TMRC – From Consumer Myths to Brand Legends

ZMET®Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique

A brief Overview

Creating Perceptions doesn’t work like this.

Changing thoughts and behaviors doesn’t work like this.

Impacting consumer behavior definitely doesn’t work like this.

The human mind – and decision-making – is rooted in different layers.

…and KEY layers are not consciously accessible.

ZMET® is effectively used to interview the “Other You” of the Consumer…

…and understand how the subconscious creates and guides conscious interpretation

and behavior!

The Consumer’s mind is a myth, they talk in one way, and act in another.

Verbal answers is just toe tipping the surface level of consumers minds.

Consumers buy your products but pay for the experience, consequently communication is mostly off-target!

Every consumer wears a “mental mask”, by nature

People’s true perceptions, experiences and motivations are deeply hidden and mostly cannot be articulated. Business using traditional research inevitably only communicate towards their consumer’s mask.

The problem is, the mask does not make the decision!

We fail to see the HUMAN being!We inevitably fail to understand her real thoughts, feelings, experiences and perceptions. And the critical elements that really drive her decisions and behavior.

Words are not the same as Words are not the same as thoughtsthoughts

Thoughts are activations of neural networks, which words cannot completely describe – thoughts are visual, not language.

Lots of information, especially critical subconscious experiences are lost in verbal descriptions & rationalization

Human thinking is expressed in Human thinking is expressed in Metaphors – we experience the world Metaphors – we experience the world

around in metaphorical processesaround in metaphorical processes

Metaphors and re-presentative thought processes help us tap into consumer’s deep emotions and

experience spaces.

We translate these deep findings into actionable marketing strategy, positioning and

communication!

Patented technique to dig deep into the consumer’s Mind. Uncovers real experiences and motivations – those that drive consumer behavior!Developed by Harvard Business School Marketing Professor Gerald Zaltman

ZMET® Insight then transferred into actionable Strategies to activate motivations, “engineer” perceptions, experiences and to influence behavior

TMRC uses ZMET® in exclusive license in Greater China, Thailand, India, and other SE Asian markets.

ZMET® - Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation TechniqueZMET® - Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation TechniqueDeep Dive into subconscious & conscious consumer Deep Dive into subconscious & conscious consumer

perceptions and motivationsperceptions and motivations

Brief Overview of the ZMET® Interview Process

ZMET®Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique

The ZMET interview

ZMET Overview: Each ZMET interview is a one-on-one discussion lasting approximately two hours. In preparation for the interview, participants are asked several days prior to their interview to collect pictures that represent their thoughts and feelings about the research topic. As a result of this pre-interview work, participants arrive for their in-depth interview at an advanced stage of thinking.

“Please collect 6 to 8 pictures that express your

thoughts and feelings about

[the topic of exploration]”

The ZMET® interview is carefully designed to probe various facets of the mind’s operation,

enabling the consumer to be more explicit about their implicit thoughts and feelings

This also engenders the surfacing of important but often hidden drivers of

behaviour

The ZMET interview

Steps in the ZMET® Process

Storytelling – key associative and re-presentative elements and themes that rule the conscious and subconscious experience of the research topic

Missing Themes

Expand the Frame

Sensory Explorations

Vignette

Digital Collage – the visualized thought experience

Surface expressions point to hidden patterns underlying human thought.

These patterns are called Deep Metaphors™

They are fundamental categories of human experience that shape everyday decision-making.

The ZMET “Deep Metaphor™”

What are Deep Metaphors?

Deep Metaphors are the Mind’s first and subconscious responder to any stimulus

biological reactions to events or circumstances

unconscious and precede conscious thoughts and feelings

hardwired or instinctual, few in number and universal

Deep Metaphors™ rule the Human Mind’s fundamental thought processing system

Technical definition A fundamental orienting structure of thought that operates automatically and unconsciously

Working definition A viewing lens; a basic but powerful way of seeing the world

CHINA - Whiskey:Allows me to restructure and simplify my thoughts

Container

Journey

Surprise-filled “Journey” experience during consumption of light and crispy wafer-chocolate snacks

Reconnecting with my youth: anti-aging crème products

Connection

THAILAND - Whiskey:THAILAND - Whiskey:Creates Container of Creates Container of intimate and protective intimate and protective friendshipfriendship

Container

Deep Metaphor Example in Deep Metaphor Example in AdvertisingAdvertising

By controlling the unconscious frame

of “Michelin tires as a CONTAINER for your loved ones,” Michelin helped

consumers to see and feel key

emotional benefits.

Michelin thereby was able to

establish and sustain a 30% price

premium for its tires.

The importance of Mental Frames created by Deep Metaphors:

BOTH executions communicate SAFETY and both are based on the Deep Metaphor of CONTAINER –

surely the “safety feel” is different?

The Marketing / Communication Theme is different, because the

mental frame is different!

ZMET® Mind Map

Mind Maps represent bundles of thought, or constructs, that many consumers share regarding a specific subject

• A particular thought never stands alone… individual thoughts bundle together in the mind and work in partnership with behavior

• The map captures the socially shared, connected constructs that are most prominent

• The construct associations illustrated in a Mind Map represent how consumers currently think about a topic

• In this sense, a Mind Map serves as the “anatomy” of the mind of the market

Brief Case study on using ZMET® to understand how consumer’s perceive and a motivated by a certain Brand

Message / Positioning Theme

Objective:

Understand consumers’ subconscious perceptions of natural beauty and naturally beautiful hair

Insight Translation into tangible communication

For this project, ZMET® dug deep into the consumer’s experiences and perceptions of

“naturally beautiful hair”

Note: Case Study used with permission from Unilever

Healthy

Shiny / Bright

Balanced diet

Black

Feel more

natural

Motion

Shows overall body is healthy

Look / feel more

energetic

Gives me the look I

desire

Feel calm, relaxed

Clean

Care for my

hair

Smooth

Look more

beautiful,

attractive

Feel comforte

d

Straight

I am more loved

Look young

er

Shows I am a

caring person

Brings me

closer to others

Changeable

Have positive influence on others

Self - confidence

Feel happy

Feel more

successful

More power / control over

othersI show myself more

What we learned from the ZMET® Mind Map

On an emotionalized functional level: the element of “motion” is the

key element that creates consumer’s subconscious

experience of having “naturally beautiful hair”

Energetic Energetic and Lively and Lively

FlowingFlowing

What kind of Motion defines “naturally beautiful”? What kind of Motion defines “naturally beautiful”?

Within the context of a Woman’s “naturally beautiful hair”: the Motion Within the context of a Woman’s “naturally beautiful hair”: the Motion of a Woman’s Hair has an of a Woman’s Hair has an Energetic LivelinessEnergetic Liveliness and a and a Smooth FlowSmooth Flow

Consumers’ deepMotivations which impact their

behavior don’t get lost in translation anymore:

“Normal methods only help us get facts, which is the surface of the iceberg. TMRC’s ZMET® really gets true insights deep down in consumers’ minds, an into their real feelings which they normally cannot articulate. We have been using ZMET® successfully to launch new brands and re-launch brands in China. As a client, I cannot find anything better than ZMET®.”Joanna Wang, VP Beauty Care, Unilever China (2006)

The Deep Metaphors of RESOURCE and FORCE define “Motion” in Hazeline .Shampoo “Naturally Beautiful Hair” TVC.

On an executional level, note how every single hair shot shows moving hair - fluttering strands of hair, filled with energy, brushed by windy breeze, in a

“resource-infused” manner, and using a water fountain cue…

This TVC put the brand back onto an 18% / annum growth path

TMRC – From Consumer Myths to Brand Legends 27

www.tmrcresearch.com

TMRC Thailand:2 Ploenchit Center, G Floor, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, ThailandTel: +66 (0) 2 305 6629 Fax: +66 (0) 2 305 6674

TMRC Thailand:2 Ploenchit Center, G Floor, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, ThailandTel: +66 (0) 2 305 6629 Fax: +66 (0) 2 305 6674

TMRC China:

Shanghai: Floors 2-3, Bldg. B, No 1000, Chang Ping Road, Shanghai 200042, China 上海市昌平路 1000 号 B 座 2-3 楼 Tel: +86-21-6218-3377 Fax: +86-21-6271-1217

Beijing: Studio 210, 3 Guang Qu Rd, Image Base Art Studios, Beijing, China 北京市朝阳区广渠路 3 号竞园艺术家工作室新 20-210 室

TMRC India:123, 1st Floor, Vipul Agora, M.G. Road Gurgoan, 122001, Delhi, IndiaTel: +91 124 4609906 Fax: +91 124 4609900

TMRC India:123, 1st Floor, Vipul Agora, M.G. Road Gurgoan, 122001, Delhi, IndiaTel: +91 124 4609906 Fax: +91 124 4609900