The Heart of the Matter

Innovative methods to determine
consumer needs for structural branding

By Stuart Leslie

Brainstorming with the consumer can provide insights that lead to exciting innovations.

It is an exciting time to be in the field of structural packaging design. Structural branding is proving to be one of the most powerful tools available to a marketing team—and it all starts with the consumer. Companies marketing products across a range of categories are clearly succeeding in differentiating their products and creating strong competitive advantages on shelf.

Consumer packaged goods companies are scrambling to build packaging innovation teams so that they too can utilize this powerful product marketing tool. With increased consumer interest in purchasing products that are less harmful to the environment, designers are faced with additional creative challenges to effectively utilize this tool. As we strive to achieve innovation, distinctive branding, and address environmental considerations, the key to success begins with understanding the consumer.

While we know that manufacturing and retail considerations can make or break a launch success, it is more important today than ever before to clearly identify exactly what it is that the consumer needs and desires. As the industry focus begins to shift towards marketing even more environmentally responsible packaging, it will become more important to be sure that we are giving our consumers exactly what they need, while eliminating that which is not essential. At 4sight, we have developed three tools to help in achieving this. Each has its place in the process, and can be applied either individually or in combination with the others depending on the product needs.

Consumer immersion

To improve existing products or create products that will be used in entirely new environments, this tool requires the project team to enter, literally, the world of their consumer. Previously, when we wanted to understand consumer 's needs, we invited them into a white-walled room with microphones and mirrors and sat them down next to a handful of strangers. We plied them with M &M's and soda, and then asked them to tell us exactly what they need.

It turns out that most people really don't have any idea what they need, how they use something, or how to improve what they are already using. Add in the influence of voicing personal opinions in front of strangers and we quickly realize we were only getting a small glimpse of who they are and what they really need.

Driving around with moms led to the creation of a line of products to help them regain control of the mess and clutter in their cars.

Utilizing this consumer immersion tool starts with identifying where your consumer is interacting with your product. It could be in their home, in the car, at work, or on a playing field. We then start with the basic assumption that people don't really spend much time thinking about how they use products, so we observe them interacting before we start asking questions. Then when we begin to question our consumers, they provide a much clearer view into their needs because they are describing them while using the product in a familiar environment.

The other benefit we find is that observing and documenting the environment in which they are using the product provides a context to their needs. Seeing mom opening the fridge door with her foot because she has the phone in one hand and a baby in the other gives us a whole new insight into the request: "I would like to be able to open and pour it with one hand!"

By using this technique, we can easily identify needs that haven't been met by the current packaging and better understand the wide range of consumer usage behaviors. Video cameras can be a bit intimidating here, so we prefer to run an audio recorder and take many pictures. Usually about halfway through the interview, our consumer begins to see us as a friend just having a chat about something that interests them.

Using this tool to develop the latest 64-oz. Gatorade bottle, we changed our design strategy when observing consumers drinking directly from the bottle. It had previously been assumed that a bottle of this size was a "multi-serve" and poured into cups or smaller sports bottles. To see women pick up a large bottle while playing tennis and "chug" down the product really surprised us and shifted our focus. This was further supported in watching athletes, landscapers, and other outdoor workers filling their cooler with a couple of these large bottles and chugging them throughout the day. This indicated to us that the bottle could look like a "chug-able single serve" container to further support this use and drive consumption.

In developing the new line of Blink car care products for moms, we drove around with moms in their cars as they went through their everyday activities. The 4sight team quickly realized that moms' needs in the car had changed dramatically in the last 10 years. They were so focused on getting their children to their many activities and ensuring they were fed along the way that their cars were seen as a tool for survival. The interiors were becoming cluttered with food trash, crumbs, book bags, soccer cleats, etc., and mom had all but given up on maintaining any order in the car. Conventional household cleaning and organizing products were not convenient for use in the car, and we began to realize there was a need for products that could help her regain control. This insight led to a new line of products that helped mom keep her car cleaner by giving her the products she needs in a place where they are convenient.

There are a few caveats in this type of research. We find it is best not to ask consumers to: "Show us how you use it." They will generally over-think it and end up demonstrating something that is obviously not natural to them. Generally, we have one interviewer ask light conversation questions, such as: "What grades are your children in?" while they complete their normal tasks. The second interviewer records the behaviors and follows up with the more helpful questions like: "How often do you pour a glass of juice for your children?" This keeps the consumer more grounded in their normal world without thinking too much about the tasks.

Shopping with the consumer

While there is much to be learned about product usage behavior where the product is actually being used, we find that we see a very different side of the consumer when they are shopping at the store. They are "getting down to business" and trying to get through a list of items quickly so they can move on to their next task. This is a great time to find out what is really important to them — especially where it helps them make a purchase decision. Observing consumers in this setting is best for developing products in established categories with a range of competitive options available.

Consumer in-store observations coupled with after-selection interviews helps define purchase motivations.

Initially, we observe a consumer entering the section or aisle of the store where our product is located. As they scan the products before them, we watch their behavior carefully. Some important questions to consider are: Did they look down at a list and then go directly to the product and place it in their cart? Did they take a wide look over the competitive offerings first? Did they pick up and replace a couple of items before making their final selection? Then we introduce ourselves and start our discussion. Matching up the observed behaviors with the top of mind "what was important in making your decision" questions reveals how they are making their decision at the shelf.

The range of observations we have made over the years indicates that, for many products, consumers s make up their minds on the spot. How a package feels in their hands or how it catches their eyes often has a strong influence on their purchases. One of our favorite questions has become: "How did you know that this product would be better than the others?" The initial answer is almost universally: "I could just tell." Once we share with them what we observed them doing, answers are usually developed into more helpful responses like: "It looks like better quality" or "It feels more substantial than the others" or—one of our favorite responses—"It looks like it tastes better."

The caveats in this type of research have to do with the sequence of events. Through our experience, we have found that it is essential to both observe and interview —and in that order. One without the other does not provide the necessary decision-making insight and can even prove misleading.

Creating with the consumer

In situations where we already have a clear understanding of the range of usage behaviors and needs around our product, we have a third tool to help understand what is really important to our consumer. Actually brainstorming new product ideas with our consumer that begin to "solve" their needs illuminates the importance of each need, and especially how the needs can be solved together in a way that is meaningful to them.

Letting the consumer direct the design of their own packaging provides clear insights into their real needs.

A small group of six to eight target consumers are chosen. Ideally they are friends or acquaintances from the same neighborhood, but it works pretty well if they are randomly selected too. We begin by forming a collective set of desires and needs for the group through initial discussion combined with previous learnings. Then we begin exploring how to solve each of these identified needs in isolation. Designers sketch and refine the ideas in real time and consumers build upon their initial ideas until they "have it solved."

After creating solutions for our list of needs, we go back and build complete packaging designs. The solutions for Individual needs are integrated and the consumers play out the tradeoffs associated with each until they come up with something that works for everyone in the room. This cooperative building really helps them consider the tradeoffs of their own individual needs versus the market in general.

It appears that most consumers leave these sessions and expect to see "their idea" on the market—probably even next week! However, we know that the work of making their great ideas readily manufacturable and profitable will require much deeper thinking than could be possible with a single session. Instead of really developing a final solution, they are providing us with a very clear vision of what their collective solution looks like. We now have a target to shoot for, with the confidence of knowing it is exactly what they will be looking for when they go to the store. Even if we can't provide everything they hoped for in a complete package design, we have a roadmap going forward for where we would like the product to be developed in the future.

In developing structural packaging that was eventually incorporated into the Wrigley "5" product, this technique was utilized very effectively. The Wrigley marketing team had already identified a number of areas where the current "plenty pack" stick gum packaging was not working for consumers, contributing to a continuing decline in sales of this segment. As we began brainstorming with consumers it became very clear they wanted to design something they could be proud of when offering a piece to friends —not the wrinkled and messy pack available at the time. They also needed it to fit comfortably in their pocket, or small bag when going out. Stressing the need for a pack that "doesn't spill out" all the gum led to the creation of the new one-handed, hook-locking mechanism. These ideas were able to be integrated into the new slim and cost-effective paper package.

The caveats in this creative research method center on making sure to have creative discipline. Don't take the consumers sketch and hand it off to your team for development into production. This will likely result in a very frustrated development team. The process does not replace the need for disciplined development; it just focuses it in the zone most relevant to consumers.

Also, remember that consumers can't draw. Somehow when people think they will be required to draw in front of other people they all revert to a kindergarten class in their distant past and worry that others will laugh at them. Instead, we emphasize that they are the "creators," and our designers will draw whatever they shout out. Designers should feel free to "build" and not just "record." The more realistic the ideas sketched from a manufacturing perspective, the easier they will be to implement.

The three types of research tools described here have proven very effective to the 4sight design team in bringing meaningful innovations to a wide range of popular products and leading consumer packaged goods. Used effectively, they can help a development team quickly lock in on what is important to their consumers, without building in unnecessary features or functionality that add cost and waste limited natural resources. These tools can enable a team to create a product that not only excites and delights their consumer, but provides a strong competitive advantage on shelf.

Stuart Leslie is president of 4sight inc., a New York City innovative structural branding and package design firm. He can be reached at 212-253-0525 or www.4sightinc.com.