Quantitative

Case study: Bernard Matthews

Bernard Matthews had a very successful mass market business in processed ham products. They were seeking distribution slots for a more premium carvery ham style range. However a major key account declined to list the new product.

The retailer would give no specific reasons why the product was not to be listed. At a ‘fact-base decision making’ workshop, moderated by Brandface we developed the hypothesis that the retailer’s underlying concern was that the new product would cannibalize their premium private label range.

The working hypothesis became that premium private label buyers would not be attracted to the new product because the brand was not an appealing one to them and so the feared cannibalisation would not materialise. However Bernard Matthews mass market loyalists, we suggested, would be interested in trading up within the band for special occasions. If true, this would convince the retailer to try a listing.

Using our nanoqual POS methdology delivered through 75 interviews in target retailers, we were able to prove that the hypothesis was correct, not just in the hot house of traditional focus groups but at the moment of truth in store. The evidence was convincing enough given the specificity of the context this methodology allows to help land the desired listings.