Product Image Assessment and Concept Evaluation

Many companies seem to view the concept evaluation process as a two-step process where a concept is written and then evaluated. The evaluation is typically the three "R" approach where respondents are Recruited, given the concept to Read, and then the concept is Rated for such things as intent to purchase, frequency of use, overall rating, etc.

Exploratory research tells us that there is a consumer need. This need is transformed into a product idea (the solution to the need). A concept is written to communicate to the public the product idea and its reason for being (the consumer need). I propose a three-step process where the concept is written and evaluated (for communication) and then the product idea is assessed. The objective is to separate in our minds the concept from the product idea. The concept is only a vehicle for the evaluation of the product idea within the context of the consumer need. In other words we evaluate the idea through the use of the concept.

The first step of the process deals with the writing of the concept. The second step deals with how well the concept communicates the product image. Does the consumer upon reading the concept understand the need and see the product as intended? Are there any words or phrases that are hindering the acceptability of the product? I have seen concepts where specific words or a phrase was detrimental to the product description. It is our responsibility that the success or failure of the product described is a result of the product idea and not the words we happen to use in the description.

I have seen some companies spend time and energy to make sure the concept adequately describes the product. However, they are in the minority. Procter 7 Gamble is the only company that I have personally seen that actually breaks down the evaluation of the concept into specific segments to determine if any words or descriptors are hindering the acceptability of the concept. Only after the concept has been cleaned and determined to adequately describe the intended product, is the potential of the idea evaluated (the third step in the process). At this time the following are assessed:

Purchase appeal		Overall rating
Perceived frequency of purchase		Market uniqueness
Value		Believability

Actually I believe there is a fourth and very important step in the concept testing. This step appears after the product prototypes have been developed. The fourth step addresses how well the concept and the specific product fit together. That is, does the actual product fit the description generated by the concept and does it live up to the expectations?