We have helped many of our clients, like you; optimize product positioning and advertising strategy.

In very short and precise information bites, your advertising needs to be able to immediately relate to your evolving target consumer. Advertising in this modern world is not so much about how the product or service can improve the user's life, but more about how it relates to the consumer and his or her life.

The way that today's advertisers are successfully communicating with consumers is largely dependent on new and popular technologies. These new technologies provide advertisers with a wide array of media options which can be cost effective when used in the proper way.

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) has found that while today's American adult consumers still consider traditional sources of media such as the newspaper and broadcast television credible sources of news and information, today's younger consumers are partial to newer media sources. These young consumers are never seen without the latest gadgets on the market and this means that effectively reaching consumers involves the use of a multitude of different digital devices.

Today's consumers have different wants, needs, and expectations than consumers of the past. They are more informed and educated on common marketing practices and their expectations have risen considerably when it comes to purchases. They exercise more control over which advertising messages they will and will not listen to, they are not passive.

According to Brandweek's 2005 Customer Loyalty Index, consumer expectations have increased in categories from financial institutions to fast food. Identifying and connecting with today's consumers is a much larger task than ever for advertisers.

To advertise in a relevant and effective way, you need to understand who your target is, what they are like, what they want, what message is most effective, and what is the best way to reach them. This involves extensive knowledge of your market and its wants and needs. Without this in-depth understanding of your consumers it makes it nearly impossible to connect with them a way that is attracts their attention.

Consumer attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions are constantly undergoing changes and the population is dividing into smaller, clustered groups, each with its own special interests, lifestyles, and affinity for particular goods and services. Every market will not respond the same to the same advertising practices; this is why a clear understanding your target market is so crucial to the overall effort.

A CASE STUDY:

THE ISSUE:
A company and its ad agency were in the process of developing a communications plan with the most relevant and effective messaging strategy. Extensive demographic research had been conducted and they had a good understanding of the "who," "when" and "what". They did not, however, have a good understanding of the reasons why consumers purchased or did not purchase their product.

THE SOLUTION:
MRSI designed a thorough qualitative marketing research study with advanced and specialized projective techniques to identify those reasons, including emotional drivers and motivations, which influence the purchase of the product. These techniques allowed the company to identify perceived obstacles or barriers, both rational and emotional, which preclude people from buying the product more often or at all.

BUSINESS IMPLICATION:
MRSI was able to show through the marketing research that the company's current campaign was on target with people who currently purchase the product frequently, but that the message was less relevant to those who purchase infrequently and that the campaign actually alienates or exacerbates the negative perceptions of those who do not currently buy.

Research determined that the company needed to reposition its brand and offerings in order to connect more effectively with those who buy the product less frequently or those who do not buy it at all. Specifically, the company and agency needed to re-invent the product imagery to something more uplifting and less stereotypical. Armed with this information, the agency was able to develop a communications plan and messaging strategy that address misconceptions and entices people to buy.

Find out more today!
For more information on how MRSI can help your advertising or marketing agency gain consumer insight, call us at 513-579-1555 or use one of our online forms to quickly request additional information or to request a proposal.