Launching a Brand

PMG Intelligence was contracted to assist the number one manufacturer of light therapy products in the world to examine a new product offering and its proposed branding. We also explored key communications messaging to ensure that the launch of this product is targeted to the optimal audience in a tone and manner that would ensure its success. And these were very specific audiences – teenage female acne sufferers, adult female acne sufferers with teenage acne sufferers in their household and women concerned with both acne and fine lines. This made the recruiting task extremely challenging.

The research also examined the opportunity for the client in terms of sub-branding and price resistance.

More specifically, the study was designed around the following informational objectives:

• To examine how consumers/sufferers view acne and the language surrounding acne
• To determine the types of products and investments acne sufferers and those concerned with fine lines use and have made, and examine;
  • their experience
  • their price sensitivity
  • their decision-making process
  • their confidants
  • their sources of information
  • their views on spokespersons
• To identify awareness and knowledge levels of various competitive products including light therapy products
• To examine acceptability of the product including first impressions on price, product and packaging
• To determine what impact different communication platforms have on likeability and credibility. And to examine the sufferers experience with respect to emotional connections (vis-à-vis trust, beauty, self-esteem, fact-based approaches)

This work was accomplished through extensive qualitative focus group testing. Our recommendations included communications strategies, collateral selling tools, a branding recommendation, a premium pricing strategy and sales channel recommendations.