Colm Carey on why Irish Water is a case study in not getting it right
If ever you wanted a case study in how not to impose a controversial decision on the citizens of a country look no further than Irish Water. A lot has been said about the water meter protests, the pros and cons of pay as you go water charges and the politics involved in the whole affair. The marketing problem lies in the fact that the process was rushed.
There is a way to go about introducing an unpopular measure and railroading is not part of it. Not that long ago people would have laughed if you told them that we would almost immediately agree to a ban on smoking in pubs and other public and private premises. The ads running for Irish Water are a good example of the bolted horse approach to business. Wait until the problem has occurred, then go about fixing it. The content of the ads is right but they are more than a little late. The right way to go about things would be to use a research-based approach over an extended period of time. If you believe there might be resistance to a proposed action it makes sense to benchmark that resistance.
If resistance is low, proceed. If resistance is high, find out what is causing it. By following a cognitive behavioural approach, you identify the feelings people have for a proposed activity, the beliefs behind those feelings and the factors influencing the beliefs. If the negative feelings are based on unfounded beliefs, provide information to change those beliefs.
If you do that well, you will swing public sentiment in your favour. Your proposed action will be viewed in more positively and you move a step closer to acceptance. Through a process of monitoring and communicating you will reach a point where public opinion is largely on your side. You launch into a sea of acceptance rather than rejection and mistrust. The smoking ban was clear: no smoking in any workplace. It was unequivocal and anyone who tried to break the ban was dealt with quickly and effectively. It was fudge free. Poor old Irish Water finds itself trying to retrofit positive beliefs and feelings on to something that was poorly constructed. The process may work over time but it has been a tough lesson.
SHOPPER INSIGHTS
One of the difficulties with shopper research is its intrusiveness. Accompanied shopping trips and eye tracking glasses are fine up to a point, but with developments in mobile technology we should be close to where we can track individual shoppers unobtrusively as they journey through a store, noting where they stop, how long they stop for and the areas they avoid.
Writing in QRCA Views about shopper behaviour, Terrie Wendricks of Chicago-based C+R Research says the likelihood of biscuits ending up in a shopping trolley is lower if other indulgent products are in the same aisle. The perceived ‘wall of guilt’ created by shelves full of treats makes people think twice about purchasing, or even entering the forbidden aisle.
Biscuits displayed away from other similar products have a better chance of being bought. Spreading biscuits, chocolate and other indulgent products across the store – while breaking established practice – might yield better results for both brand owners and retailers. Who could resist a pack of chocolate biscuits nestled amongst the organic veggies?
Wendricks adds that end of aisle easy meal solutions with just three ingredients encourage greater off-take than more complicated meals. Keeping things simple reduces price, allows shoppers to choose quicker and reduces pressure on staff preparing the meals.
FUTURE SHOCK
Following on the theme of where market research is heading, writing in Esomar’s Research World Scott McDonald of Columbia Business School concurs with the view that technology will play an ever increasing role in the evolution of the industry. McDonald believes that we will shift from asking about behaviours to measuring them directly and unobtrusively.
Companies will do fewer tracking studies in the future, relying instead various dashboards constructed directly from consumer behaviour data. McDonald is convinced market research jobs focused on routine reporting and tracking will become obsolete. To stay relevant, market researchers will have to provide deeper insights into the ‘whys’ behind the data.
Qualitative research will be challenged as social media monitoring plays an increasingly important role in the efforts of companies to listen to their customers. The jobs with the highest risk of redundancy will be those in operations research and traditional survey research. Analysts and social researchers will be less at risk as the emphasis moves from data collection to analysis and understanding. In summing up, McDonald says the next decade will be as revolutionary for research as the decade just passed.
It will be another rollercoaster ride.
Comments on this article are welcome at colm@theresearchcentre.ie
