From Jeremy Lichtenberger, Senior Brand Planner, Palio

Are you familiar with the Web site psfk.com? No? Well, once you check it out, it’ll quickly be one of your favorites. PSFK describes itself as a “New York based trends research and innovation company.” They report daily on innovative products and services from existing and emerging artists and designers that challenge the very way we live our lives and, ultimately, make us think differently. In addition, they provide trends consulting and have worked with blockbuster companies like Apple, BMW, Target, and PepsiCo.

According to PSFK, they “aim to inspire our readers, our clients and our guests to make things better – whether that’s better products, better services, better lives or a better world.” Information comes from the fields of architecture, the environment, health and beauty, the Web, technology, you name it. The products and services they report on every day are surprising and sometimes mind blowing, and there is no doubt that some will be the future of our planet. So whether you are in communications or marketing or are a stay-at-home mom, this Web site has something that is sure to make you say “Wow, that is so cool!”

One of the best things about the site is that its articles and findings are nicely organized. Not too much copy is used to report on each idea, and this makes it easy to get to the point. If you want to know more, there are plenty of videos and links to additional information about the products they report on.

At the end of 2009, PSFK published a book called “Good Ideas for 2010” and I immediately  grabbed a copy. My first thought was that this book is going to be huge because of the enormous amount of cool information they report on in full year. I was surprised and excited to see that the book is actually really small and, in typical PSFK way, it is uniquely organized. It is divided into 5 sections and is intended to make you think differently and reconsider the way you may view ordinary things and lifestyles. This collection from artists, designers, and creative minds challenges the status quo and organizes their ideas into 5 “Good Ideas” that, hopefully, will help you make the world a better place in 2010. Pick up a copy at PSFK.com!

From Nanette Foster, VP, Brand Planning Director, Palio

Recently I moderated research with moms to gain a better understanding of the brands they find most attractive and why. What I learned was very surprising. I went in thinking I was going to hear about the brands that always seem to rise to the top – Nike, Apple, and the like.  However, this was not the case. I was surprised when the moms consistently picked cleaning brands as their favorites. And even more surprised as they became quite passionate talking to each other about their brands. Can it really be a passion for cleaning? What is it that these brands doing and what is it we could learn from them?

What I discovered was…

Moms want functionally and emotionally balanced brands
As I listened to the moms, it became clear that the cleaning  brands just “get it” – they truly understand what moms need both functionally and emotionally.

On the functional level, they need to know the product will do or what it claims to do – no more, no less. The brand most often  mentioned was the tried and true Tide laundry detergent, simply because it does what it says it’s going to do – plain and simple; no frills needed. Tide gets whites whiter. Brands need to manage expectations – even if the product isn’t a real “show stopper.” For moms, they would rather be told what the product doesn’t provide vs discovering the brand overpromised and underdelivered –  honesty wins out here. This no-nonsense practicality is appealing to and respected by moms.

Once the functional need of the brand relationship is met, the good cleaning brands push on to deliver what moms want emotionally by providing a brand experience that proves they understand why clean matters to moms. Tide, being one of the best, delivers a sensory brand experience built around the smell of clean. For many women, the scent of Tide as they pour it into the washer, as well as the lingering goodness on her family’s clothes coming out of the dryer signal for her that she is doing a good job for her family. The Tide sensory experience is also a master at stimulating strong memories while  making new memories. Tide consistently brings to mind a mom’s memories of her own childhood when her mom used Tide on her clothes – what the comfort and security meant to her. Tide’s brand ability to connect with moms through strong sensory triggers that signal acceptance and achievement such as, “I’m doing the best for my family”; “I’m a good mom”; ” I love my family and only buy the  best”; “It’s what my mom did for us,” is truly at the heart of their brand experience.

So I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised by the moms’ top scores for cleaning brands. They’re working hard to form loyalty with moms today. And, I must admit, there is a little genius in the simplicity of their approach when it  comes to walking alongside moms, helping them deliver the quality family care they desire along with everyday functionality of today’s lifestyle needs. This is an approach for all us brand stewards to ponder daily as we build brand relationships with our consumers. As we find ourselves struggling between focusing on the functional and emotional brand benefits, remember that brand relationships, like relationships with people, work best when the “need/want” balance is achieved. Lopsided or heavy-handed, one side or the other never really turns out to be the best solution.

From Bob Mason, EVP, Managing Director of Brand Strategy

We’ve all been there, tucked quietly behind the mirror, munching M&Ms and other sundry bad snacks.  Usually after a few hours into the research, clients and agency folks in attendance get a little fidgety. Maybe we even make a joke or two about a respondent (a bad tie or a bad hair-piece are always ripe material). But, there we sit, waiting for “the answers.” And, by golly, do we get answers! But we need to be asking, “Are the questions on the mark?” Are we getting honest-to-goodness, legitimate research findings or pat answers to pat questions? Essentially, are research respondents protecting themselves from not wanting to look easily influenced or ill-informed?

I’ve often half-joked that if I were to count up all the qualitative research respondents that I’ve encountered (both as a moderator and behind the magical mirror), they would easily (and frighteningly) add up to well in the thousands. And, I’m hard-pressed to think of any who were “influenced by advertising.” Of course, what I’m referring to is their ability to recognize and/or willingness to admit that they are influenced by advertising.

Think about it. In the consumer marketing world, where the norm is for more group discussions, I, as a research respondent, am sitting amongst a group of strangers (and odds are, the moderator did a lousy job getting respondents warmed up and acclimated with each other…usually because the client is anxious to “dive in and get to the meat of the research”). Plus, I’ve been warned about the “colleagues behind the mirror” (who, I’m guessing, are probably making fun of my bad tie or hair-piece, based upon the muffled laughter I can hear behind the mirror). Am I really going to be in the right frame of mind to open up and share true feelings, even if I could put my finger on those feelings?

In the professional medical and healthcare world, which represents a significant chunk of Palio’s business, we have an even more complex dynamic at play. Even though most qualitative research is conducted via one-on-one interviews with doctors (IDIs, in research parlance), we’re up against the “men and women of science” phenomena. Like Mr. Spock, participants feel at odds with any ventures into the emotional and nonscientific. Influenced by advertising? Why that would be an admission of not being data-driven (a mortal sin akin to pushing someone off a bridge). I might as well just say “I’m malleable.”

In the hands of truly skilled moderators (and clients who will give them the latitude to take detours from the discussion guide), some of these factors can be overcome. But not all of them.

For many years and for the right research endeavors, I’ve advocated employing more contemporary research approaches by conducting in-home (or in-office, in the case of doctors) ethnographies. At their best, these are often conducted by trained cultural anthropologists (often trained in things like Jungian psychology and semiotics). The list of brands that have benefitted from this type of research is endless, as it puts the dialogue on the research respondents’ turf, helping to ease their guard and facilitating a true, insightful dialogue between them and the researcher, whether the research is exploratory or evaluative. And now, with the advancements that have been made in the area of neuro-marketing research (The Advertised Mind and Buy-Ology are 2 great books published in recent years on the subject), we’re able to get at an even better understanding of what appeals to consumers.

It’s the social media space that, I’m convinced, is going to be the next great bastion of powerful research. Net net, I believe it can bust the world of research wide open and help get truer insights that get at real, addressable consumer needs. Being able to watch and participate in true friend-to-friend and peer-to-peer conversations will prove priceless in getting at the heart of the matter, whatever that matter might be. Because these dialogues and discussions are on consumers’ proverbial “home-turf” (ie, blogs and social media sites and the like), if we ask the right questions in the right, respectful way, the payoff could be immense. Even if we’re just eavesdropping on what’s being said, there’s a lot to be learned and gained.