Behavioural Insights
Crowst Service
Insights & Industry
27/02/23

Crowst and BrandBuddy couple product distribution with insights

As part of their new product development processes (NPD), companies are very interested in including a genuine consumer perspective in the planning. What is the spontaneous reaction among the key target segments? What is their perception on the product features? A company may be planning to launch a new product to the market, re-positioning an existing product, or introducing a new product variant. In all these scenarios, it is of utmost importance to minimize the guesswork and risks, while maximizing the chances to triumph at the launch. BrandBuddy and Crowst have teamed up to enable this, introducing services that put the product at the core.

Insights based on first-hand product experience

Broadly speaking, there are three main approaches for product-focused distribution and insights. The first of them is typically deployed to support marketing and brand visibility, and may or may not include a specific insight sourcing element. The main goal is to boost the brand visibility, introduce the product to new consumers, and strengthen the brand relations. The two other approaches include a strong insight element, and the goal is to support the professionals working on the NPD process, brand strategy and operational marketing.

  • Brand marketing and promotion focus: “cold” product distribution to consumers, often deployed as part of the multi-channel marketing plan.
  • Targeted insight focus: the consumer participants are typically pre-screened based on product segmentation. The insight sourced support a company’s product R&D, portfolio management and marketing professionals.
  • Qualitative insight focus: carefully screened consumer participants use the product. This may happen in an in-depth interview, moderated focus group, or coordinated qualitative insight program (e.g. structured product experience diary).

“When the goal is to source insights based on real product experience, it is logical to match the consumers in the insight project with the segmentation of the product in question.”

“The power of combining marketing, genuine product experience and relevant insights is often overlooked”, comments Jyrki Kallinen from Crowst. “When the goal is to source insights based on real product experience, it is logical to match the consumers in the insight project with the segmentation of the product in question. Naturally, this calls for agile capability to identify, screen and select the right participants. This has a direct impact on the validity and strength of the insights obtained”, Kallinen concludes.

Product distribution – To the right people, at selected locations

BrandBuddy has strong experience in consumer encounters and coordinated product distribution. Based on the project objectives, the company integrates the brand-related assets and messaging in its activity, focuses on neutral communication approach, or executes only the physical logistics and distribution.

“We are experienced in managing the timely distribution, being it mail-based distribution, distribution at selected locations, or only involving face-to-face interaction with people”, opens Mia Hudd, CEO and Founder of BrandBuddy. “Also, especially when enabling first-hand experiences that focus on a food product, we typically distribute the products on a cold chain; always frozen when needed”, Hudd adds.

The products may be distributed at selected shopping malls or other meaningful locations. Product samples may also be distributed by mail. In addition to physically distributing the products, BrandBuddy may interview the consumers on specific locations, deploying Crowst’s digital service infrastructure to capture the insights. The interviews can be based on the pre-screened participants by Crowst, or involve consumers generally at pre-defined times and days, e.g. at shopping malls during rush hours. In Finland, Crowst has the registered respondent base of 45 000 consumers and the leading capability to identify and establish audiences based on the desired criteria. Couple this with the strong capability of BrandBuddy on face-to-face consumer encounters and product distribution, and you have a recipe that brings your NPD activities, launches, and marketing into a whole new level.

Would you like to hear more? Contact me, let’s talk!

Written by

Jyrki Kallinen