When I first came to a slightly larger organization and stepped a little more seriously into the FCMG world, I got one question that of course, I didn’t understand in the right way at the time:
When was the last time you were on the field?
Mostly this question, at least I thought so at the time, came from sales colleagues to silence you when you set out to suggest crazy ideas or to guess what the user should be served or offered.
I was honest and fair enough to first understand what the question in its essence means and how important it is not to assume things like:
Who is the user and what does he really want and what does he need?
I will go back a little, that is a little more, some 40 years ago and to the famous story about how one of the most famous toys in the world was created: He-Man. This name is familiar to my peers, but it is not so important for this story now.
At that time, the company Mattel (also known by the brand Barbie) was facing the problem of which toy to launch on the market that will capture the attention of children. Children as a target group can be very grateful on the one hand, but difficult to grasp on the other. You don't have to be a parent to know that.
They thought for a long time, held countless brainstorming on 4 walls, and in the end decided on one simple and ingenious thing:
Let's go play with the kids and see what the kids want!
Some would say, they went out on the field. They played with the children for several weeks, actively, and passively, they observed the children and saw their behavior and what the children wanted.
I would say that somewhere here I have chosen two favorite research methods:
Observation (where you do not actually influence the respondent, completely natural behavior).
Talking and contact, but in informal, I would say natural conditions (most research is in certain rooms where you are aware that someone is questioning you and it is very difficult to be natural).
The result of what they discovered is interesting, the children needed to actually order and take control while playing. It has often been said: You will do it because I tell you so.
During the day, children have countless so-called commands from parents:
• Wash your hands
• Take off your shoes
• Do not spill
• Go to sleep
• Etc.
That microcosmos in the moments when they play alone or with someone is the moment when they take matters into their own hands. It was this moment that the people of Mattel immortalized in one of the most famous sentences for generations to come:
I HAVE POWER
That sentence sounded so strong and was only further supported by the hero, Prince Adam, who is withdrawn and timid, and who, by drawing his sword and uttering a sentence, becomes the most powerful being in Eternia. Sounds familiar…
It has never been difficult for me to go to the field, and talk to sellers and people who need to buy the product I am working on.
When we started Bitebell, I had over 30 interviews with restaurant owners to understand their needs and problems.
Digital is great but the field is a field.