Product Marketing 2

The Problem-Based Concept Generation flow essentially is from

the study of the situation, to the use of various techniques of problem identification, to screening of the resulting problems, and to development of concept statements that will then go into the evaluation phase.

Problem-based ideation is based on

close involvement with parties who have information to help us

If our development process begins with a

problem/need the end user has and agrees is important, then we have answered the toughest question

Fortunately, organizations today are getting close to their stakeholders. But stakeholder integration is especially tough on high-security new product matters (T/F)

True

1 multiple choice option

Four sources for needs and problems of stakeholders

internal records, direct inputs from technical and marketing departments, problem analysis, and scenario analysis

The most common source of needs and problems comes from

an organization's routine contacts with customers and others in the marketplace.

Understanding about end users and other stakeholders also lies in the minds of

marketing and technical people

The only real problems with using in-house people to report on customer problems are

(1) each suggestion is usually someone's perception of what the customer problem is, and (2) there is usually a solution given with each suggestion

But problem analysis is much more than a simple compilation of user problems. (T/F)

True

1 multiple choice option

Although the term problem inventory is sometimes used to describe this category of techniques,

taking the inventory is only the beginning—analysis is the key

Users verbalize their wants in terms of

current products, whereas problems are not product specific.

Several recent award-winning product designs have resulted from the application of

problem analysis

it is up to senior management to encourage new product teams to look beyond their normal boundaries when they explore

customer problems

There are several variations in problem analysis. But one commonly used procedure is

reverse brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming

In this procedure, participants generate a list of key problems with the product currently in use, and then group and prioritize these such that product development can focus on addressing the most important problems

Steps to reverse brainstorming

Step1: Determine the appropriate product or activity category for exploration

Step2: Identify a group of heavy product users or activity participants within that category

Step3: Gather from these heavy users or participants a set of problems associated with the category

Step4: Sort and rank the problems according to their severity or importance

Step 1 of reverse brainstorming

Determine the appropriate product or activity category for exploration

Step 2 of reverse brainstorming

Identify a group of heavy product users or activity participants within that category

Step 3 of reverse brainstorming

Gather from these heavy users or participants a set of problems associated with the category

Step 4 of reverse brainstorming

Sort and rank the problems according to their severity or importance

The bothersome index is a commonly used method to

sort and rank the problem according to severity or importance

The generalized structure of problem analysis still contains the question of

how to gather the list of customer problems

The customer or user often does not perceive problems well enough to

verbalize them. And, if the problems are known, the user may not agree to verbalize them (for many reasons, including being embarrassed)

Although the focus group technique is common, the outcome is not always, or even usually,

successful

The focus group is a

qualitative research technique

Unlike the traditional survey, focus groups depend on

in-depth discussions rather than the power of numbers.

Other suggestions for helping guarantee the usefulness of focus group findings are to

invite scientists and top executives to the sessions to listen to what the users are actually saying

Ethnographic market research methods are rooted in

anthropological studies and involve watching customers (or noncustomers) using products in their own environments. Video recordings or photos are sometimes used to record observational data.

In ethnographic market research, the new product team observes the data carefully for

actions, body language, and so on and tries to identify customer needs and wants and new product ideas that might satisfy these needs.

Ethnographic studies can be conducted

on-site or in-home

A variation of on-site research is the

shop-along: the researcher observes the customer as they shop for products and make decisions on what to buy

The idea of in-home research is to gain insights on how a product is

actually used and how customer needs may be changing or evolving.

Customer Site Visits are a variant of ethnographic research often used for

business-to-business products that involves visiting a business customer's site

Though role playing has long been used in psychology to enhance creativity, there is little evidence of

its successful use in generating ideas for new products.

Role playing would be valuable in instances where product users are

unable to visualize or verbalize their reactions. It should also be valuable where consumers are emotionally unable or unwilling to express their views—for example, in areas of personal hygiene

scenario analysis comes into play because the ideal problem for us to find is one that

customers or end users don't know they have at this time

A future problem is a good problem because most problems we find in interviews and focus groups have

already been told to competitors and anyone else who will listen

Steps in a scenario analysis procedure:

First, paint a scenario;

second, study it for problems and needs;

third, evaluate those problems and begin trying to solve the most important ones

The ideal scenario is a "stylized narrative"—that is,

it should be like a story: painting a clear picture of the future state, containing a "plot" or sequence of believable events

multiple coverage strategy :

a separate strategy is pursued for each of several possible scenarios

Scenarios take several different forms.

First, we distinguish between (1) extending the present to see what it will look like in the future and (2) leaping into the future to pick a period that is then described

Leap studies can be

static or dynamic.

In dynamic leap studies, the focus is on

what changes must be made between now and then if the leap scenario is to come about—the interim time period is the meaningful focus

In static leaps, there is no concern about

how we get there.

Guidelines for scenario analysis

Know the now

Keep it simple

Be careful with selecting group members

Do an 8- to 10-year projection

Periodically summarize progress

Combine the factors causing changes

Check fit

plan to use it several times

Reuse the group

Most problem solving is probably done by members of the

new products group that has been leading the concept generation work so far

New products people use individual problem-solving effort, but many think that

group creativity is more effective.

Generally, individuals can handle

really new ideas and find radical solutions to problems better than groups can

Back in 1938, advertising executive Alex Osborn was one of the first to popularize the technique of

brainstorming

several rules for making brainstorming sessions more effective.

-mind the rules (go for a large quantity of ideas, defer judgment, no snickering allowed);

-number the ideas (can you hit 100 ideas per hour?);

-jump and build (when the group hits a plateau, the facilitator suggests a new direction); and get physical (by using odds and ends to build models and prototypes)

we aim for group deliberations that are

-exploratory,

-evaluative in a constructive way,

-hours long (versus the 20-minute brainstorming session), -and built toward a few specific solutions that appear operational

brain sketching:

participants draw their ideas rather than expressing them in words. Some evidence shows that brain sketching helps participants draw more connections with earlier ideas when coming up with new ideas

speed storming:

It is described as a round-robin format, similar to speed-dating, in which participants pair off (at random, or with some pattern in mind such as that the two participants must be from different functional areas) and discuss a topic for a three- to five-minute round.

the proponents of speed storming claim that it is particularly good at

overcoming the communication difficulties typical of cross-functional teams

Electronic brainstorming, a form of brainstorming assisted by group support systems (or GSS) software, overcomes these limitations of traditional brainstorming, as it allows participants to

all answer at once and also to answer anonymously.

GSSs can facilitate activity at many sites

simultaneously (through computer linkups or videoconferencing) and handle group sizes into the hundreds

GSSs have become very popular in facilitating meetings, and there is some evidence that electronic brainstorming

outperforms traditional brainstorming in terms of productivity and output of unique ideas

Building and managing an online community requires

hiring moderators and facilitators, and can take time—a good-sized community may take more than a year to mature

the longer the community is in operation, the more difficult it becomes to

organize the content and make it easy for participants to find their way around

Legal issues of online community

member privacy, confidentiality of statements, and content ownership

disciples panel

assemble experts from all relevant disciplines and have them discuss the problem

the many techniques developed to spot problems

-inputs from technical and marketing departments;

-search of internal records from sales calls, product complaints, customer satisfaction studies, and more;

-problem analysis as a way of involving end users and other stakeholders; and

-scenario analysis as a way of learning about future problems.

Problem Analysis - General Procedure

-Determine product or activity category for study

-Gather set of problems associated with product category. -Identify heavy users for research (alternative: can study non-users).

-Sort and rank the problems according to severity or importance