Misconceptions And Traps In Market Research

The listing of products is a matter of investigation, which is just as natural as that before marriage, and it is easy to hear the cost of an international company's annual market research, which is tens of millions of dollars. The so-called "sharpening is not the wrong way to cut firewood", but the domestic enterprises often misunderstand the market. They think that market research is to market and survey the crowd, which is to let the common people or potential customers fill in the market feedback list. But after the market research is finished, the results are useless. Market research has caused a large number of enterprises to make the most valuable data collection and market analysis of the marketing link become traps. Why?

About questionnaire design

Designing questionnaire is the key to success of investigation, and it can show the true understanding of marketing.

Let's look at the case: because Pepsi Cola's growth is constantly demanding "the choice of a new generation", in 1982, Coca-Cola began to implement the code marketing plan of the Kansas plan.

More than 2000 investigators are investigating whether customers are willing to accept a brand new Cola in ten major cities.

The question is: if Coca-Cola adds a new ingredient to make it drink softer, will you? If Coca-Cola will be similar to Pepsi Cola, will you feel uneasy? Do you want to try new drinks? According to the survey results, only 1/10 left and right customers are uneasy about Coca-Cola's new flavor, and more than 50% of them think it acceptable and adapt to the new formula Coca-Cola.

In the next first taste test, tasters' satisfaction with new coke exceeded Pepsi Cola. Investigators believe that the new formula cola can at least increase the market share by one percentage point, that is, increase sales of $200 million.

In the face of this big decision, in order to ensure foolproof, Coca-Cola took out 4 million dollars to conduct a taste test of 191 thousand consumers from 13 cities. Among the many brands that did not mark the brand, the tasting still beat the overwhelming majority of the new formula "cold" and "new coke" 61% to 39%.

It was this costly taste test that prompted Coca-Cola to make up its mind to bring forth the new and meet the challenges of Pepsi.

In April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola, which had been marketing for 99 years, held a grand press conference at Lincoln Center in New York. The theme is "the most significant beverage marketing trend in the centenary of the company."

Guo Sida declared publicly that "the best drink, Coca-Cola, will become better: new coke instead of traditional cola."

A total of more than 700 media journalists attended the press conference. The satellite communications satellite also sent the scene images to Losangeles, Atlanta and Houston.

Within 24 hours, 81% of Americans knew about Coca-Cola's formula change, which was even higher than the public awareness rate in 24 hours 16 years ago when Apollo landed on the moon. It is said that more than 70% of Americans have tasted it in the "New Cola" days, more than any group of new products.

But for Coca Cola Co, a marketing nightmare started from the news conference in the morning of April 23rd.

Take the telephone hotline statistics as an example: in the 4 hours of the new coke listing, 650 calls were made to protest the change of Coca Cola's taste; 4, the number of protest calls was thousands every day at the end of 4; by the middle of May, the number of critical calls was up to 5000 per day; in June, the figure rose to more than 8000 -- with tens of thousands of letters of protest, most Americans expressed the same opinion: Coca-Cola betrayed them, "is it reasonable to rewrite the constitution"?

What about the Bible?

In my opinion, changing the formula of Coca-Cola is as serious as it is.

To this end, Coca Cola Co has to open dozens of free hotlines, employing more public relations personnel to deal with these complaints and criticisms.