Do You Even Understand What Problem You Need to Solve?
When I meet with marketing clients, my first question is to understand what problem they want to solve. If there is a metric we want to change, then we can hypothesize solutions. Is everyone on the team aligned with what challenges they need to solve?
The better we can describe the problem, the easier it is to figure out the next step.
My Product Isn’t Selling Once We Get on the Shelf
Last year, a client named Olivia told me their snack food product is in distribution, but it isn’t selling fast enough to stay on the shelf.
Retailers are kicking us out of the store. What can I do to help them?
So, we assembled her team and started to develop some hypotheses:
- Their package graphics blend into the category. Nothing different.
- Their product tasted okay, but anecdotally, we heard that our brand lost flavor and taste on the shelf. (slow turns mean older products on the frame).
- Their target customer wasn’t aware of their brand.
- Their price was too high and wasn’t worth the premium price.
- Their ounce weight was lower than the competition’s without an apparent reason why.
- Their packaging was confusing, telling too many stories with many call-outs. (Low fat, low salt, keto-friendly, gluten-free, low in carbs, etc.)
- We couldn’t support all the distribution we had – we were spread too thin.
- The company didn’t promote the product often enough for a trial with the retailer.
- Consumers are leaving the category because of health concerns, and their product didn’t address these issues. Perhaps a new positioning might help.
- The brand name sent a confusing signal to consumers.
- The brand was for everyone – thus, it didn’t serve a narrow, select target audience.
Each hypothesis can lead you down a different path. Your brand may suffer from several problems simultaneously, which are primary and should be addressed first.
First, Agree on The Problem to Be Solved
To uncover the root cause, we determined that consumer research could help us understand the consumer’s mind map and the competitive landscape.
First, we did the quantitative analysis, and then we did qualitative online focus groups. We used the survey to test the hypothesis and the qualitative research to gain some nuances to common themes that became clearer as we listened to the target audience.
How did they view the category, the current choices, and the top brands sold? Where did our brand fit in?
We learned that our brand wasn’t in their consideration set. They didn’t know we existed.
But the root problem was that we didn’t give the consumer a reason to consider us versus the other well-known brands.
Our branding was confusing and didn’t serve anyone’s needs. It wasn’t clear what “job” our product did for the consumer.
So we created a plan based on a clearer understanding of which problems we had to solve.
- The product needed to be repositioned and better targeted. Olivia’s brand was positioned for too broad an audience with no distinctive need.
- The brand name was confusing. It needed to be changed.
- The package didn’t communicate value and wasn’t for a distinct group with a problem to solve.
We are working toward a solution, but the lesson is clear.
Throwing marketing dollars at the problem is a mistake if you don’t understand what isn’t working.
If your car isn’t turning on, it helps to know if you are out of gas, your battery is dead, or you have the wrong keys. You can’t get moving if you aren’t clear about what problem to fix. You can pick up a pitchfork and poke around the engine – but that won’t solve the problem.
Is your car (brand) stuck in your driveway (on the shelf)?
Start by clarifying – do you truly understand the problem to be solved?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Photo by Elvis Bekmanis on Unsplash
