- Having a great idea is only the start of having a winning product or brand. You need to test every element of the idea in order to ensure success.
- There is no equal for target consumer feedback on a product concept or idea, and the more information you can get on what they like and don’t like, the better.
- Sometimes the feedback brands get from consumer testing requires tabling a favored idea or product or brand element, or playing up different features. To be successful, brands need to listen to their consumers and be willing to take a step back from their ideas for objective evaluation.
As an entrepreneur, I know the value of a good idea. Ideas are a critical starting point to getting any new business venture out of the dream world and into the real world. However, most entrepreneurs have an idea a minute—and, as we all know, not every idea is as good as is needed to be a success.
In order to be certain your idea has the necessary bandwidth and buy in from consumers, especially at the beginning of the branding process, it’s important to transform your idea into a concept that is then tested with your target consumer. This process gives you the chance to do one of three things:
- Validate the idea,
- Strengthen the idea, or
- Walk away.
Considering the number of new beauty brands that fail each year, taking the time to not only create a rock-solid brand concept but also then test it is a small investment that can yield large rewards.
As an independent business owner, I have always spent a minimum of $50,000, and often significantly more, to make sure my idea has the legs it needs to succeed before I invest the “real” money every new brand or product requires. And that amount is a small stake; larger companies can spend into the millions before the idea is signaled to be a go.
Successful concepts pique the consumer’s curiosity and create initial interest in your product while also distilling critical information to the brand manager and executive team about what is or isn’t working with your big idea and why. By gathering this information up front, before any dedicated product development and branding strategy is finalized, you can save time, glean critical consumer insights and, ultimately, set your new brand up to make money and be successful.
The Concept
Would Cinderella’s story have been as exciting if, rather than a glass slipper, she was wearing a pair of gardening clogs? Or perhaps tatty old beach flip flops? Or what about Harry Potter—would his epic win over Voldemort have been as exciting if his wand were a diamond-encrusted hula hoop? The elements that go into making a story a success are the very same elements needed to craft and tell your brand’s story in a successful concept.
What is different, unique and pivotal about your brand? How does this set you apart from your competition? What creative, enticing element will consumers bond with—and remember—as a key element of your brand? With all of the options available in the beauty marketplace today, consumers are becoming more and more discerning in their choices, and are seeking out reasons to believe in your brand over the one right next to it on the shelf. Your brand concept is the blueprint for these reasons and your first stab at getting all the elements that matter right.
So what are these elements? Although each brand concept is unique, there are certain elements that translate across all categories, and which I have found help lead to success. Namely, a differentiated brand story, an actionable point-of-difference that consumers can embrace and react to, multiple name and tagline options to help flesh out your vision, a clear explanation of your technology or proprietary complex, and an overview of your intended launch portfolio.
Although not finalized, testing preliminary versions of each of these elements gives you the permission you need to hone and tighten each component into a truly winning overall brand identity. Here are a few key questions to ask your consumer to help determine if your product concept is a winner or dud.
- Would you invest in this idea?
- Why or why not?
- How much do you like the idea of this product?
- Would you buy this product?
One final thought on concepts—keep them clear, concise and interesting. Too long of a concept causes participants to lose interest; too bland of a concept leaves her feeling bored; and too preachy of a concept simply turns her off. Speak to her like you would like someone to speak to you.
The Test
Once your concept is written, the next step is to take all of this preliminary work and share it with your consumer for initial feedback and gut-check reactions. Does she love your never-seen-before ingredient complex, or does that element barely move the needle? What about all those brilliant names your creative team spent hours creating—yay or nay? When in the midst of all the creative work, it’s easy to think all the elements you are creating for the brand concept are (of course!) going to be a hit with consumers, but until she’s seen, read and reacted to it directly, the real truth is, we don’t know what we don’t know.
Today, getting this feedback is more important than ever. Many advanced options exist that allow for a very rich consumer interaction beyond the static, yes-or-no questions in a survey, and in particular, programs that allow consumers to interact directly with your idea, no filters, such as “text highlighting.” A program that enables the computer mouse to be used like a highlighting pen, text highlighting presents participants with the concept and asks them to identify what they like or dislike via highlighting, yielding completely organic feedback that clearly illuminates what parts of the concept are successful—and what parts need more work. A similar program exists for use with photos, allowing consumers to rank the images, perhaps from mood boards or packaging renderings, for their appeal and allowing the images that are going to be most successful for your brand to float to the top.
By allowing consumers to identify which elements, both written and visual, they like and prefer organically—versus choosing which phrases you want to test and then asking consumers to rank them—an even more comprehensive understanding of your concept’s strengths and weaknesses emerges, and consequently, so too does an even stronger brand or product.
The Follow-through
After investing your time, effort, energy and creativity into creating a concept, and then vetting it with consumers, you will be left with a plethora of information, some of it potentially conflicting with or even negating your original vision or idea.
So now what?
Now the real fun of creating your brand begins, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going to feel like fun. Be ready to potentially face some fundamental changes in your idea, and, in the words of Stephen King, “Kill your darlings.” If the one aspect of your concept that you loved the most and were sure would be a runaway hit with consumers comes back with low appeal ratings or negative consumer feedback, you have to be ready to make the cut and let it go.
The same applies for ideas that she loves or raved over. Did your patented technology score off the charts and make all the participants excited? Great, take that idea and see how you can make it even better. Maybe that technology was never meant to be the lead point-of-difference, but if your consumer is that compelled by it, perhaps it should be.
Before concept testing, your idea was just that—an idea for a brand or product that may or may not resonate with real consumers. After concept testing, your idea has suddenly become a viable blueprint for your brand that has identified strengths and weaknesses from the one person whose opinion still matters most— your consumer.
Armed with these consumer insights, you can now take your original idea and transform it into the rock-solid, winning idea the consumer has just told you she wants based upon your vision. By asking her what she loves about your idea, as well as what she’d change, you are being given the opportunity to bypass some potential pitfalls you may not have seen coming that could exponentially impact how your brand comes to life further along in the launch process.
Alisa Marie Beyer is the founder and creative director of The Beauty Company (TBC), a global beauty consulting firm offering business, strategy, consumer intelligence and branding. Serving its clients at every stage of development (from start-ups to 13 of the top 15 global beauty companies), TBC intimately understands the industry, the consumer and the market, and becomes an integral part of each client or project team. [email protected]; thebeautycompany.co
