Brand managers face a tough job. They must cut through the noise to position a brand successfully, find golden opportunities for differentiation, and navigate through volumes of competitive mayhem. On top of that, we expect them to digest and apply market research data with flair. Yeah, right.
Are you a brand manager?
For brand managers seeking to get better use from market research data, I have a tip for you: Work with your team. If you work in a company with over $10 million in annual sales or revenue, you likely have a market research department. This department may also be referred to as “customer insights” or “shopper insights.” These folks can help you quickly and objectively identify your best options for any business data needs.
They know how to collect the data your organization needs using tools like surveys, focus groups, interviews, and ethnography. Just as important, they know when and how to collaborate with your organization’s other data hubs (various analytics functions may include customer analytics, data analytics’, e-commerce data, etc.).
No matter how big or small your question is, you can get unbiased advice from your market research team. Whether you need data to inform a decision or craft a strategy, they can guide you on the best options.
Are you a customer insights/market research manager?
Customer insights and market research professionals face a challenge when working with brand managers. These brand management types are often moving at 100 miles per hour.
So how can you help them make the time and attention to apply market research data?
You must make it easy for them. It may sound trite, but it is true.
The first big step to making it easy for a brand manager to harness the power of your amazing research is to speak their language.
You can help them engage with your research findings by using brand management language. Many market research professionals — like those in any specialty field — use a fair amount of jargon. We casually use phrases like “incidence rates,” “clusters,” and “significance” and expect the brand manager to speak our language. Why make them work that much harder in deciphering what the request is?
Instead, speak their language by communicating your key findings in the context of brand management job responsibilities.
To get started, here are two key responsibilities that nearly all brand managers have:
- Creating and promoting value propositions for the brand
- Creating and promoting marketing initiatives that will meet market share goals
Brand managers may have other top responsibilities, but these two are universal and are often supported by market research data.
Translating market research to the language of value propositions
There are various definitions of “value proposition,” but the essence remains the same. A value proposition is a statement that clearly describes why your target market would choose to spend money with your brand.
For some brands, this might be about superior service; for others, it is about a unique product attribute. Some see the value proposition as simply being the low-cost option. For others, it may not even be something that is “rational”. It may be a purely emotional trigger into which the brand taps.
Brand managers often ensure the brand’s value proposition stands out from the competition and remains viable. “Current” is important, as many product categories evolved rapidly; yesterday’s differentiated value proposition might become tomorrow’s ho-hum.
Use customer surveys to uncover or test value proposition assumptions and options.
Here are two paths:
Highlight brand attributes that customers perceive as “unique.”
Does the data show that the proposed value proposition is perceived as unique? We’re not talking about marginal uniqueness; the brand manager needs clear, standout uniqueness. If your data reveals key findings that identify the brand’s unique, defensible value proposition options, you’ll earn their appreciation.
Conversely, if the research finds that the brand lacks a defensible, unique value proposition, your brand manager needs to know that too. It’s bad news, but it’s an important reality check for a brand manager who may need help getting an executive team to pay attention to “valid marketing challenges.”
Identify ways to optimize the value proposition by country.
Does the data show that the value proposition needs modification by country or region (“country-specific value propositions”)? Or can the brand effectively use a “universal value proposition”?
This last point turns out to be very common: if your client represents a multinational brand, they may very well face this challenge. In their 2014 article, “Designed with you in mind,” Scott Garrison and Jet Kruith of SKIM describe a fascinating case study. A cleaning product was successful in the U.S. with an “easy” theme, but in Italy, it thrived with a “cleaning deeply” approach. These are two very different value propositions, showcasing how value propositions can vary by country.
Want to really thrill your brand manager? Identify value propositions that work both universally and find ones that may be country-specific: that gives them the best of both worlds from which to choose. For example, “Brand X has four unique, defensible value proposition options. Two are universal, and two are country-specific—backed by your impressive data, of course.
Translating market research to the language of market share goals
Market share goals can vary quite a bit, but usually are along the lines of, “Our goal is the be number one in our market, or a newer entrant might be aiming for “10 percent market share by 2020.” These are examples of the very precise, measurable goals for which a brand manager may have responsibility. And because many executive teams use market share as a KPI (Key Performance Indicator), this can be high visibility work for the brand manager.
To speak this language, make sure any research used to advance the stated market share goal is explicit. Here are two research statements that use language a market share-driving brand manager would love:
- “Brand X has potential to gain market share from Competitor Y. Research results reveal that of the top competitors, Competitor Y has notable weaknesses that align with our strengths. Its customers already have high awareness and positive perceptions of our brand. Further, more than 50 percent of Y’s customers are frustrated by its product’s “ease-of-use” and “personalization features” — two attributes on which Brand X can objectively demonstrate superiority.”
- “We have an opportunity to boost our market share momentum by being the first of our competitive set to meet emerging need A. The research reveals a previously-unrecognized need for a product that does A. None of our competitors currently address A, and our best competitive intelligence suggests that it isn’t in current product roadmaps.” That’s a lot more powerful than “Our research has uncovered a new, emerging customer need for A.” Work in the phrase “first-mover advantage” and they will be delirious with delight!
One sentence at a time
Brand managers want to apply your fantastic market research data to their work, but if you want them to really use it, make it easy. Use the keywords and phrases that they use in their day-to-day work.
This article was written by Kathryn Korostoff, lead instructor and president at Research Rockstar, LLC.
ABOUT RESEARCH ROCKSTAR, LLC
Research Rockstar delivers training and staffing services to busy professionals seeking Market Research excellence. They offer 25+ training classes in both online and on-site formats, with options to earn Insights Association Certificates. Their Rent-a-Researcher staffing services place qualified market research experts, covering temporary needs due to project fluctuations, maternity leaves or other staffing disruptions.
