MMR launches ‘Concept Lab’ - a comprehensive six part research approach which measures concept performance against the most relevant market context
‘Concept Lab’ provides a holistic and detailed understanding of a new idea’s potential and avoids multiple rounds of research.
MMR Research Worldwide (MMR) has developed a new NPD research package, ‘Concept Lab’: a cost-effective, advanced tool which provides companies with a detailed understanding of concept performance against specific commercial objectives. This part-standardised, part-tailored approach can be used to screen, optimise and validate potential of concepts without the need for multiple rounds of research. MMR’s holistic analysis is distilled to provide firm recommendations, providing focus for the whole NPD cycle.
Now, brand owners can commission one research package which covers six facets of concept performance, normally the focus of ‘deep dive’ resource-intensive consumer research. They are hedonic (e.g. would customers buy the product), perceptual (e.g. what are the functional benefits offered?), emotional (e.g. what are the emotional conceptualisations associated with the idea?), diagnostic (e.g. what specific concept areas are liked/disliked and how could they be improved?), usage (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how would it be consumed?) and activation (e.g. how would the product perform in a competitive context?).
The Concept Lab approach has been thoughtfully designed so that each measure specifically accesses a different aspect of concept potential. It uses interactive online tools which have been developed to go beyond ‘liking’ and gauge relative performance against the most likely competitive set so the idea faces a real life choice environment.
“With the failure rate of NPD remaining stubbornly high, we questioned why so much quantitative concept research still uses the same basic and often simplified evaluation frameworks,” says Mat Lintern, managing director of MMR. “We believe techniques which rely on external, historic benchmarks and normative data, and which lack the competitive context required in today’s highly dynamic markets, to be simply too blunt for the modern world.
“Research needs to work harder and be smarter,” continues Lintern. “At MMR, we advocate a joined-up approach to NPD research, using our tools such as Concept-EROS to help shape an idea at its inception, SensoHedonic+ to ensure the concept and product are perfectly aligned, and FACETS to help create packaging that contributes directly to the overall strength of the proposition. Concept Lab complements these techniques throughout the innovation cycle, providing confidence that a new idea offers the combination of strong appeal, true differentiation, right pricing, strong brand fit and accurate emotional and functional positioning that drives long term success.
“We’ve packed Concept Lab with everything clients need to create winning ideas. Having piloted the approach globally for a range of categories, including chocolate, soft cheese and toothpaste, we have seen that it can be used to take a concept further along the journey towards optimum execution in terms of positioning, product and packaging than typical quantitative concept screening research.”
With its semi-standardised approach, Concept Lab provides a cost and time efficient assessment of any number of concepts.
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About MMR Research Worldwide
MMR Research Worldwide (MMR) is a leading research partner for food, drink, and household and personal care companies with offices in the UK, USA, Singapore and China. With profound expertise in sensory research, product testing, packaging innovation, NPD and emotion-based research, MMR provides innovative, creative and scientifically-robust research and is a trusted advisor on all product, brand and packaging strategy decisions. MMR’s clients have access to a variety of unique proprietary research assets including Brandphonics® – an approach to identify what influences consumer choice – and in-house sensory facilities. MMR is part of the MMR Group which is a privately-owned research company employing in excess of 130 people. Founded in 1989 by Professor David Thomson, the Group is headquartered in Oxfordshire, UK. www.mmr-research.com.
Shortlisted as Best Agency with a turnover under £20million in Research Magazine’s Research Awards 2012.
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