Peggy Moutlon-Abbott Case Studies V5.1

© Copyright 2009 Newfound Insights LLC. Proprietary and Confidential

Recent Qualitative Research Case Studies

Marketing Research Conducted by:

Peggy Moulton-Abbott, PRC

Newfound Insights, LLCMarch 2010


Categories of Research

Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals High Tech Products Business-to-Business Marketing CPG and Alcoholic Beverages Public Sector Issues Legal Research


Peggy Moulton-Abbott

Qualitative Marketing Research Consultant / Moderator

Moderator, analyst and marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience in marketing and market research, including work as a client and a vendor. In addition to her work in research, she also has experience in database marketing, PR, media/communications/journalism, and futurism. The breadth of her professional background allows her to offer unique value and insight to clients.

Peggy has worked with industries as diverse as consumer durables and packaged goods; food & beverage (including alcohol), pharmaceuticals, healthcare, high-tech, insurance; media; government / public utilities; high tech, and environmental concerns.

She has worked on a wide array of types of studies including branding, new product introduction, segmentation, ad/message testing, usability labs, customer satisfaction, forecasting/futurism, and more.

Her experience includes work with everyone from garden-variety consumers to medical and business professionals to children and special-needs populations.

Peggy holds her BA in Communications from the University of Maryland. She is an active member of QRCA, MRA, and AMA and holds her Professional

Researcher Certification (PRC) at the expert level.


Confidentiality of this Data A respectful request for the reader’s cooperation:

Every project described in this presentation is real and I was personally involved with every aspect of all the projects described herein.

The information in this deck is intended to demonstrate the depth and breadth of my professional experience and capabilities, which can only be done by utilizing actual explanations of the work I have done.

However, I am acutely aware of the need to maintain client confidentiality and protect the intellectual properties involved.

While I have made every effort to mask the identities of the clients involved, it is possible that some stories might still be identifiable to the clients and products involved.

Therefore I ask your indulgence to be careful in how you view, store, and maintain this presentation. I also ask that you do not share this document with anyone else without first informing me and obtaining my permission.

Thanks in advance for honoring this request


Exploratory Research for Ad Agency’s New Business Pitch

An advertising agency needed to understand kids’ attitudes and behaviors regarding tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) in order to pitch the state Tobacco Settlement Fund account.

I utilized a methodology of focus groups among kids 12-13 and 14-15 which was heavy on projective techniques and reactions to current anti-smoking advertising aimed at tweens and teens. Theories regarding various methods of smoking deterrence were also tested.

Current ad campaigns were considered to be too tame or not relative to the kids’ sensibilities.

Deterrent theories such as impact on attractiveness and premature aging (for girls) and intelligence (for boys) were shown to be the optimal approach.

While the agency did not win the account, the analysis was used in developing future campaigns by the settlement foundation.


Ad Concept Testing – Medical Device for Kids

A major manufacturer of diabetes meters needed to understand how to promote a new product that rewarded kids of testing their blood sugar by giving them special content on their handheld computer game platforms.

Research was conducted simultaneously in the US and UK before being rolled-out elsewhere in Europe.

Methodology was live IDIs with kids and teens aged 8 – 16; live focus groups with their mothers, live mini-groups with diabetes nurse educators and nutritionists, and live IDIs with endocrinologists. All respondents were exposed to working game consoles and diabetes meters, static animatics, and print ad concepts.

Results were used refine advertising concepts and inform strategic decisions related to product roll-out to the kids, their parents and medical care providers who would act as gatekeepers.


Re-packaging a Historic Brand of Stout Beer

In order to bolster flat sales worldwide, this storied and famous brand of stout beer decided to embark on a repackaging effort aimed at expanding the brand's personality to make it appealing to broader demographic segments, while simultaneously increasing seasonality and occasionality.

The methodology was live focus groups among very brand loyal male aficionados in major American markets, along with a smaller sample of male and female non- and occasional-drinkers of the brand.

The focus was on understanding the brand's personality relative to the competitive set, and relating this to the proper packaging changes that would maintain the traditional feeling of the brand, while expanding the appeal to a wider set of consumers on more varied occasions and seasons (especially warm weather).

The result was a successful package redesign that achieved many of the original marketing goals.


Packaging Update for the World's Only Patented Bottle Design

Brand managers of this world-famous gin brand had decided there was a need to modernize the packaging of this legacy alcohol package in order to make it more viable among its “top shelf” competitive set. However, the universal recognition and fame of the bottle design meant that any changes to the packaging had to be very carefully researched first.

The methodology employed was in-person focus groups among distinct segments of brand and category aficionados based on age, income, gender, and ethnicity.

This study focused on understanding the emotional connection to the brand, the packaging, and the product itself, prior to embarking on actual packaging design changes. The methodology was focus groups among brand aficionados, as well as drinkers who preferred other brands in the competitive set.

Results were used to successfully redesign the package with the goal of maintaining brand integrity while updating the image relative to the competitive set of top shelf liquors.


Motivating Environmental Activities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed A regional planning district commission wanted to inform its public

relations strategies aimed at educating the public about the impact of storm water runoff and household/ lawn chemical usage on the delicate ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The methodology employed in-person with focus groups with two segments of citizens: long-term residents and recent arrivals. Respondents were exposed to various educational materials in print, audible and video format and their reactions were analyzed for clues as to the most important motivators of behavioral changes capable of lowering human impact on the Bay’s ecosystem.

Responses showed that presence of children in the home had a major impact on awareness of environmental issues (due to success of a school system program) as well as a basic human desire to plan for future generations’ well-being.

Advertising and PR strategies were developed that capitalized on these findings.


Drivers/Barriers to International New Vaccine Product Introduction A top-ranked pharmaceutical company was in a race against a major competitor to

introduce a vaccine against a sexually transmitted virus, which had been proven to cause most cases of cervical cancer.

The vaccine had been shown to work best in adolescent girls aged 12 – 16 Moreover, the company feared the potential negative PR link between vaccinating

teens for an STD and promoting promiscuous behavior in the minds of parents, pediatricians, the FDA, and the school system.

I designed, managed, fielded and reported a study aimed at getting reactions from mothers, teen girls aged 15-18, and adult women aged 19 – 35 to the concept.

The methodology was in-person focus groups with parents and adult women, and IDIs with teens aged 15-18 in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Hungary, India, South Korea and Taiwan. An additional research was subsequently conducted with pediatricians, primary care MDs and gynecologists. I conducted all research in English-speaking countries and oversaw the efforts of partner moderators worldwide.

This demonstrated key similarities and differences among the cultures, and pointed out that married women wanted it as much for themselves as for their daughters.

Results were used to inform all aspects of positioning, compliance with governmental oversight, product marketing, launch strategy, and advertising to both the consumer and professional segments.


Concept Test for a Drug to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies had developed

a drug that could reverse (cure) the physical manifestations of Alzheimer’s Disease

Unfortunately, the side-effects profile was expected to be very serious, perhaps on the order of chemo-therapy

The drug company needed to understand how patients and their caregivers would react to the concept

I designed, managed and fielded a study to garner reactions from the affected populations

The methodology was in-person IDIs with early-stage Alzheimer’s patients aged 49 – 75, and focus groups with their caregivers spanning 3 US cities

The key finding was that while caregivers felt totally responsible for the patient’s well-being, thus they were fearful of the drug’s side effects and reticent to accept it, the patients themselves were willing to risk anything to save their cognitive capacity.

The results were used in positioning and launch planning.


Service Concept Testing – Medicare Part B Plan

A regional health insurance provider was about to enter the market with a prescription drug coverage plan just as the “donut hole” ruling was being introduced. They needed to understand how soon-to-be senior citizens would approach decision-making in choosing a plan.

Methodology was live focus groups with consumers aged 62 to 64.9 years. After a broach exploration of attitudes toward health and drug coverage, respondents were exposed to specifics of the plan on offer and allowed to compare it to their current and expected coverage.

Results were used to uncover consumers’ reactions to the overall product concepts, gauge likelihood of success against a tightly defined competitive set, and lead into a follow-on study based on recommended refinements to the coverage being offered.


Mock Juries’ Reactions to Class Action Product Liability Lawsuit A leading regional law firm was hired to represent a class of

plaintiffs who had been injured in fires caused by the failure of a specific type of light bulb in floor lamps.

The legal team wanted to understand how potential juries would react to the facts and stories of plaintiffs who had been seriously burned or killed by fires resulting from putting textiles such as towels and clothing on top of these lamps.

The methodology was bifurcated between in-person focus groups with various demographic segments of potential jurors and quantitative telephone interviews. Respondents were exposed to photographic evidence, video depositions, and expert witness testimony, and allowed to deliberate with minimal direction to arrive at a verdict and recommend punitive and civil damages against the manufacturers.

The quantitative portion of this study was the first ever admitted as evidence in a court of law in the Eastern District of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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Peggy Moutlon-Abbott Case Studies V5.1

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