Quite often, company perceptions of what consumers think are not in alignment. How can we solve this problem?
Consider this: “While building a strong relationship with consumers is at the forefront of every marketer’s mind, the two don’t always see eye-to-eye. What marketers might think will have an impact on increasing engagement might actually turn off consumers. It happens all the time. This is because companies in today’s rapidly changing digital world are forced to jump feet first into new marketing technologies and strategies before fully understanding how they impact consumers and influence the purchasing process. To bridge the gap in understanding, Lyris partnered with The Economist Intelligence Unit to size up marketer and consumer perceptions on what works, and what does not.”
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Since the age of 16, I have been participating in trials at a company called Q Research. Q Research works with companies to provide a base of people to sample products and give feedback. Most of the trials that I have been in involve some type of makeup or hair products that I try for a week or so, and then I take a survey, or sometimes sit down with the researchers from the company and let them know what I think. A significant part of the discussion or survey is typically what I thought of the product before I tried it, and if I would have bought it on my own, and what would have made me want to buy it. Many times, the researchers were shocked to hear what I told them, because they thought they knew what would attract young girls to buy a product, and sometimes they were completely wrong. I always found it interesting that they couldn’t tell what would be appealing to my demographic, and I definitely think that that is something that must be improved in the marketing world. There are many things that marketers think will work and won’t, and there are also many pitches that come out of left field and end up being big hits. I think the key to improving product marketing lies within the research and use of focus groups, because nobody knows better what a teenage girl would want to buy than a teenage girl.
People everyday are misjudging and making false assumptions about what others would like or what others find important. As a marketer though, it is crucial to be accurate with these assumptions if you want what you’re marketing to become successful. Knowing this, it is safe to say that marketers get so caught up in the thing they are promoting, they forget about the simple things that keep customers happy such as privacy.Their focus on marketing their products causes them to forget that customers likes and dislikes can change and therefore the ways and methods they prefer to be contacted with also may change.