Have you seen the post about the 25 Common Words That You've Got Wrong? It's been showing up all over my social news feed lately. Basically, it's a list of words that people have repeatedly used incorrectly over time. Some of the words might surprise you! For some of these words, the confusion was understandable - they sound like another word or the definition was close to another word. However, reading through this list serves as a gentle reminder to those of us in our industry. The need to understand what consumers think and how they perceive certain words or ideas is imperative to a brand's overall communication efforts. This goes to show that you can't simply rely on what the dictionary says.
And, going beyond played back definitions, we've found through our own research on research that even surface level associations don't oftentimes match what consumers feel about certain words. It's often difficult to understand what motivates consumers and how they feel about a brand and why. So how do you extract the deeper feelings about a brand or a concept? Well, research has shown that 80% of human expression is non-verbal, with most decision-making happening in the subconscious.* This indicates a need for evolved market research methods that go beyond reporting what consumers say, and to provide understanding around what they are feeling. One of the ways that we are able to get at the deeper meaning is through eCollage™ which uses pictures and images as catalysts, to elicit emotions more effectively. This type of technique allows for deeper and more personal self-expression. Want to see how it works? Click the image below to go ahead and give it a try.
*Zaltman, 1995 et al