Evolving a Product Line for Growth: A Case Study

The Challenge

Our client, a $3.6 billion global technology company and household name--whom we'll call Ineticom--offers numerous services to consumers and businesses. Too many, in fact, to continue offering them а la carte with any efficiency. Ineticom approached Ipsos-Insight with the question: "How do we organize our services into one product line and market them effectively?"

Ineticom's primary objective was to group individual services into packages that appealed to specific target markets, such as Teens and SoHos. Once the packages were established, the client needed to name them to maximize appeal among the target markets.

The Approach

Ineticom was prepared to invest in a multi-phase research program, including a series of qualitative studies, to acquire a comprehensive, actionable solution. Ipsos-Insight exceeded their expectations by meeting their information needs at a lower cost and within a shorter timeframe than expected.

How did we do it? With an online concept-building tool called ConStruct. Ineticom's target market used the tool to sort through the company's numerous а la carte services and construct the packages that would comprise the product line. By employing this online, quantitative technique, we delivered statistically reliable results faster than would have been possible with focus groups.

Here's how it worked: Ipsos-Insight recruited over 2,000 survey participants that fit the profile of Ineticom's target market from the Ipsos U.S. Online Panel. The survey required participants to review a list of available services and sort them into any number of groups based on any criteria they wished. Each participant then provided a descriptive evaluation of his or her own set of the most appealing products and services, as well as a measure of their purchase interest and potential names for the package.

Perceptual maps displaying the analytical results revealed combinations of packages that the client had not previously anticipated through internal ideation sessions. A NamePath simulator allowed Ineticom to compare scenarios and identify the optimal names for each package. Finally, each target segment was matched with a package to guide marketing communications.

The Result

Ineticom created a successful new suite of service offers relevant to its target markets. The results solved naming dilemmas and identified opportunities for marketing and advertising across customer segments. Since the delivery of the findings from this highly customized study, Ineticom has used the Ipsos ConStruct technique repeatedly to develop new concepts to invigorate and extend its product line.

To request a demo of Ipsos ConStruct, visit http://www.ipsos-insight.com/goto/construct/