Four decisions, and one shot at getting them right
A Vietnamese food manufacturer was preparing to launch a range of fusion instant rice noodles in the United States.
Four things had to be right at once: the concept, the flavour, the packaging and the price. Correcting any of them after launch is expensive.
So all four were tested first, across the three segments the range was aimed at: college students, young adults and families. Concept testing before a launch costs less than a relaunch after one.
Two focus groups per segment, and then we sent it home
Focus groups ran two per segment across the three segments, covering flavour, texture, pack and preparation.
In home usage tests followed, because a product that tests well in a room is not necessarily one that gets cooked properly in a kitchen.
Product testing and price testing ran across all three segments rather than against an average consumer, since the range was never aimed at an average consumer.
Store checks then covered US supermarkets and Asian grocery stores, to see what the product would be sitting next to on an instant noodles shelf.
Sixty percent on flavour. The pack was the thing to fix
The lead flavour achieved more than 60 percent acceptance across all three segments.
The packaging did not come back with the same result. It needed to communicate the fusion positioning more strongly than the concepts managed on their own.
The three segments wanted different things. Students prioritised price and convenience, young adults prioritised health, and families prioritised appeal to children.
White space in the fusion noodle segment was confirmed.
The client refined flavour selection, packaging and price point before launch. It built segment specific messaging and a go to market strategy around them, which is what reduced the launch risk.
