Retail chain needs the right marketing messages for the right consumers

Challenge

A retailer wanted to evaluate the tag lines they used in television, radio, and social media marketing. Leadership of the brand disagreed about whether the tag line focusing on value that had made them successful in the past still resonated with customers and motivated them to visit. The brand also wanted to know if different messages might be better to appeal to different customer segments. 

Action

A sample of retail customers was segmented based on shopping behavior, attitudes about shopping, demographics, and media channels used most. The study analyzed ratings for 20 taglines derived through maximum difference scaling (best/worse) to determine customer tagline preferences. TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) analysis was used to determine which combinations of messages would positively influence the most customers in each segment. The project included development of an online simulator that let brand decision-makers evaluate the effectiveness of future message combinations as needed. 

Result

The study validated that the historic tagline was still the most motivating for consumers and helped resolve an internal leadership debate. However, it also went beyond this to demonstrate that other messages could be used in combination with the primary tagline with different customer segments to increase motivation to shop the brand. A simple graphic highlighting optimum message combinations and their reach by segment in descending order provided an easy way for the brand to socialize findings internally. The online simulator allowed the client to conduct additional "what-if" for any combination of messages and any customer segment if needed.