The Futures Company Dollars and Consumer...

Slide 1: 

A Three-Phase Research and Consulting Program to Help Marketers Through the Recession and Beyond Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 is a three-phase offering designed to help marketers stop or slow their current losses, lock in customers through the duration of the economic turmoil and position themselves for renewed growth as the economy recovers. Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Sustaining market share, building loyalty and positioning yourself for growth amid economic turmoil An analysis of the current state of consumer trust, purchasing behavior, financial anxiety and brand loyalty A series of category-specific surveys Strategies for minimizing Economic-Anxiety-induced marketplace and lifestyle trade-offs without compromising your brand equity A description of the marketplace that is likely to emerge from the current economic turmoil Consulting options that will help you sustain brand equity, build customer loyalty and plan for future growth in the context of the specific threats and challenges that your brands and products are experiencing The first Dollars & Consumer Sense, released in March 2008 when consumers were only three months into the recession, focused on identifying and describing the challenges marketers were likely to face as consumers began to feel the full effects of the challenging economy. Now, a year later, with the recession at full tilt, Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 advises marketers on how to overcome those challenges and position themselves for the recovery. The Economic Anxiety scale that we developed as a part of the first study and used to track consumers’ worries throughout 2008 is an integral part of Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 as well. In addition to tracking key attitudes and behaviors, Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 also features five new elements:

Slide 2: 

Phase 1: Sustaining Brand Equity Focus: Marketplace Update and Macro-Trend Overview Now that the recession is in full bloom and consumers have been living within a climate of economic turmoil for more than a year, a new look at the consumer market is critical. Phase 1 of Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 details the changes that have occurred in the marketplace and how consumers see themselves and their options in life. It also examines the strategies and initiatives that marketers have engaged in to protect their market share and discusses what the likely consequences and outcomes of those strategies will be in terms of minimizing losses while avoiding damage to brand equity. Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Perspective Measure actual trade-offs made by consumers in the past year. Update Economic Anxiety and recalibrate the relationship between economic anxiety level and trade-offs found in D&CS1. Assess the extent of the damage that has been done to consumer trust?Who are the big losers? Which entities have the opportunity to emerge as the new heroes? Develop and describe consumer segments defined by their general recession-response strategies. Identify the most powerful predictors of brand loyalty. Analyze and evaluate various strategies for protecting your market share. Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Marketing Manual, Volume 1: “Keys to Surviving in a Marketplace Experiencing Economic Turmoil” Segmentation based on consumers’ recession-response strategies E-Tabs data files Custom consulting program designed to help you (1) understand the larger marketplace dynamics that are affecting your brands and (2) identify strategies for protecting your market share now, without damaging your brand equity in the long term. Specific consulting platforms and applications include: Qualitative research to augment and add context to the quantitative findings Brand-response-strategy audit and TrendNostic analysis Recession-response-strategy-segmentation database overlay and associated consulting on how to execute against the segmentation Deliverables Specifically, Phase 1 will: Fielding Details Sample: 1,000-respondent RDD sample Methodology: 40-minute survey

Slide 3: 

Phase 2: Building Loyalty Focus: Category-Specific Insights and Strategies Once you’ve developed an understanding of the economic-anxiety-driven macro-trends in the marketplace, the next step is to examine in detail how those macro-trends are playing out in your product category. Phase 2 brings the Phase 1 findings down to the category level via a series of industry-specific surveys that are highly focused. Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Perspective Examine category and even brand-level trade-offs by economic anxiety level. Identify the category-relevant value dimensions that are most resistant to being traded off. Analyze and evaluate strategies for minimizing the trade-offs that represent the biggest threats to your category. Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Marketing Manual, Volume 2: “Strategies for Minimizing Economic-Anxiety-Driven Trade-Offs in Your Category” Category-specific trade-off tracking and scenario-testing application E-Tabs data files Custom consulting program designed to help you combat and minimize the specific trade-offs that represent the major threats to your brand/category. Specific consulting platforms and applications include: Qualitative research to augment and add context to the quantitative category findings Workshop/Webinar examining specific strategies for minimizing the trade-offs that are threatening your products or brands Recession-response-strategy segmentation customized for your category that can by overlaid on your customer database and consulting on how to execute against the segmentation Deliverables Specifically, Phase 2 will: Fielding Details Custom research syndicates will be built around specific industry categories such as retail or financial services. The category surveys will be fielded if and when a category syndicate is filled (4–5 clients are required to fill a syndicate). Sample: 1,000- 2,500-respondent Web sample (number depends on client interest and need) Methodology: 30- to 40-minute survey

Slide 4: 

Phase 3: Planning for Growth Focus: The Post-Economic-Turmoil Marketplace As unsettling as the current economic vicissitudes are for both consumers and marketers, eventually the situation will stabilize and recovery will begin. Though difficult to detect amid the current noise and confusion, the essence of the new marketplace that will emerge from the chaos is already starting to develop. Phase 3 identifies and describes that essence Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Perspective Dollars & Consumer Sense 2009 Marketing Manual, Volume 3: “Preparing Your Brand for the Post-Turmoil Marketplace” E-Tabs data files Custom consulting program designed to give marketers a blueprint for how to retool and reposition themselves to flourish in the marketplace that will eventually emerge from the current economic turmoil. Specific consulting platforms and applications include: “Futuring” scenarios that explore how the post-turmoil marketplace is likely to develop Innovation platform workshops linked to the scenarios that will help you develop new products, marketing strategies, operational enhancements, etc., that will resonate with the post-economic-turmoil consumer mindset Qualitative research to augment and give context to the scenarios Deliverables Specifically, Phase 3 will: Fielding Details Sample: 1,000 RDD respondents with an additional 1,000 Web respondents Methodology: 30- to 40-minute survey Analyze and describe the value dimensions that will dominate the post-economic turmoil marketplace Identify and describe newly emerging baseline consumer expectations. As the marketplace shifts from an emphasis on consumer empowerment to an emphasis on personal responsibility, what are becoming the new costs of entry across and within various product categories?