Is it the 3 E's of Consumer Research or is it 3 E's plus a C?

I have written and talked extensively about the importance of looking at consumer research as a three level model, Exploratory, Experimental, and Evaluative. However, a recent experience has triggered the old gray matter. The three level model is deficient. I should have seen it a long time ago but evidently was just blinded by the simplicity of the 3 E's. The fourth component is actually an important element of each of the E's. It is Confirmatory (C) research.

Actually I've written about Confirmatory Research but never thought of it in the context of importance. The best example of a "Views" on the topic can be seen in the "Views" of 10/12/95 "Starting New Evidence" which basically stated that when you find an amazing new discovery, the first thing to be done is to go back and see where you made your mistake.

The event that triggered all this mental activity was a commercial for James River's Quilted Northern Bathroom Tissue. The visuals in the commercial show three women sitting around a quilting frame, quilting with knitting needles. Was it done intentionally to catch attention? I don't think so. If it wasn't done intentionally, they obviously did not confirm that the commercial was doing what they intended it to do, or it would have been obvious. As little as $150 spent on an in-home group discussion would have probably corrected the execution. The commercial has been changed as a result of a flood of phone calls (changed 7/10).

This experience also reminded me of a humorous personal confirmatory experience. We were about to introduce new Liquid Bold, a Liquid Detergent with a built-in Fabric Softener. We were about to spend a bundle on some mechanical displays for the supermarkets. The displays involved the housing of a washer with a pump that pumped blue water up the inside of an eight foot cylinder that extended out of a Liquid Bold Bottle sitting on top of the washer. At the top of the cylinder, it would flow down the outside of the cylinder (similar to the Culligan Water Softener Display). At top of the cylinder were two bottles, one labeled detergent and the other fabric softener, and a funnel.

We compared the sales and the reactions of the consumers with a typical end aisle script display. The most informative data came from the video tapes of the shoppers. It's not the kids that stick their fingers in the falling water. It was the adults. And did they make a mess. If we had proceeded with this idea we would have alienated every stock boy and store manager involved in the promotion. We didn't need the sales data to make the decision to scrap the idea.

The bottom line, confirmatory research can play a valuable role in your decision making.