Some Recent Studies...

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ESL Insights regularly conducts market research for Fortune global 1000 corporations and major media companies. We also serve industry associations, non-profit organizations, consulting firms, advertising agencies and public relations firms, and direct marketers with data collection, statistics, data processing, qualitative and quantitative analyses and interpretation.

As such, we are in a unique position to identify trends in the business and consumer marketplace. Results from some recent studies...

The Proposed Online Advertising Campaign Is Invisible

It's the right approach.... Target purchasers and influencers of IT decisions through online advertising hosted by the websites they most frequently visit. And the messaging appears to be right for the target audience of business and government IT professionals. However, focus group participants told our client that "basic blue" did not stand out enough against the blue background of some of the online newsletters. Based on this feedback, our client chose a brighter color palette in designing flash advertising for a highly successful online advertising campaign.

One Size ERP Solution Does Not Fit All

It looks so simple.... Take an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution you are currently offering to the corporate customers, make it scalable and customizable to the needs of medium to large companies, and you have a larger market. But the supporting elements are largely missing... no IT structure to support it, processes are mostly manual, and employees are not able to make very simple decisions about the functions they perform. Based on these findings, our client has determined to pull back on this initiative as they do not believe it will work for this market segment.

Show Me The Wine

One of our principals was astonished to discover that as a woman she is a very unusual wine consumer in that she:

Is very adventurous in the wines she tries.

Does not hesitate to be the one who reads the wine list and orders the wine when out to dinner in mixed company.

On the whole, prefers red wine to white wine.

Some foreign trade commissions are interested in this information too, as women wine consumers outnumber men in America.

Workforce Retention Means Different Things To Different People

As the economy heats up, ESL Insights' principals see competition for top talent and a refocus on initiatives to prevent employee defections. In this context, flexibility is assuming a role of critical importance in the benefits companies offer their employees.

But "flexibility" is a very complex topic, as it means very different things to different people. And different segments of the workforce have different needs driven by factors such as age, gender, or job type. In the end, it all comes down to the needs of the organization - and the employee. An effective strategy is based on the needs of both.

Your Advertising Is Going To The Wrong People

You are all ready to go out with an advertising campaign for a major corporate client and you think that a tracking study might be a great idea. You select the publications where the advertising will be placed and go out with an Internet survey. With two of the publications, everything goes as planned...but you get ZERO RESPONSE from the third one.

It could have been that the e-mail blast went awry, so ESL Insights' principals looked there first. But a few people did respond, so they went on to the provider of the list from this publication. The right answer was the simplest - readers of the third publication have ZERO INTEREST in the product being advertised, and in fact, are not the target audience.

It's Beautiful! But not in the U.S.

An international manufacturer of luxury men's clothing and accessories is seeking to strengthen its position in the U.S. marketplace. One thing they needed to know was how well their small leather goods would sell in upscale department stores. The leather goods are exquisitely crafted and absolutely beautiful, the wallets in particular. They come in a number of styles, most being coat wallets (large bi-fold wallets that fit into a men's overcoat or suit jacket), and many with coin purses.

The only problem is that American men carry wallets in their trousers pocket, so look for something small that carries the required money and credit cards without interfering with the lines of the clothing. So "small and slim" are the criteria, and forget the coin purses...men do not carry them in this country. The manufacturer must rethink what it offers to American consumers.

Branding: They Love The Concept, But Can You Deliver?

An international supplier of industry data is seeking to rebrand themselves as a provider of consulting services - "one stop shopping" for industry data, decision support tools, and consulting services.

When this concept was tested with current clients and prospective clients, most thought the concept was great - everything they would ever need in one place - and that the data provided is the industry standard. But they are much less enthusiastic about the analysis tools which they find cumbersome, and remain unconvinced that a provider of industry data can have the ability to compete with consulting firms, or even their in-house expertise.

Excellence Strategy Leadership
	ESL Insights, LLC. \| home About Us \| Consulting and Research Services \| Client Engagement Process \| Some Recent Studies... \| Contact Us Some Recent Studies... ESL Insights regularly conducts market research for Fortune global 1000 corporations and major media companies. We also serve industry associations, non-profit organizations, consulting firms, advertising agencies and public relations firms, and direct marketers with data collection, statistics, data processing, qualitative and quantitative analyses and interpretation. As such, we are in a unique position to identify trends in the business and consumer marketplace. Results from some recent studies... The Proposed Online Advertising Campaign Is Invisible It's the right approach.... Target purchasers and influencers of IT decisions through online advertising hosted by the websites they most frequently visit. And the messaging appears to be right for the target audience of business and government IT professionals. However, focus group participants told our client that "basic blue" did not stand out enough against the blue background of some of the online newsletters. Based on this feedback, our client chose a brighter color palette in designing flash advertising for a highly successful online advertising campaign. One Size ERP Solution Does Not Fit All It looks so simple.... Take an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution you are currently offering to the corporate customers, make it scalable and customizable to the needs of medium to large companies, and you have a larger market. But the supporting elements are largely missing... no IT structure to support it, processes are mostly manual, and employees are not able to make very simple decisions about the functions they perform. Based on these findings, our client has determined to pull back on this initiative as they do not believe it will work for this market segment. Show Me The Wine One of our principals was astonished to discover that as a woman she is a very unusual wine consumer in that she: Is very adventurous in the wines she tries. Does not hesitate to be the one who reads the wine list and orders the wine when out to dinner in mixed company. On the whole, prefers red wine to white wine. Some foreign trade commissions are interested in this information too, as women wine consumers outnumber men in America. Workforce Retention Means Different Things To Different People As the economy heats up, ESL Insights' principals see competition for top talent and a refocus on initiatives to prevent employee defections. In this context, flexibility is assuming a role of critical importance in the benefits companies offer their employees. But "flexibility" is a very complex topic, as it means very different things to different people. And different segments of the workforce have different needs driven by factors such as age, gender, or job type. In the end, it all comes down to the needs of the organization - and the employee. An effective strategy is based on the needs of both. Your Advertising Is Going To The Wrong People You are all ready to go out with an advertising campaign for a major corporate client and you think that a tracking study might be a great idea. You select the publications where the advertising will be placed and go out with an Internet survey. With two of the publications, everything goes as planned...but you get ZERO RESPONSE from the third one. It could have been that the e-mail blast went awry, so ESL Insights' principals looked there first. But a few people did respond, so they went on to the provider of the list from this publication. The right answer was the simplest - readers of the third publication have ZERO INTEREST in the product being advertised, and in fact, are not the target audience. It's Beautiful! But not in the U.S. An international manufacturer of luxury men's clothing and accessories is seeking to strengthen its position in the U.S. marketplace. One thing they needed to know was how well their small leather goods would sell in upscale department stores. The leather goods are exquisitely crafted and absolutely beautiful, the wallets in particular. They come in a number of styles, most being coat wallets (large bi-fold wallets that fit into a men's overcoat or suit jacket), and many with coin purses. The only problem is that American men carry wallets in their trousers pocket, so look for something small that carries the required money and credit cards without interfering with the lines of the clothing. So "small and slim" are the criteria, and forget the coin purses...men do not carry them in this country. The manufacturer must rethink what it offers to American consumers. Branding: They Love The Concept, But Can You Deliver? An international supplier of industry data is seeking to rebrand themselves as a provider of consulting services - "one stop shopping" for industry data, decision support tools, and consulting services. When this concept was tested with current clients and prospective clients, most thought the concept was great - everything they would ever need in one place - and that the data provided is the industry standard. But they are much less enthusiastic about the analysis tools which they find cumbersome, and remain unconvinced that a provider of industry data can have the ability to compete with consulting firms, or even their in-house expertise.