Sample helps River West revive brands

River West Brands uses Zoomerangs Sample service to receive demographically specific market research data in days, rather than months.

River West Brands LLC, based in Chicago, Ill., revitalizes dormant brands then licenses them to manufacturers. Succeeding in this niche industry requires reliable market research data thats targeted to each brands specific audience.

To learn which brands show the greatest potential with consumers, Paul Earle, President, and his team use Zoomerangs Sample service, which provides a set of targeted survey respondents. Available in increasing levels of specificity, Sample allows them to select the exact demographics and behavioral attributes of survey respondents they require to obtain the research results they need. The combination of targeted audience and survey speed is essential for their business.

Speed is critical
Earle founded River West Brands in 2001 and conducted his first survey using the Zoomerang Sample service in March 2002. Coming from a traditional market research background at Kraft, he had grown accustomed to the long lead times of out-sourced market research firms, and the expense associated with focus groups.

Rapid access to data, however, is at the heart of his companys success. In this business, its critical to get relevant data quickly and relatively inexpensively, he says. We dont have a moment to spare. Well field a test, then be presenting the information 48 hours later.

Breathing new life into old brands
The team at River West begins their process by researching the availability of a dormant brand, then positioning the brand for a specific audience. Once they select the demographics of the audience, they order the survey respondent list through Zoomerangs Sample service.

In this industry, to move from idea to concept presentation requires a readily accessible, targeted database of names. We have found that it's more valuable to test against a specific, tightly defined demographic, Earle says. For this, they use Sample. The goal is to be confident of the awareness levels, he says. When a brand moves into the marketplace, knowing that it has X% awareness before it is available is extremely helpful. The research Earle and his team perform allows them to refine the positioning of the brands by communicating with potential consumers about their expectations of the brand before it's launched.

For example, Earle and his colleagues recently tested the contemporary brand awareness of a dairy-based drink that had been popular in the 1970s, but had since lapsed into disuse. They developed the survey to understand the awareness level of the dormant brand among 30-year-old women. Once the demographic was determined, they selected other potential competitive brands.

Along a range of six to ten questions, they researched the awareness and brand attributes compared to other brands in the category. By testing the dormant brand against existing brand names, they were able to attribute any potential positive brand equity, or hidden negative attributes. It's with this research that they presented their findings to their clients.

The targeted research data is critical for us, Earle says. The more specific the data, the more compelling it is for our clients.

Using todays technology to test yesterdays brands
With a traditional market research background, Earle was used to the delay and expense associated with reliable data. When I first used Zoomerang, I thought this is unbelievable. I can't believe its possible to get quantitative, statistically relevant results in 24 hours! he says. I was amazed by that. Using the Zoomerang survey tool, zPro and the Zoomerang Sample service allows River West Brands to develop the research they need to take an idea from concept through to presentation in a time-frame thats critical for the industry.