There happens to be a lot of products that are launched by prestigious and very well-known brands yearly and yet, they all fail miserably. This is mostly due to a faulty marketing research which often leads to a misunderstanding of the market and results in a mixed up targeting. The faulty marketing research might also include a misunderstanding of the consumers’ habits, perceptions, motivations, spending patterns, or other dimensions as well.
Undergoing a faulty research often creates confusion in the consumers’ minds regarding the brand and its positioning.
At some point, the consumers’ existing perception towards the brand and what it stands for proves to be of a high and significant value. Tampering with it or simply choosing to distort it in any manner does more harm than good and is rather costly on the long run.
When launching a new product, the company should take a lot of things into consideration that are relevant in understanding the consumers. The company needs to always start with the consumer and not the product. The main driver should mainly revolve around the target customers and their existing perception of the brand. When trying to launch a product, the company should try to understand their customers’ needs in order to achieve them and in order to live up to or exceed their expectations.
Having an image of what the brand’s products are supposed to look like in the consumers’ minds sets the stage for the brand’s products’ development later on. Each and every detail of any product has to be coherent with the brand and what it stands for. A brand that resembles rebellion cannot simply launch a product that gives the impression of conformity.
By doing so, it might breach the sentimental contract that has been formed between them and the customer throughout the years. Such act might also create confusion in the customers’ minds which happens to be one of the most consequential things to be avoided.
In my next blog post, I will talk about a case where a well-known brand launched a product and failed miserably due to a faulty marketing research and to misunderstanding their loyal customers.
BBB- Buyer's Black Box 