Kenwood Global Research

Our worldwide journey started back in 2013, in the UK and France, with qualitative market research; gathering insights into the overall appeal of a new Kenwood kitchen machine. Following a comprehensive online study, consumer focus groups and a series of in-depth interviews with small restaurant owners and Chefs, we were able to benchmark the new product against competitors.

We could then also test initial reaction to the product, including design appeal, purchase intent and price point markers, as well as gaining inspiration for the product’s name. Research insights were incredibly useful for Kenwood who used them to further their development of the product as well as the future marketing story and global strategy.

Our next challenge was to understand how to communicate the features and benefits of the product across a broader market, specifically the Asia-Pacific and Australasia regions. To do this we developed a series of compelling marketing stories, different presentational approaches, and tested these using online surveys and focus groups across Australia, China, South Korea as well as Italy and Germany. Deploying carefully written algorithms on our web platform, we were able to target specific consumer segments, and by using simultaneous video streams we were able to live broadcast the focus groups back to the UK – even if it did mean getting the client team up at 4am to tune in!

Ultimately the research yielded two clear, but very different marketing strategies for the new product. Taking on board consumer feedback, we were able to help refine and improve the product specifications as well as developing what we refer to as ‘adcepts’ (early advertising concepts).