Positioning research and proposition research
Needs and motivations research is highly recommended in case of a repositioning of your brand or when introducing a new proposition. In such cases, we speak of positioning research or proposition research. In both cases, the focus is on identifying the needs and motivations of your target group in the context of the market in which you operate. Customers do not want to buy products, but they really just want to fulfill their needs. Thereby, generally, several needs play a role in the choice of a specific product or brand. And these are certainly not exclusively functional needs! It often turns out to be the emotional needs that determine the choice that is made. Consider, for example, the purchase of a family car. Whichever one you choose, they will all get you from A to B. But what makes one person choose a German brand of top limousines? While another goes for a Japanese brand of reliable mid-range cars. Of course, price plays a role in this, but there is more. Needs and motivations research provides crucial input for making the right choices in your development path or communication strategy.
Attitude research
Attitude research is the mirror image of image research. Image research is set up from the organization's point of view, measuring to what extent the target group recognizes the desired image. In attitude research, the starting point is the brain position of the (potential) customer; how does he or she view the organization? From the conclusions, the organization extracts opportunities or threats. Attitude research measures the target group's experience of the organization. Forum Research uses implicit experience research based on neuroresearch techniques. We use these techniques to measure the position of the brand or organization in the subconscious brain of the target group, mainly by asking open questions. Using artificial intelligence, we extract the aspects that determine the emotion the target group feels about the brand, from their open answers.
Branding research
Needs and motivations research and quantitative experience research are both forms of branding research and provide input for building your brand. Qualitative needs and motivations research is mainly used in the development phase of a new product or when repositioning your brand. Experience research fits better in an operational phase, where the brand is already established and your product has been introduced. It provides input to fine-tune and correct campaigns, or to measure their effects.
Both types of research are set up completely from the perspective of the (potential) customer. Because the customer ultimately makes his choice based on his experience of the brand or product and based on his needs, this is the right way as far as we are concerned. Think from the outside in, not the other way around!