What to

expect?

PepsiCo wanted to (re)connect the Ruffles brand with the Turkish youth. For

six weeks a ‘Market Research Online Community’ (or ‘Consumer Consulting

Board’) was the central hub in which the dialogue between Gen Y, the Ruffles

brand team and the advertising agencies of PepsiCo took place. In three

sequential stages we moved from generating insights into Turkish youth’s everyday life

and their aspirations over testing and fine-tuning activation platforms and campaigns to

creating an understanding of the role of social media in brand activation today.

To enhance decision making, we wanted to connect all stakeholders to a maximum

extent with the target group. To realize that, we created several touch points

between the consumer world (the research results) and the business world (the

marketing team and their objectives) while sharing our research results: online and

offline consumer immersion exercises with all stakeholders, intermediate debriefs and

workshops, a creative brainstorming session and a live chat session with

members of the community during that brainstorm.

This paper gives insights into the power of using research communities to

deeply understand a target group and in the value of ‘triangulation’ in

qualitative research (tackling the same issue from different angles and with different

eyes). It also illustrates how creating several touch points between the consumer

world and the business world can deliver bigger impact on marketing

thinking.

Let’s reconnect! Ruffles, a PepsiCo brand, wanted to (re)connect

with the younger generation in Turkey as the

brand faced two big challenges: fighting a

crowded online branded space and finding

the right brand position for the brand,

against other brands within the crisps

category - both from competitors and PepsiCo

itself (Lay’s and Doritos) - and other snack

categories (e.g. nuts).

Turkish Gen Y is very proud of their Turkish

background and really value successful Turkish

companies and their heritage. Despite the global

economic crisis, youth in Turkey acknowledge an

increasingly prominent role of their country in economic and

political world play. It is a positive and individually

empowered generation but at the same time a very social

and ‘we’-oriented group with friends as ‘dynamic’ and

parents as ‘static’ anchor points. Ruffles’ “Live life to the

most” brand platform had the right potential to

connect with this ambitious Turkish young

generation, but the real question was how to translate this

slogan into a relevant and differing positioning as well as an

online and offline brand activation strategy. The research

project’s aim was to link Turkish Gen Y’s context and

lifestyle to the Ruffles product experience and brand

image and detect the ideal roads for further brand

development.

Empowering Generation Y

Generation Y, aka the ‘Millennials’ (born in the

80s and in the first half of the 90s), is the

ultimate product of our postmodern

society. Gen Y wants everything at the

same time and wants it right here, right

now. They are more engaged than

previous generations.

They strongly voice their opinions and want to act

upon their ideas. They feel empowered to change

the world themselves. Being born in a society that

celebrates individual success and stimulates them to

become unique and special, they claim the ownership

of their own lives in every single aspect. GenYers are

more marketing-savvy and will immediately see

through fake marketing strategies. ‘Directness’,

‘transparency’, ‘authenticity’ and ‘closeness’ are what

they expect from the brands they embrace (Van den

Bergh & Behrer, 2013).

All of this clearly affects the way marketing, branding and research targeting this new consumer group should

evolve. In order to succeed in our mission to deeply understand Turkish youth and what they expect from

Ruffles as a brand, we had to find the appropriate way to truly connect with them and engage this

‘empowered’ generation into a research project. Given the fact that they are ‘digital natives’, online

research seemed to be a logic option, despite the fact that experience with online (qualitative) research was

low in the Turkish market in general. Moreover, the chosen method should allow the youngsters to be involved

closely in shaping the future of a brand they like. Given these criteria, an online research community (see

Figure 1) was chosen as the backbone of this

research project: bringing together a

larger group of participants (100

youngsters) over a longer period of time

(six weeks) on a closed online platform to

connect with the brand and co-create

future actions together (InSites Consulting,

2013). This online qualitative method taps into

Gen Y’s online knowledge on the one hand

and leaves much room for participant

empowerment and content creation on the

other hand.

Figure 1: The Ruffles Community platform

Translation for maximal connection

Given the postmodern character of Generation Y, it

is difficult and rather complex to get a valid, clear

and holistic view of their behavior, attitudes and

perceptions. In order to create a true

understanding of what it is like to be young

in today’s Turkish society and to bring fresh

and unique insights onto the table, we

combined different methods and techniques in this

qualitative research project. We applied the

principle of ‘triangulation’ (Guin et al, 2012), with

the research community as the central hub of the

project. We investigated the same issue from

five different angles and by doing so created

a more adequate and deeper understanding

(see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Triangulation in qualitative research

1 Theory triangulation (combining different views on consumer behavior):

We think less than we think we think; we are bad witnesses of our own behavior. So, it is important

to both observe and talk with a target group to create real and deep understanding. In this

project we combined online and offline observational techniques with different forms of qualitative

discussion (= method triangulation):

Environmental triangulation

We found it important to connect with this generation in both the online and the offline world by

combining auto-ethnography (online) and consumer immersion sessions in Istanbul (offline), this

in order to combine the openness of online blog postings/pictures and the true sensing

experience of offline connections with youngsters in their natural habitat.

Combination of synchronous and asynchronous qualitative discussions

We combined synchronous (live chat) and asynchronous (forum) qualitative discussions: catching

both spontaneous reactions and the opportunity to have a real-time dialogue between the

target group and the business world (both the advertiser’s (PepsiCo) perspective and the

agencies), next to gathering well thought-off reactions and stimulating interaction between members on

the forum for richer insights.

2 Investigator triangulation (different types of people analyzing the data):

To get the maximum out of the data, not only the agency and client-side researchers were confronted

with the data. All stakeholders were involved in making sense of the observations and

discussions by playing online data interpretation games as a homework exercise and via

the insight generation exercises during the offline workshops. Even participants were involved

in helping us with the analysis in a crowd-interpretation game (participants were asked in three steps

to analyze raw data curated by the community moderator and the research team). Those community

participants or ‘co-researchers’ helped us to fill our ‘blind spots’ (things we do not see or find

because we are not part of the target group and the context they live in) and bring more, sharper and

better insights into the table. Depending on the topic, between 20 and 40% additional insights were

found for the curated pieces of data by involving participants in the analysis process.

Combination of individual and group discussions

To gain understanding in the ‘me’ versus the ‘we’ dimension of the category consumption and brand

positioning, both individual (via a blog) and group discussions (via online focus groups and the forum on

the community) were used to create an ideal mix between individual observations and group

alignment.

Co-creating the future of Ruffles Taking these specifications into account, we crafted the design for a 6-week community

project in three stages of two weeks each:

To fully understand Gen Y and the current product/brand experience, we asked participants to keep a

multi-media blog during two weeks. Based on auto-ethnographic tasks, we found insights we could

build on.

Phase 1 - Consumer Immersion

Phase 2 - Brand Activation and Campaigns

In the second part of the project, the objective was to further develop brand activation platforms

and to test and fine-tune campaign ideas together with the community members. During these two

weeks, the creative agency was inspired by the community members’ feedback.

Phase 3 - Social Media Marketing

Technology, digital and social media are playing an important role in the lives of Generation Y. It was

crucial to truly understand the Turkish context and to give the social strategy a central place in

brand activation and every campaign. This is what the final stage of the community was all about.

Researcher: think big and act as a brand

The community was a success among the

participants, they really liked this way of

being involved in the future of a brand they

all know and love. One of the big learnings was

that the brand needed to be repositioned from a

‘me’- to a more ‘we’-oriented brand. Both the

Ruffles brand and the product experience

occasions seemed to be strongly linked with

emotional social sharing moments and rituals.

Secondly, until now the brand was especially

tailored for a male target group. During the project,

it became clear that there were many opportunities

in shaping Ruffles into a more unisex brand, while

not letting go of its relatively male skew. These

types of ‘big changes’ asked for an internal

change management both at PepsiCo and at

the agency side.

The research team had to convince the brand

teams as well as the creative agencies that this was

the way to go. Moreover, they needed to inspire and

direct all stakeholders to allow them to execute the

new brand strategy in the best possible way. We

believe researchers should think and act more

as a brand (manager). Just like a contemporary

and Gen Y proof brand (manager), they have to

create relevant touch points between the message

(the research results) and the audience (the

different stakeholders in the project) in order to get

to maximum impact (understanding of the target

group and fresh inspiration to take action upon). As

marketers, we should ‘advertise’ and ‘promote’

our research results through a variety of

channels, rather than stick to the typical

PowerPoint end presentation.

Meaningful consumer touch points

To enhance decision making, we wanted to connect all stakeholders to the maximum with the

target group. To realize that, we acted as ‘content marketer’ and created various touch

points between the consumer world (the research results) and the business world (the

marketing team and their objectives) while sharing our research results (Troch et al, 2012).

It is best to do so in three consecutive stages: ‘engage’ (= confronting the research user with the

consumer world and with their own (limited/partial) knowledge of the target group), ‘inspire’ (=

sharing the key insights in an inspiring and entertaining way) and ‘activate’ (= translating the insights

into concrete next steps and actions).

Next we will give an overview of our plan to share the right information and inspiration

at the right time via the most optimal channels and formats.

1 Intermediate debriefs and workshops

Debrief After the first 10 days of the project, a first debrief took place with the internal

clients. In this session, the target group was brought to life through

pictures and quotes. See it as a first confrontation with the consumers’ lives

and their brand perceptions.

After three weeks, a full-day workshop was organized. In this session the

results of the first half of the community were shared. We paid a lot

of attention that day to creating a thorough understanding of what Turkish

youth expects from life, brands in general and Ruffles in specific. We tried

to realize this by not only ‘telling’ and ‘showing’ them the results, but also by

‘involving’ them in the research process, as is described further in this

presentation.

Workshop

2 Online and offline consumer immersion exercises with all

stakeholders

Detective homework A couple of days before the intermediate workshop all attendees

(researchers, marketers and creatives) received a homework task. They

had to follow one participant for three days across the different

topics on the community in order to get a slice of life of one particular

participant.

As a part of the workshop, all attendees had to interpret a handful

of raw data that had led us towards some of the key

conclusions. By performing this task, they were able to almost

discover the findings themselves.

Interpretation game

Consumer safari

Chat session

As a break during the session, attendees were meeting up with

youngsters in their own houses, in the streets of Istanbul or in a

bar, thus adding another layer of understanding of the target group.

After the immersion exercises, the presentation of the results and our

conclusions, the workshop day closed off with a live chat session with

the 10 most interesting community members who tackled the final

questions from the audience.

3 Closing workshop - a creative ideation session

Synthesize This workshop at the very end of the project started with a short

overview of what we had learned in the first part of the

community and the intermediate workshop. After that results

from the tests of activation material and campaigns were discussed

and put into perspective.

Right before the ideation session, a last dose of fresh thinking was

injected during a two-hour inspiration session full of insights

and cases on marketing towards Gen Y from around the world, both

from within and out of the snack category, an ideal spring board

towards the apotheosis of the project.

Give context and inspire

Ideate During this ultimate brainstorm, materials were fine-tuned and a plan

of action was crafted interactively (in small groups consisting of

both brand team members and agencies) among the multidisciplinary

team. Each team competed with the other on finding the best new

brand activation and communication ideas.

A recipe for success

To assess ‘whether’ and ‘how’ we

succeeded in our mission to connect

the PepsiCo team and their

advertising agencies with the target

group and inspire them to take

relevant actions, we conducted

interviews among the client/agency

side participants in this project: 11 in

total (two client-side researchers, four

marketers and five creatives). We

organized this four months after the study

was finished, in order to see the real post-

project impact within the business.

Here is an overview of the different actions taken by PepsiCo,

based on the results of this community study:

1 First of all, the brand got a sharper and more differentiating positioning (different than

e.g. Doritos and other more ‘we’-oriented and purely male-focused brands).

2 Next to that, the team realized that the brand was a bit too extreme in its communication

and in making use of celebrities. It had lost touch with the everyday life of the Turkish Gen Y

target group. Based on the inspiration in the community, a campaign around a football star

(Pascal Nouma) was started to move the brand closer to Turkish Gen Y’s life;.

3 Based on what they had learned during the immersion phase in this community project,

marketers and creatives started to include more of Gen Y’s jargon and thinking

in creative developments.

4 Finally, the brand tonality on social media was adapted.

The interviews also gave us an insight in the impact of our phased approach in communicating

the research results at the end result, the overall ‘stickiness’ of the project

1 Most of the interviewees indicated that the research delivered to them fresh insights and

especially a deeper understanding of the target group, through the almost daily or

weekly confrontation with the consumer in different formats over a longer period of time.

2 Involving internal stakeholders in the research process works. Being immersed in the

target group creates ‘consumer feeling’, discovering some of the results yourself makes it easier

to comprehend and believe them, performing exercises forces one to think like a consumer.

Reading, experiencing and sharing the consumers’ stories made the team members

remember the most important research results even months after the final presentation.

3 Overall, this project approach convinced the researcher team at PepsiCo Turkey of

research communities as a solid method to connect with this young group of

Generation Y consumers. All parties involved in the project are more than ever convinced

that it is worth the time and effort to immerse into the consumers’ world and especially that

consumers can bring great value to the table.

and the actions taken:

Let’s do some reverse engineering to discover why we were successful in creating a big impact with this research

by framing some results of the qualitative interviews into the model of ‘success for effective communication’ that

Dan and Chip Heath described in their book ‘Made to Stick’ (2007):

Credible

Unexpected

Emotional

Give an idea believability: by confronting stakeholders with the raw data and by

involving them in the research process, we build credibility both for the methodology

and for the value of the voice of the consumer.

Grab people's attention by surprising them: by highlighting the interesting

consumer stories along the way, you highlight the value of the research and the

voice of the target group.

Help people see the importance

of an idea: it seems to be key to

confront the audience with the real

people and their real stories and

emotions. Bring them to life through

pictures, videos, quotes and stories.

Simple

Concrete

Stories Empower people to use an idea through narrative: involve stakeholders in the research

process and confront them with consumers several times; by doing that, they get the

opportunity to create their own narrative via which they will remember the most important

conclusions of the study.

Find the core of any idea: the core task of the research team in the end is to connect

the dots and to simply and clearly present the final conclusions. The broad consumer

feeling and understanding created during the first phase of the project will help to put

these conclusions and recommendations into perspective.

Make sure action is taken based

upon an idea: the most important

task of a research team is to make

sure the ideal conditions are created

to take relevant action during and

after the closing session.

Conclusion: tell, show and… involve

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Martijn van Bijnen and Sarianne van der Hoest for

their brilliant account and research work for the Ruffles research project and the

workshops as well as to the PepsiCo brand teams and the different

agencies involved.

Van den Bergh, J. & Berger, M. (2013). How Cool Brands Stay Hot - Second Edition, Kogan Page.

Chip, D. & Chip, H. (2007). Made to stick, Random House.

Guin, L., Diehl, D. and McDonald, D. (2012), Triangulation: Establishing the validity of qualitative

studies, IFAS.

InSites Consulting (2013). The Consumer Consulting Board: Consumers Shaping your Business,

InSites Consulting.

De Ruyck, T. et al (2011). Engage, Inspire, Act: 3 Step Stones towards Developing more Impactful

Products. ESOMAR Congress.

Troch, T. et al (2012). Doing More with Less: Crossing the Boundaries of Qualitative to Increase

Business Impact. ESOMAR Qualitative Conference.

Tom De Ruyck Head of Consumer Consulting Boards

InSites Consulting

Erkan Balkan Consumer Insights Manager

Pepsico Turkey

Joeri Van den Bergh Managing Director

InSites Consulting

Anouk Willems Research Innovation Manager

InSites Consulting

Annelies Verhaeghe Head of Research Innovation

InSites Consulting

Thank you!

@InSites

marketing@insites-consulting.com

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