Understanding regional differences in customer attitudes for global launches
Industry: Agriculture, construction industries
Client: Global manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment
Client’s Challenge
A global manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment was introducing a new line of equipment maintenance products to Europe. The client wanted to understand how the new product line would be perceived and how readily equipment owners would adopt the brand’s product offering. The client was concerned about the potential for regional differences and how the perception across various regions may differ, potentially impacting product sales. Having conducted message testing in North America, the client partnered with Prime46 to assist them in gathering perceptions from equipment owners in preparation for the global introduction of their product line in Europe.
Solution
Prime46 built an approach to the European research using the same messaging used in North America. The statements were part of a discussion that was used by local researchers in each of four European countries. One-on-one interviews were conducted with equipment owners in their native language within each of the countries.
Prime46 administered translation of materials into the local language for the interviews and transcription of the recorded interviews into English for analysis. Each of the interviews were analyzed and coded for easier comparison, and each of the positioning statements were rated based on the assessment and comments each equipment owner expressed during the interview.
Results
This benchmark study provided insights into the overall perceptions of the product category in four European markets, and helped determine how well each of the tested messages resonated among the equipment owners.
Through this study process the client was able to:
• Discern the preferences and attitudes about the category
• Compare responses and preferences by country, and compare North American markets to European markets
• Determine which positioning is best suited for an overall brand strategy
• Understand which messages resonated with equipment owners
• Select the best positioning and product messaging for each region
• Adjust their product rollout plans confidently
Successes
Prime46 was able to assist the client in evaluating the perceptions of the maintenance product category and the buying habits of equipment owners in four key European countries and help the client to understand the differences as compared to perceptions of the research as it was conducted in North America.
These insights gave the product development team the necessary information and support to confidently initiate a global product strategy and the marketing team the insights to create a regional product positioning approach.