Porsche’s research shows they need to change perceptions
4/4/11 / David Kennedy
We don’t just like good research – we like seeing good research leading to real change in organizations.
Take Porsche for example. Through a “raft of market research” they learned that potential buyers are viewing Porsche vehicles as unfit for everyday driving and use.
Porsche’s new campaign therefore is focusing on showing their vehicles in everyday situations, as opposed to quick jaunts through twisty mountain roads (though Porsche isn’t totally abandoning their message of driving experience and passion – just that you can have both).
After reading this post, I couldn’t help to think about frequency in which this is occurring across all types of organizations. I would argue that the “that’s definitely not for me” or “that’s impractical” mentality is a problem for most companies at some product or service level. In fact, I would venture to say this is true for the perception of research and evaluation. Too often, I find myself wondering why more organizations don’t utilize at least basic research and/or evaluation techniques to learn more about their client base. As a research/evaluation professional myself, I feel I have a responsibility to show that evaluation, even at a very simple level, is accessible, informative, and can be effective for every-day use, and not just for “winding mountain roads.” Like Porsche, the power of evaluation to do more is always there, but it’s okay to take it for a drive around the block to see what you can find!