Most Memorable New Product Launch 2009 Survey Results

By Meghan VH
December 28, 2009
Sentient recently partnered with Schneider Associates and Information Resources, INC. (IRI) to conduct the eighth annual Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey. This year’s results found KFC’s grilled chicken at the top of the list, with 40 percent of consumers remembering this product launch.
In fact, five of the top 10 most remembered new product launches this year were fast food brands – KFC Grilled Chicken, McDonald’s McCafe, Quiznos Torpedo sandwiches, McDonald’s Angus Deluxe and Taco Bell Volcano Nachos. This reversed a trend of technology product launches being most remembered in the 2007 and 2008 surveys. Notably, KFC’s top spot could partially be due to a brand “blunder.” In their April 2009 launch, KFC offered coupons for free grilled chicken. When Oprah Winfrey promoted this on her talk show, it created a level of demand too high for KFC to meet, turning away many unhappy customers and earning negative media coverage. However, KFC turned this negative media coverage into positive coverage by issuing “rain checks” to consumers. KFC has rebounded from their goof, and reports that “…over 80 percent of those who try it [grilled chicken] buy it again” (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/kfc-has-consumers-remembering-kgc/).
Interestingly, three of the five fast food product launches can be considered “premium” offerings – Grilled Chicken, McCafe and the Angus Deluxe – which is in line with the trend of migration marketing, or products that encourage consumers to “trade up” or “trade down” in a recession environment.
Another striking finding from the study is the extent to which consumers are actively online while they watch television. While most respondents (80%) watch content online, two-thirds of Americans (66%) are online while watching television. Aaron Reid, Ph.D. Chief Behavioral Scientist at Sentient remarked, “Furthermore, 85 percent of people who are online while watching television have searched for something they just saw, a significant shift in the information flow. The resulting social media conversation is substantially influential.” This shift in information flow is the latest evidence for the need for integrated marketing plans that capitalize on social media.
For more information on the survey and to download the official press release, please go to the Most Memorable New Product Launch web site (http://www.mmnpl.com/) or contact us at info@sentientdecisionscience.com
Check out recent coverage of the MMPL 2009 survey @ adweek and brandweek.
  • Share Insight
Avatar

By:


Archives

Categories

Contact us for more information about Sentient Decision Science and our groundbreaking research.