With over 30 years of experience, REAL Insight has led projects across a variety of industries that successfully identified consumer behavior and expectations, helping CPG companies, retailers, and other clients understand how consumers act in a variety of contexts.
We find ourselves increasingly skeptical about leveraging limited-edition packaging as a promotional tool. While the intent is always to create buzz and drive trial, the tactical execution often introduces an unnecessary degree of friction into the shopping process. In CPG, the core function of package design is not to serve as a canvas for fleeting campaigns but as a beacon…
Back to Nature Redesigns that represent a major departure are always a watch-out for us, but the true risk is completely related to who the brand is and what the objectives are for the redesign. If you are a strong brand with specific equities that mean something to shoppers, you will want to tread carefully.…
In a seemingly serious contradiction, Luke Cahill is a self proclaimed introvert who has spoken to thousands of complete strangers. Listen to Real Insight CEO & Chief Nerd as he explains why real conversations with shoppers still matter https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vyL5FShNDZSV3nxVCm7Bb?si=7cafd1b5445e4185
Store environments are overwhelmingly stimulating for the human brain. In order to manage the thousands of products available for purchase, the brain employs what we call the Navigational Hierarchy—a filtering sequence to narrow the search for the sought-after product. Our brain unconsciously cycles through the elements that distinguish products from each other, beginning broadly with…
The challenge of creating sustainable products and packaging is nuanced and requires an understanding of how people shop and consume your products. First, the product needs to succeed at-shelf and be purchased, then it needs to be recycled, reused, composted, or disposed of properly. The risk of friction or deselection when renovating to a greener…
It is a pretty well-known fact that market research companies struggle with marketing. REAL Insight is no different. We care too much about the nuance of what makes our approaches effective, so we choose to focus on selling that instead of the higher-order benefits. However, we know so much about how to test new product innovation and…
In our modern world, the gap between in-person realities and online perceptions can feel vast. Life, as seen on social media is filtered, perfected, and potentially polarized. These perspectives can feel exciting for those who have embraced this curated worldview and scary for those who would rather not. Connecting with people IRL feels much more…
Another key note speaker at the Corporate Researchers conference was Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. I was particularly struck by his analysis around the myth of novelty which directly impacts some of our innovation work. He describes this as “people like sneakily familiar positive variations…
The New York Times recently released an article detailing the differences between what nutritionists think is healthy versus what the general public believes is better for you. While a difference between the public and nutritionists is to be expected, NYT discovered quite a disparity in ranking within each group as well. Certain foods obviously ranked…
In a surprising announcement, Kraft has revealed that their most loyal customers have been purchasing a new formula of the “Blue Box” macaroni and cheese they’ve loved for decades. The biggest revelation from this announcement? Barely anyone has noticed. History has shown that when a new formula for a favorite product is unveiled, there’s often…