There have been numerous instances of advertisements not being in sync with what their consumers expect. Think – the Pepsi and Kendall Jenner advertisement that was charged with being tone-deaf by viewers and condemned for appropriating a racial protest movement to sell a fizzy drink.
This brings me to a bigger conversation – the importance of
brands to collect as much consumer data as possible for the market that they
serve. Understanding the nuances of how their consumers think, what are their
preferences and what drives them – is exactly what is needed to create a “buyer
persona.” Once you have a strong buyer persona, it becomes much easier to
design a marketing strategy to exactly cater to this persona. This mitigates
the risk of wrongly targeted advertisements that can cause huge dents in firm
reputation.
But – how can we collect data reliably? There is no simple
answer. But the right approach should collect data through multiple techniques/sources
and primary/secondary research to effectively triangulate insights gathered.
Key tools for primary research can range from surveys
(in-person/online) to telephone and mail surveys. While in-person surveys can
be expensive, online questionnaires and mail surveys can be a relatively
inexpensive way to gather valuable information. Focus groups with key members
can give a great perspective on issues and can allow for unstructured, open-ended
questions.
Other analytics tools can be applied to gain further
insights. Running regressions or conjoint analysis can give a sense of what
drives consumer decision making. This can help uncover what features/factors of
a product matter to the consumer most, allowing for a more informed marketing strategy.
Finally, field trials or marketing pilots can help get a sense of how an advert/marketing material is perceived before going in for an all-out rollout. This mitigates the risk of launching a campaign that is totally out of sync with the consumer base.
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