HOW TO USE SOCIAL DATA TO DEFINE YOUR MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT
THE QUESTION
Building on its success in the Smart Home market, our client is was looking for opportunities to reach other areas of the connected home. They had no shortage of ideas, but needed some help to evidence and prioritise.
OUR APPROACH
We had a clear aim for this work, to give them the insights they needed to make the right “go / no go” decisions. So, we took thousands of reviews from the US and UK across a number of product categories. Reading a sample of the data enabled us to build an analytical framework, based on actual experience. We then read thousands of reviews, applying this framework, before analysing the results. This let us evidence what’s working in the market and what’s not. What the hygiene factors were and what new products need to do to impress.
THE ANSWER
Discussing the results with our client was eye opening. Of course, they’d been keeping an eye on the reviews, but not in such a broad or systematic way. This gave them the evidence they needed to work out what should be the minimum viable product (MVP) for each of the categories they were working on. It moved the conversation beyond conjecture, enabling a more evidenced set of decisions. We continue to work with them to explore new opportunities in other product categories.
HOW TO FIND THE RATIONAL VIEW IN THE MIDDLE OF MEDIA STORM
THE QUESTION
Dissident was helping a global energy company get to the bottom of a problem with part of their supply chain. A change in policy had angered a group of customers who quickly found a voice on national TV and media coverage. Our job was to use the social conversation to help them understand the true extent and impact of the problem.
OUR APPROACH
We combined search tools and social listening to identify where, when and who was behind the social conversation. We then went deeper, reading all of the comments, getting to the heart of the conversation to gauge the true impact and understand the different voices within it.
THE ANSWER
We were able to track the extent of the conversation, assess its reach and impact. We showed who was influencing the discussion, the nature of their complaints and what impact this was having on consumers. This enabled our client to work with internal stakeholders to build the right capacity to tackle these issues in the future.
FINDING INSPIRATION FOR A GLOBAL MARKETING STRATEGY
THE QUESTION
The decision to live and work abroad represents a step into the unknown; no two places or situations are the same. This means Expats need support, information and guidance – not just great cover to help them along the way. Our client (global medical insurance) wanted to understand these changes better so that it could be there when it matters, building a marketing strategy to build global brand awareness.
OUR APPROACH
We took the customer decision journey as a framework for exploring how people use the internet and social media to learn about living and working abroad – at each stage of the experience. By exploring search behaviour and interactions on social media we were able to explore how people learn and help each other. Doing this across 5 countries let us find important commonalities and differences in the experience and approach, and opportunities to talk to Expats in a more compelling way.
THE ANSWER
This project “has been extremely useful in many aspects of our global marketing activity and is helping shape our strategic plans. It’s also helped inspire and inform our creative, marketing and PR agencies as they deliver on our strategy”.
Winning pitches, briefing creative teams + selling-in campaigns
The question
We work with AnalogFolk on an on-going basis, helping them find the new insights they need to win business and create client confidence and commitment for their creative strategies.
Our approach
We capture and interpret comments in the social conversation that helps AnalogFolk understand what people think about products, brands, and more importantly what’s going on in their lives. We help them test their initial creative hypotheses. We then go deeper to provide them with fully evidenced insights, grounded in the real life experiences of their target audience.
The answer
We’ve given them creative opportunities that the rest of market doesn’t have. This has helped them win significant pitches with several large consumer goods brands. Our deeper, strategy work, has given them the knowledge and evidence they need to secure board level commitment.
UNDERSTANDING GUEST PRIORITIES TO DRIVE FUTURE INVESTMENT
The question
Warner Leisure Hotel’s focus on the retired market, with a choice of 13 locations, great food and lively entertainment attracts thousands of loyal guests each week. Naturally, they’re serious about improving – with guest feedback a vital part of this learning process. However, like many, they struggle to turn thousands of guests comments into meaningful, usable insights.
Our approach
Warner wanted to understand what created promoters and detractors. The survey scores only told part of the story, the what. They needed to know the why. We read and deeply analysed thousands of the comments guests left in the feedback survey.
The answer
This unearthed new insights into why and how the Warner experience turned guests into promoters or detractors. We were able to show what was happening at an operational, tactical and strategic level –informing major investment decisions across the group.
“2 years ago we faced a strategic challenge – we had occupancy rates of 95%, NPS scores over 50% and high levels of loyalty, but we lacked a clear understanding of what we needed to improve for our guests. We worked with Listen & Learn Research who analysed over 40,000 guest questionnaires and trip advisor reviews to properly understand the sentiment of the comments and the common causes of detraction for guests.
The insights reshaped our strategic direction and refocused resources and investments, with results showing high guest quality scores, increased sales and higher levels of loyalty.”
Mat Finch / Sales + Marketing Director
ENGAGING PATIENTS ONLINE
The question
Our client wanted to know what to do to improve their website so that it would be more useful and engaging for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Our approach
We combined search tools and social listening to identify how patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis used the internet for help. Looking at the conversation in four countries we explored what drove the conversation, where it happened and what this meant for our client’s content marketing and web strategy.
The answer
We found an active community galvanised around a few popular sites. We were able to show why these sites were successful, how they enabled patients to build peer relationships and what they’d need to do to create a compelling online experience.
AUDIENCE-LED IDEAS
The question
Havas Helia asked us how to best create fresh, creative ideas that would resonate with target audiences.
Our approach
We capture and interpret comments in social media that help Havas understand what people think about products and brands. We also give them a broader picture of more specific client-relevant questions – such as the ‘nature of beauty’ for one of their cosmetics clients and ‘what makes men get angry driving’ for a FMCG firm.
The answer
This research gives the agency audience-first insights. It also gives their creative teams a different view of their customers, one grounded in the reality of everyday life so they can generate new ideas that will resonate with these audiences.
“We work with some global FMCG brands that are learning through this kind of ‘audience first’ research. What Listen & Learn Research has given us is social listening, but with a completely different, much richer level of semantic and contextual analysis.”
Ben Silcox / Head of Data + Technology
What makes customers unhappy?
The question
With a choice of four meats, great yorkies and unlimited sides, Toby Carvery really is the home of the roast. Always keen to improve, they wanted to understand what was causing some guests to become detractors. They had loads of Free-Form Text data (survey scores, Facebook posts, TripAdvisor reviews), but had no way of turning all this commentary into insight.
Our approach
We started working with Toby to get a good understanding of their business and the customer experience. We then took data from all their sources, combined with some social listening of our own.
From this, we explored each aspect of customer experience. This let us develop a highly detailed analysis framework which we then applied to interpret thousands of guest experiences.
The answer
We were able to clearly show exactly which parts of the experience were turning people in detractors. And from this, pinpoint what needed to be addressed to improve it, helping to shape future operational and HR practices.
Man vs. Bank
The question
If you’ve got a problem with a financial product and your provider won’t help, you can call on the Financial Ombudsman Service. To help understand consumers better, they wanted to see how they use social media to talk about their money problems.
Our approach
We looked for people having problems. Be it with their mortgage, current account, branch or insurance. We examined thousands of conversations to see what was worrying people and where they were going for help.
The answer
We found a big difference where people and business collide. We helped the Ombudsman understand how and where this happens and how they might provide services to help.
TAMING TRIPADVISOR
The question
Warner Leisure Hotel’s focus on the retired market, with a choice of 13 locations, great food and lively entertainment attracts thousands of loyal guests each week. Naturally, they’re serious about improving – with guest feedback a vital part of this learning process. But until now, they’ve largely ignored the elephant in the room, TripAdvisor.
Our approach
For Warner, TripAdvisor dominates the online space. Search for a hotel and you’ll find it within the top three results, just under Warner itself. They needed to see what guests see when they’re using the internet to plan their next break.
We turned thousands of fragmented and disconnected conversations into a coherent, holistic picture of how guests see them online. We examined patterns across the data, identifying what’s salient in the guest experience.
The answer
This has transformed TripAdvisor from one-off engagement, into a source of insight for strategic and operational improvement.
INFLUENCING THE INFLUENCERS
The question
Our client wanted to understand who was influencing the online conversation about Type-1 diabetes in a number of countries.
Our approach
We combined search tools and social listening to identify who was taking part in the conversation. We then analysed the different speakers to identify and profile the most relevant and influential.
The answer
We developed an Influencer Handbook for each country, highlighting and profiling the most relevant influencers in each. Our analysis also gave them tips for opening up the conversation and engaging with them more effectively.
SHIFTING CONSUMER ATTITUDES
The question
UKWIR (a research collaboration between the UK’s water companies) wants us all to see water as a public good, not just a commodity. We helped them start this process by seeing what we could learn when we listened to consumers talking about water.
Our approach
We looked at thousands of conversations about water: paying for it, drinking it, bathing in it and saving it. We examined what people were talking about and why – and sought to see how this could be used to changing perceptions.
The answer
People don’t often think about water. We found when they do and why, and created opportunities for how these moments could be used to help shift perceptions. We then condensed the insights into five concepts – each capturing a different aspect of how consumers use water. These were then developed further by their innovation agency, 100%Open.
“The outcome from the listening exercise provides an excellent backdrop for taking the project forward. It provides both familiarity in terms of topics but also new insight into the way people are communicating and discussing the issues. I particularly appreciate your analysis of getting from “I to We” which gives some pointers for potential challenge areas.”
Steve Whipp / Innovation Consultant
BRAND PERCEPTION
The question
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been helping children develop and unlock their potential for over 50 years. As it approached its 60th anniversary, it was keen to understand how they could encourage more children to take part and complete an award.
Our approach
We looked across a wide range of social media for mentions of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. We found a range of voices from those about to take part, those doing it now and those who’d finished. We also found the people helping them. We listened closely to each to gauge their opinion and to see what could be learnt.
The answer
We saw how young people experience the award, finding where it’s difficult and why – and provided the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with some ideas on how to improve each stage of the journey.
“We were reassured by the overwhelmingly positive tone of the comments, and the fresh insight provided into young people’s attitudes towards the expedition section prompted us to conduct a review of the rules around the expedition and the potential to differentiate them between Bronze, Silver and Gold.”
Philip Trelevan / Operations Director
Innovating from consumer experience
The question
e-Cigarettes are disrupting the tobacco market. Essentra wanted to know what consumers were saying about them in order to feed their innovation programme.
Our approach
We listened to the global discussion on e-Cigarettes and found an emerging market, where early adopters were sharing experiences and helping confused early mainstream consumers understand how the product worked.
The answer
We were able to identify a variety of unmet needs and frustrations. which helped Essentra develop a range of new early stage products.
“We’ve benefited from some significant findings – gained from social listening research, which has opened doors and produced results which are of significant value to our client base.”
Malcolm Waugh / Group Commercial Director
COMMERCIALISING CONTENT
The question
If you know about cars, you’ll know about Pistonheads. It’s one of the UK’s most popular car sites, attracting more than 5m unique visitors each month. It’s a powerful opinion former and Haymarket was keen to make the most of this unique community.
Our approach
We looked at how the launch of two new Porsche 911 models played out across the lively forums. Our ability to read everything and find deep, reliable insights meant that we could show how opinions started and evolved, and see the influence their journalists had on the discussion.
The answer
These insights showed how powerful the community is in shaping opinion, which helped Pistonheads build propositions for the marques and their agency partners.
Measuring programme impact
The Question
BBC Radio wanted to know if the Woman’s Hour Power List programme had actually worked.
Our approach
By collecting social data, as well as listening to conversations prompted by news articles, we were able paint a comprehensive picture of how the Power List programme was received by listeners and by the media.
The answer
We were able to tell the BBC if people agreed with who was included in the list and determine whether the list was successful in provoking a debate about women’s power in society.
“Firstly, what a great piece of work, thank you so much. As well as the Marketing and Audiences team, the programme team will find this hugely interesting. The thing that strikes me is the level of detail you achieve, analysing just one big moment. Programme teams rarely get such rich and insightful analysis of their content.”
Rose van Order / Senior Planner
EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF SHAME
The question
HMRC brought us in to work with their research and advertising agencies to explore the potential of shame to persuade people to pay their taxes.
Our approach
We used the Emotion Rotachome™ which is based on experimental psychology. We explored the nature of shame as a social emotion and how it differs from related feelings. We were able to appreciate the subtle differences in feelings and specify the most useful emotions for communications campaigns to elicit. We then explored the possibility that hard-hitting ads could create feelings of pride, vindication and a sense of freedom in those who had paid.
The answer
We produced a template for analysing advertising and media choices for effective communications that change behaviour. This resulted in HMRC being more confident to ‘name and shame’ tax evaders.
What’s driving the demand for property
The question
In order to keep adding value to its clients, Strutt & Parker wanted to get a different perspective on what influences the demand for property in the UK.
Our approach
We listened to online conversations about buying, renting and selling property. This helped us understand the circumstances, attitudes and desires that influence demand and the different ways in which people went about investing in property.
The answer
Our research gave Strutt & Parker a different view on UK property market. It now helps their agency teams give better advice to clients and has helped their marketing department to better understand and monitor relevant online discussions.
“This has really let us tap into the thoughts of our clients. It’s been most beneficial from a tactical perspective – showing us what people are saying now. We will use the findings to directly influence how our teams interact with their client base and guide them as to what our future customers are saying online.”
Stephanie Mcmahon / Head of Research
WHY WOULD CUSTOMERS HELP YOU INNOVATE?
The question
Some of E.ON’s customers are happy to help the company innovate and develop new product ideas. E.ON was keen to find out what motivated them to take part.
Our approach
E.ON’s Home of the Future competition generated a fascinating debate around potential solutions to today’s energy challenge. We were able to analyse these conversations to find what sparked people’s interest.
The answer
We were able to determine what people cared about and what motivated them to get involved. This enabled us to segment the audience by their interests, letting E.ON better understand how to engage with them more effectively.
ENGAGING CONSUMERS ONLINE
The question
Several Procter & Gamble brands wanted to understand the online conversations consumers were having about the categories P&G operate in.
Our approach
We looked at how, why and where consumers talked online. We looked at what people shared, what they needed advice on and what advice they gave. This in-depth study covered a wide range of categories (e.g. hair care, styling, grooming, pregnancy) and countries (inc. Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Holland, Japan, China, Russia, Poland, France).
The answer
As well as showing each Brand Manager what the conversation looked like, we identified the key themes in each category and showed how this varied depending on the country. These insights are being used to help stimulate product innovation and to inform P&G’s digital content strategy.
UNDERSTANDING HOW PEOPLE MANAGE MONEY
The question
The Money Advice Service (MAS) wanted to get a different view on how people talk about and deal with their money.
Our approach
We examined a broad range of social media to find conversations about money. We looked at people who were managing it well and those having difficulties. This helped us identify the characteristics of different groups of people, how they managed their finances and how in control of their own cash flow they felt.
The answer
Our findings helped build MAS’s knowledge of people’s relationship to money. These insights provided inspiration and guidance for their product development team and gave them a framework for evaluating impact.
“Listen & Learn delivered a platform of insight that helped us understand how people really think and talk about money. The team’s experience of social listening research helped us design an online experience that truly met the varied needs of 17 million people. Traditional research had provided a good platform but we needed to go much further.”
Guy Shone / Head of Customer + Market Insight
TRACKING THE GAMES’ EMOTIONAL IMPACT
The question
The Greater London Authority (GLA) wanted to know if the 2012 Olympic Games had changed what people think of London.
Our approach
We examined the emotional responses linked to people’s expectations or experiences of London and looked at what they were saying about living, working and visiting London. We then compared these comments from three months before and three months after the Games.
The answer
We found a marked increase in positive emotional responses in the post-Games period, most notably in how London was seen as a place to work.
“Listen & Learn helped us to really understand how people were feeling about London and gave us a good indication of the impact of the 2012 Games. They added a much broader, natural and conversation-led perspective to our more traditional forms of research, helping us to identify topics we may not have considered and explore views over time.”
Catherine Wright / Consultation Officer
What are SMEs interested in?
The Question
Microsoft wanted to better understand what happens when people talk about and research Cloud Computing online.
Our approach
We listened to the comments about Cloud and found a distinct set of voices, people and organisations that all added to discussions in their own unique ways. This helped us understand, profile and advise Microsoft on how to target these different groups in the best way.
The answer
Microsoft has been using these insights to develop more effective content to reach specific interest groups while optimising their search campaigns.
“This really helped us find our blind spots. It gave us a new perspective and insight into what small and medium sized businesses actually look for and talk about. Which means we can engage with them much more effectively.”
Mark Johnston / Head of Digital