Solutions & Results
Cell phone handset design - fast feedback on consumers' needs
Issue: Japanese cell phone maker needs to design, test and bring to market a wide array of cell phones to meet the Japanese consumer's demands of constant feature enhancements, ease-of-use and designs that make a fashion statement.
Approach: JMR is regularly asked by handset makers to conduct usability testing with consumers of varying ages and phone needs. Using JMR's ability to recruit very specific consumer segments based on demographics and psycho-graphic consumer profiles, meaningful test panels are quickly assembled and tested at JMR's own interview facilities located in very central Tokyo. Mock-ups may come directly from the makers' engineering labs arriving in James Bond like security cases or may be existing phones being re-positioned to a new audience with only cosmetic modifications.
Results: Cell phone and mobile device handset makers gain quick turnaround insights into consumer reactions and know that given JMR's reputation for confidentiality, no competitor, or in most case not even the test consumers, will be aware of the makers program for forthcoming product changes.
Cosmetics home tests & product positioning
Issue: In the highly competitive and over supplied cosmetic markets of Asia, a Japanese firm with strength in a different product category wanted to introduce an anti-aging skin cream, first in Japan followed by China and Korea launches.
Approach: A multi-phase testing program was set up by JMR. After segmenting the consumers and focusing on the target consumers with the greatest potential as buyers of the anti-aging message, consumers were recruited. Testing included delivery of product for use at home over a one-month period, diary keeping by the users of changes in their skin condition, followed by detailed questionnaires. Finally a sub-set of participants were brought together by JMR at a central location to discuss their experience in a setting with similarly segmented consumers.
Results: The manufacturer learned from the findings that they needed to provide a deeper more nuanced message about anti-aging and their product to support its claims and positioning. Ad programs were redefined to harmonize the luxury image of the company's other well-known products with its new anti-aging product line. This included a package and POS support materials. In addition, the company's beauty adviser needed to be re-trained to be in step with the program, a task designed and executed by JMR as well
OTC drug maker moves into health foods
Issue: A large Japanese OTC drug maker decided to add a line of health food products taking advantage of the firm's experience in protein and body fat chemistry interactions.
Approach: With no previous experience in the mass consumer market for health foods, the drug maker asked JMR to design a plan to first capture the current state of consumers' attitudes toward health foods, diets, weight problems and daily eating and exercise patterns for various segments of the urban Japan population. Going deeper JMR setup a segment representative focus group of potential users of the health food line in order to delve into the consumer view of the drug maker offering health foods.
Results: Consumers were found to be receptive to the firm's new initiative and found the link to its OTC drugs to be a credible marketing point. With the details and conceptual framework prepared by JMR based on the findings, the firmed had JMR review various package designs prepared by their ad agency for alignment with the findings. The product is now sold widely in convenience store chains across Japan and the U.S.
Investigating home electronics trends on site
Issue: Consumer electronics in the U.S. and Japan, both end-equipment and semiconductor component makers, asked JMR to find out the deep usage patterns of consumers related to their TVs, phones, mobile music devices and home computer networks.
Approach: What better place to undertake the study of consumer preferences and usage patterns of home electronics than by directly visiting consumer homes and observing them. JMR first conducted a market segmentation of consumers into various user types based on income, family size, and so forth. Then, experienced recruiters arranged the home visits and incentives for the consumers and family members. JMR staff along with the market research staff from the electronics entered the home and under the guidance of ethnographic method trained JMR staff and an interpreter, entered Japanese across the greater Tokyo metro area to gather first hand-impressions.
Results: Based on the findings of the visits and JMR construction of a theoretical framework for the findings, the manufacturers planned their promotion campaigns directly at consumers regarding the "digital home electronics" lifestyles while their engineering departments used the data to prioritize product development of LCD TVs, next generation cell phones and mobile music devices, etc.
