CASE STUDY 1: GAMERS

Our client, a well-known video game development company, wanted consumer feedback on their newest game set to launch at the end of 2022. They sought to develop a better understanding of their consumer’s needs and gain the insights necessary to tailor the game to perfection before its release. The ultimate goal for this project was to have a full grasp on what was missing from the game and the gaming market as a whole in order to maximize both consumer interest and satisfaction. 

Ethos Market Research strategized that the best way to meet this client’s expectations would be through a qualitative face-to-face interview methodology. We utilized our proprietary panel to reach out to and recruit panelists who we have profiled as video game players.  In order to have a well rounded understanding of the market, we believed it would be best to split the target group between gamers who are avid players of games developed by this specific client as well as gamers who are not as familiar. Respondents were also screened on the types of games they play (i.e., Shooter Games and Battle Royale Games) to ensure that even if they did not play our client’s games before, that they were still interested in the genre of games this client is known to develop. 

We invited qualifying respondents to a research facility, where they were able to test the game for two hours, followed up by a moderated interview. This approach allowed the client to have input from their loyal fanbase as well as introduce their company to a segment of the gaming market they had not yet landed. By being able to live test the game before its launch, respondents were able to provide thorough reviews from a consumer viewpoint on what the game lacked, could improve on, and the features that worked best.

CASE STUDY 2: WATCH PURCHASERS

Ethos Market Research was approached by a client looking to conduct a study on watch purchasers. The end client, a global watch manufacturer, was interested in the decision making process consumers go through when buying watches. Their objective was to have insight on the different watches that catch a shopper’s eye, the specific features they search for, along with their dispositions.

We knew that in order to obtain the best results, we would need the audience for this study to include feedback from consumers who have purchased from this watch brand before, consumers who have considered purchasing from this watch brand before, as well as consumers who preferred competitor watch brands. The screener was prepared specifically to recruit an even distribution amongst all three consumer categories. In addition to this, all participants were required to have been on the market to purchase a new watch in the near future. Lastly, the client requested that the sample size consisted of a proportional mix of gender and age ranges that matched their consumer base. 

Once respondents who fit the study criteria were recruited, they were instructed to participate in a mystery shopping research methodology. These respondents filmed five to ten minute videos of themselves perusing through the watch aisle of their local department store (chosen from a list in which we knew the client’s watches were sold). They were required to answer a series of questions relating to their decision making process which allowed for a deep analysis into the factors consumers take into consideration during their shopping experience.

The respondents pointed out specific watches and detailed what they did and didn’t like about each. We were able to watch a number of respondents not only talk through their thought processes, but also come to a decision and purchase their desired watch on camera. We were also able to see respondents who detailed what they felt was missing from the aisle that day, and what resulted in them choosing to go through with a final purchase. The client was able to leverage this data to enhance their branding and marketing strategies.

CASE STUDY 3: SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

A mainstream digital entertainment platform within the industry wanted to gain perspective on how users perceive, interact with, and use different social media platforms. The client’s aim was to understand which platforms are preferred by users and for what reasons. Respondents with varying degrees of social media usage were recruited. The respondents were profiled to be spending at least one hour a day consuming social media, with these respondents being further divided by which platforms they use the most.

Recruits were invited to a research facility in which they were hooked up to an EEG scanner during their interviews. The purpose of implementing the use of EEG devices in market research is to study the conscious and unconscious perspectives of consumers. There are many unconscious processes involved in decision making, which often cannot be uncovered through the traditional interviewing method with even the most skillful moderators. These processes influence consumer’s thoughts, interests, and decisions without the consumer’s awareness of them. EEG devices assist researchers in discovering the subconscious links that lie between a consumer and what they consume. The challenge here is that asking people to wear a head garment for the purpose of tracking their brain activity can be quite daunting. However, due to having a panel of over 600,000 active qualitative participants who enjoy participating in our studies, we have access to many respondents who trust us with our methodologies.

Through this study, we were able to gain insight into what forms of content users preferred the most (short form vs. long form), which platforms offered the best quality content, and how many ads they were willing to see. The client was able to use this data to enhance their algorithms accordingly. Respondents were found to prefer shorter form content and found that they were off put by platforms that pushed too many ads between posts and videos.