very similar one. However, brands do seem to be on shaky ground. Social media can sway consumers powerfully, and the speed of information dissemination on the internet can topple a brand far more quickly than before — witness the recent fall of the Lululemon brand. Also, millennials are said to be less brand loyal than their parents were, so marketers will have to work harder today to win the millennials’ wallet share. As in almost every other sphere, the internet is changing the rules of brand management as well!.

Financial Results Comparison for quarter ended September 2014.

Will universities soon be irrelevant?

Living as I do in an Ivy League university town, one tends to take for granted the way the institution dominates the ebb and flow of life here. Fall is defined not just by the browning leaves, but by the return of bright-faced students, inter-collegiate football games and the regatta on the river. The old and venerable college buildings have been here for nearly three hundred years, and look like they will easily last another three hundred more. But will the institution last? Or will it be another casualty of the internet, just as brick-and-mortar retail, or the publishing industry? According to Nathan Harden of American Interest, Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, will dominate the education of the future, and “in fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist.” As we have seen, the internet is a great destroyer of any industry whose traditional business model is based on the sale of information — witness what is happening to the publishing industry, for instance — and the university system might next in line for annihilation. Stuart Butler, a Brookings scholar, who has written extensively on MOOCs, is not so harsh. He feels that the effect of MOOCs will be transformational, and change the business model of higher education as we know it. There is much scrutiny of the higher education model, with many questioning its value in today’s day and age, especially since the rate of increase of tuition is now outstripping inflation. With cost of tuition rising exponentially, and students not finding jobs at the level required to pay back the cost of tuition/student loans, we could soon find ourselves in a higher education bubble, akin to the recent housing bubble. MOOCs could be a way out, giving students access to high quality teaching at a much cheaper rate. This has the potential to break open the existing traditional market, Butler says, and on a larger scale, form an existential threat to the traditional business model of higher education that has been in existence for almost 2,000 years. There is certainly strong and growing interest in MOOCs — an average MOOC enrolls about 43,000 students, and MOOCs now enroll students at a faster rate than traditional higher ed enrollment. Enrollment in online college courses of all kinds increased by 29 percent to more than 7.1 million between 2010 and 2013, the latest period for which the fast-changing figures are available, according to the Babson Survey Research Group. However, only 10% of those enrolling in MOOCs complete the course. MOOCs are still a novelty, and probably that is why no one has as yet quantified the value of a MOOC, as they have traditional higher ed degrees. Today, employers look at MOOC certificates as resume boosters only. I think the tipping point will happen when employers accept MOOCs in lieu of traditional universities courses. Recently, Udacity (a for-profit educational organization offering MOOCs) teamed up with AT&T to create a new online program, the nanodegree. This Udacity program can be completed in less than a year for 200 dollars a month. While in most ways similar to a regular MOOC, the biggest difference is that AT&T honors its partnership with Udacity by offering 100 paid internships to those who receive the degrees. AT&T has collaborated with Udacity to guide course materials and tailor the degree towards company needs. If MOOCs replace traditional classroom teaching, whither the traditional university then? Maybe they will replicate the above AT&T-Udacity model, tying up with industries and companies to develop very customized, industry-specific or even company-specific courses that will be honored by the industry or company concerned. In addition to transforming traditional information-based industries, the internet is also very good at unbundling services, so maybe colleges will shift their focus to providing customized ‘learning’ packages for their students — a mix of MOOCs and traditional campus experiences. Several scenarios are being bandied about the future of the traditional university. Some experts believe that most average universities will collapse, and only the few best ones survive. Another probable scenario could be MOOCs and traditional college education co-existing side by side, each fulfilling its separate role. As has happened in several other industries, a transformation of the traditional university model will have both victors and victims. And as in other industries, only those who see the writing on the wall and change their business model to suit the new requirements will survive. And now, excuse me while I go enjoy the broad leafy walks of my university town while the venerable institution still stands