On Careers…

On Careers…

Jun 1, 2024

On Careers…

I’ve had several people reach out recently to discuss their career paths. Each person was in such a different place, so it stands to reason the advice I had to share looked quite different. It made me think about the different moments in my career, advice I’ve been given, and what sage wisdom is worth sharing with the world. So, let’s take a look at a few scenarios and the considerations impacting each.

There seemed to be a common denominator in each of the situations: a slow grind. This is when you find yourself treading water for too long, not ascending and feeling restless. The fascinating thing about this is that it can happen across so many levels, and it can feel just as frustrating at each. For those early in their careers, it can seem as if you may never break through a middling level of success to a place where your work can stand out and you can feel seen. For those deeper into careers, this situation feels like a glass ceiling preventing you from maximizing your skillset and applying it to a strategic level in the organization.

career advice

Like most situations, how you handle it is highly dependent on the organization. Jill and I spoke with someone recently who was ready for a new challenge. This person had excelled within their current position and made a fantastic brand for themself, but they effectively outworked the position they were in. This is a tough spot to find yourself, and equally tough for an employer. On one hand, an org could create a position which maps to the individual’s skill set, which seems like a fantastic idea on the surface. But what happens when that individual eventually moves on, as people are apt to do? It leaves a void in the org that was so tailored to an individual that it becomes impossible to backfill, necessitating a reorg.

I found myself in a similar position after my first job after college: I had built a mountain of assets that outpaced the company’s sales trajectory, leaving me in an awkward place. Even when the org is a great place to work, if there’s not a clear path forward or your skills are outmatching your position, it can be time to move on. These situations often result in boomerang rehires, so remember not to close the door behind you.

I met another person who returned to work after spending a few years building a family. She was working for an organization that had a peculiar habit of not promoting people with less than 10 years of tenure, regardless of experience or performance. Pair this with the people who were ascending being ill-fitting for their leadership positions and it becomes an extremely frustrating situation. This is an immediate red flag, because any organization that will ignore, or worse, not recognize the capabilities of their people is not prepared to make good decisions for themselves or their people. This creates a terrible situation rife with mentally-challenging “am I good enough” moments. When this person’s boss departed and the org would not even consider her for the position, despite being the perfect match, I advised this person to move on. She is now thriving in a much healthier work environment. 

Another person in a similar situation was feeling unsatisfied with their salary, feeling the slow slog was wasting their prime earning years. This is a very real feeling that I can empathize with. In my 20s I was frustrated by the feeling of putting in what seemed like more effort than my superiors and receiving far less compensation. In my 30s I made some career moves that aligned more with organizations that were structured differently and taking positions that had clearer sight-lines to revenue generation. I think when it comes to compensation concerns it’s important to step back and examine whether your position or the company’s structure is the right fit for your goals.

Consider the ownership structure, because that directs a lot of the financial goals of the org. Venture capital-owned companies are often in a cycle of shaving costs while driving growth, which can feel like a meat-grinder. I worked for a company in which I was being asked to train low-cost labor overseas to do the same work I did in preparation to sell the company. This didn’t sit well, and I ended up walking away from a promotion offer to start a new job elsewhere. In the following year the org I left went through several rounds of layoffs as they continued on their cost-cutting path.

Looking back, I’d say my career is spotted with as many fumbles as there were smart moves, but I really value and appreciate the mentors I had in my life who helped guide me when I felt lost. I love being able to share perspective with others almost as much as I enjoy learning from those who have come before me, and while I am no career guru, my door is always open.

 

 Justin Sutton

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Online Shopping in the Digital Age – Time Saver or Energy Waster?

Online Shopping in the Digital Age – Time Saver or Energy Waster?

May 15, 2024

Online Shopping in the Digital Age – Time Saver or Energy Waster?

Does the following situation sound familiar – something small or mundane breaks around the house, something you haven’t had to buy in a few years, so you search online for a replacement and you get bombarded by a jungle of products and brands?


Let me paint a picture with my own personal example: I was cooking dinner and my trusty can opener broke, I sighed and resigned myself to buying a replacement before bed. Fast forward to evening and as I was laying in bed and remembered my task; I grabbed my phone and typed in “can opener” and was met with an avalanche of results with each listing attempting to differentiate itself with clever marketing and technologies. An hour passes, nothing has been purchased, and now a feeling of anxiety sets in because every product feels just different enough to warrant consideration. I put my phone down, annoyed, with a new goal of buying a can opener the next day.

TOO MUCH CHOICE

BehaviorScientist.org has a great research review of what they call choice overload – it’s basically what the name implies, too many choices for consumers means a complete breakdown of the purchase process. I remember being in my college marketing class discussing cognitive dissonance and choice paralysis impacting consumers across the globe – 20+ years later and things have only intensified as we enter a matured digital age. Because of a global marketplace where cross-country shipping is, at worst, less than $100 (depending on the item’s weight) and at best, free; there is ample supply of every gadget and doo-dad, every shoe on the planet for you to pick from, and a mountain of rechargeable batteries to peruse. There is so much to pick from today, the time and energy needed to shop even basic items has skyrocketed.


To further illustrate the scale of choice available to us, Harvard Business Review has an article written around the time I was in high school highlighting decision paralysis and how it represents a bad thing for most brands. It details an experiment where there were 2 tables at an upscale food market, one table had 24 different kinds of jam, and on another day, the table would have 6 varieties. People bought something from the 6-variety table MORE than the 24-variety table.

NOT ENOUGH PURCHASING

Hear me out on this one – I believe our lives as consumers would be far more enjoyable if every product search led to a purchase. We could all probably do with less stuff, but that isn’t the point I’m making here, it’s more around the notion that we actually buy what we set out to buy, on the first go.

Decision paralysis is defined as the inability to decide out of fear of making the wrong choice. Most of the time, this is the reason why we don’t buy the first thing that pops up when we search for a product online – what if I buy the wrong product? The New York Times has an article about this as well, they conclude by suggesting that just because we can search endlessly for any given product, doesn’t mean we should.

PARTING THOUGHTS

As market researchers and consultants, Catapult Insights thinks about a lot of things that may not seem relevant in the moment, but we do so to make sure we have an opinion and stance on a given topic when the need arises. Shopping is time consuming and draining in modern times, so to my fellow consumers I say, set a time limit (like researching for 15 mins) and then buy the thing you were looking to buy and be done with it. Of course, the more costly the item, the more time it would take to make a good decision, but don’t fall down that endless researching trap If you feel drained and tired, you probably should just make your decision and move on.

For the brand and product managers in the audience, a similar set of advice could be offered – help consumers make choices by trimming down product lines to minimize choice, being clear with your advertising communications with the key points consumers are looking for to make a decision for purchase, and having those communications be in the right place and time for the consumer. If you want help with any of these things, it just so happens I know some talented researchers and strategists.

Now excuse me – I still have a can opener to buy.

 

 

Andre Barroso

DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & INNOVATION
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Swimming in Data

Swimming in Data

May 14, 2024

Swimming in Data

What do coffee giants, durable goods companies, alcohol brands, tech titans, and QSRs have in common? No, this isn’t a dad-joke, it’s something I’ve noticed over the past 6 months. It turns out that many research organizations are reviewing past work through a revised lens to mine for new perspective. The idea of a research audit is not new, but the volume and frequency of these requests is worth talking about. 

Last year I wrote about an awesome experience I had supporting a client with incredibly quick-turn work. More recently, this Bias for Action-focused client found themselves swimming in insights from dozens of different projects and in need of assistance to organize and identify knowledge gaps on the topic of customer experience. While individual projects each had CX-related insights, the overall objectives were more tactical in nature. They had the data and insights, they just lived in multiple places. That’s why we brought the insights together to tell a more focused story.

But there’s a trend going around. Perhaps organizations are doing more with less, or perhaps they don’t want to let good insights go to waste. Or maybe change is afoot and there’s still value in exploring where you came from. In any case, I feel fortunate that Catapult Insights is able to help our colleagues and clients roll with it.

Justin Sutton

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

The Case for Occasion-Based Segmentation

The Case for Occasion-Based Segmentation

Mar 6, 2024

The Case for Occasion-Based Segmentation

This past month has been a busy one for my family, which means we’ve been eating meals on the go more often than usual. Between work travel, a family road trip, clients visiting my city, afterschool activities, and just an overscheduled social life, we’ve probably eaten out more than a dozen times this month, many of which were at QSRs. While that is a bit out of the ordinary for us, it isn’t completely unheard of for my busy family of 5. What’s interesting is when I look back at what was driving each of my trips to a QSR this month, they actually differed quite a bit.

 

First it was a weekday trip to McDonald’s after my daughter’s very first cheerleading performance. Our entire family was together, and we needed something fast as we were running behind schedule due to the performance going late, and we needed something all 3 kids would like. So, we swung by the McD’s drive thru for some cheeseburgers and fries.

Next, was a solo work trip where I was at the airport around lunch time and needed to grab something healthy to eat that was packed for travel to take with me on the plane, plus I needed a boost of caffeine.  I opted for an iced coffee and packaged snack box at the airport Starbucks to give me the energy boost I needed.

My last example is when I had lunch with a client between a day full of meetings. We found ourselves with a free hour around lunchtime and needed something tasty, filling, with a vegetarian option, and in an environment where we could sit and talk. We opted for a local QSR that had a fantastic patio and a great selection of protein bowls — it was a perfect fit for our needs.

qual segmentation

Even though I’m the same person at each QSR visit over the last month, I was purchasing for different reasons and had very different needs each time:

      • Family, something for everyone, quick
      • Healthy, on-the-go/portable, caffeine boost
      • Relaxed environment/seating, filling, vegetarian options

It’s well known in the market research industry that consumer segmentation is a powerful tool for marketing, product, service and experience development, and brand leadership – it gives you the guidance for who, when, where, and how to reach your target customers. In our previous segmentation blog posts we outlined Catapult Insights’ core elements for a successful segmentation, when you might consider a refresh, and the role qual plays in segmentation. But another important consideration is the type of segmentation you employ because when it comes to segmentation, one size does not fit all.

Traditional person-based segmentation works well for many brands and categories, but it can fall short when you’re dealing with higher frequency categories such as QSR, food and beverage, CPG, and travel. In those higher frequency categories, we often find that the occasion drives the needs and motivations behind each purchase more so than the person. This can make for a messy and non-actionable person-based segmentation solution. In these cases, we like to explore segmenting by occasion or interaction with the category rather than by the person – an occasion-based segmentation solution.

We often have clients in high-frequency categories struggling to implement a person-based segmentation solution and one of their biggest questions is “how can we make our segmentation more actionable?”. To answer this question, let’s explore the differences between and benefits of person-based and occasion-based segmentation.

Person-Based Segmentation

Person-based segmentation is a traditional approach to segmentation that many brands employ. It blends different dimensions of consumers (attitudes, behaviors, demographics, perceptions) to create distinct, identifiable, and statistically differentiated groups or segments of people. This type of segmentation is well-known by marketers and product developers. When done well, it is a very useful tool for creating marketing strategies, communications plans, and new products. It’s often easy to understand because each person gets assigned to one segment and typically stays in that segment. Profiles and personas are created and the brand team can really visualize and understand who the segments are — you get to know them.

The Case for Occasion-Based Segmentation

However, needs, motivations, and behaviors vary for each interaction or purchase in higher frequency categories, presenting a challenge for person-based segmentation solutions. In high-frequency categories (like my QSR experiences this month) it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to segment a person with such varying needs into stable person-based segments. 

On top of that, it can be extremely challenging to uncover how to meet a customer’s exact needs at the right moment with this type of solution since they are situationally dependent.  This is where occasion-based segmentation comes in. This approach is also designed to create distinct, identifiable, and statistically differentiated segments, but the difference this time is that instead of representing a person, the segments represent the occasion for interaction with your category or brand. And, unlike person-based segmentation where one person is assigned to and stays in one segment, in occasion-based segmentation one person will likely belong to multiple segments, or occasions. 

An Example of Occasions

Let’s look at how this might play out in a QSR setting using a few examples from my month of QSR experiences. Right away I see a few different occasions popping up:

    • On-the-go group dinner – A quick, easy meal on the go that fulfills the needs of a group. Less concern about healthy options as this is an unplanned occasion so you’re flexible, prioritizing convenience over health.
    • Midday fuel with a caffeine boost – A need for food + caffeine, but you’re on the go so packaging must be portable, and healthy is a must. Food and caffeine needs take equal priority in this occasion. 
    • Relaxing lunch – A midday break to relax in a welcoming environment conducive to conversation, but also provides a tasty selection of food options to fill you up.

Those are just 3 examples of potential QSR occasions that a single person could experience.  Just by reading those initial descriptions you can already see the different needs for product development, messaging, and even packaging start to emerge for each occasion segment.

But let’s think about how that would play out in a person-based segmentation solution where a person needs to be assigned to one single segment. Is my segment one that prioritizes healthy food or not? Am I in a rush or looking to relax? Do I prioritize beverages with food or not? The answer to all those questions is ‘both’ which makes for a pretty messy person-based segment with unclear needs and motivations, and can leave marketers, product developers, and brand teams scratching their heads. In this case, occasion-based segmentation can provide a more actionable solution that a brand can develop strategies around.

Benefits of Occasion-Based Segmentation

Since occasion-based segmentations are often done on the category level, not just for a particular brand, it can help highlight your brand’s strengths and weaknesses across occasions and identify white space where occasions exist that no brand out there is really fulfilling. The data collected for an occasion-based segmentation is also incredibly rich. You’re able to learn an incredible amount about what the consumers in your category are doing, what motivates them, what their needs are, and where they are going to try to have those needs met.

If your focus in on alcohol beverages, restaurants, travel, QSR, food and beverage, personal care, CPG, or another higher frequency category, then occasion-based segmentation may be the right fit for you. But occasion-based segmentation isn’t for everyone. If a category is lower frequency, like purchasing a vehicle, or when the need doesn’t vary much from one purchasing occasion to the next, like buying toilet bowl cleaner or dog food, then person-based segmentation is going to give you a much more actionable solution.

One other important thing to consider before taking the plunge into occasion-based segmentation is the transition your organization will have to make if they’ve already adopted and have been trying to make a person-based segmentation work. It’s a mind shift to move from thinking about your segments as individual people to recognizing that people exist across a variety of occasion segments, but it’s a worthwhile effort.

The clients I’ve worked with to shift to an occasion-based segmentation for their high frequency category have leveraged their new occasion segments to develop new successful product lines, create tailored marketing and messaging campaigns, and develop customer acquisition strategies to grow their market share. They also report feeling like they now truly understand their customers, which is the golden ticket many marketers are looking for. 

JILL MILLER

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

A Segmentation Refresh – Is it the right time for your organization?

A Segmentation Refresh – Is it the right time for your organization?

Feb 28, 2024

A Segmentation Refresh – Is it the right time for your organization?

Segmentation research is a shared passion and expertise here at Catapult Insights – throughout our careers we have created, worked with, and refreshed well over 30 segmentation solutions. In an earlier blog we covered the core elements of what makes a segmentation successful, but how do you keep it successful? From our collective experience, we have picked up on the cues and signs of when a segmentation is in need of a refresh (or even needs to be thrown out), instead of being dragged along by an organization for just one more year. Instead of hoarding this knowledge, we decided to share three of the larger signs that it might be time to refresh an organization’s segmentation solution.

ENTERING NEW MARKETS

When an established organization is a master of their craft and understands their current customers well, but then decides to expand into an adjacent market, this is when we start to see old ideas and segmentations being applied to a new category. New markets, new products, new offerings, and new customers usually mean new research is needed to understand them – segmentation solutions included. The investment in entering new markets with new products and services is tremendous, the key is to also recognize that new research needs to be a part of those business strategies so you can hit the ground running.

innovation

TIME PASSING

A great segmentation will stay relevant for an organization for about 5 years. We understand that segmentations are expensive, time intensive, and draining on those involved when done correctly with no corner cutting – because of the investment, its not uncommon for an organization to squeeze it for all it’s worth, for as long as they can. The effort, skill, and collaboration put into a segmentation determines how quickly its twilight years approach.

A CHANGING WORLD

We’ve seen a handful of times where an existing segmentation starts performing abnormally. For example, your star segment represented 50% of the market, but recent research is now showing them to be more like 25% of the market. What happened? Assuming the shift is real (not a research error), something is clearly happening in the market (think about how the MP3 player market felt in 2008 – a full year after the introduction of the iPhone, or how the introduction of mobile ordering changed consumers’ QSR ordering behaviors and attitudes). A great segmentation would suddenly need an immediate refresh due to a major shift in the market and rapidly changing consumer preferences. If you don’t refresh or update your segmentation, you run the risk of it not being relevant or effective in the new, changing world.

WRAPPING UP

Highlighted here are just three of the many signs that point towards the need for a segmentation refresh or overhaul. People are constantly in flux when it comes to their purchase and shopping preferences – do you still buy the same products in the exact same way as you did 5 years ago? 10 years ago? You probably don’t and that’s expected because our world is constantly evolving (technology advances, new services, etc.) and as we move through life, our attitudes and behaviors are all impacted by every external factor imaginable (and unimaginable). But with so much variation within us, there is one thing that never changes: we will forever be just like another group of people with similar needs and desires waiting for our needs to be met.

 

 

Andre Barroso

DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & INNOVATION
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Beyond the Page – Qual’s Role in Segmentation

Beyond the Page – Qual’s Role in Segmentation

Feb 16, 2024

Beyond the Page – Qual’s Role in Segmentation

We’ve been considering a change of schools for my kids – a decision that any parent can tell you is not taken lightly. Interestingly, between my soul-searching and conversations with other parents along my journey has me reflecting on the segmentation work that I’ve done. What I’ve learned along the way is that humans are curious creatures, and we’ve met families at school that are similar to ours in so many ways, each making unique decisions in the best interest of their households. At one level our households appear so similar: how we live, where we live, the age of our kids, and decisions we make are much the same on paper. Yet, the motivations and experiences that weigh into those decisions often become the difference in which direction we will go. This is why it’s so important in segmentation work to go beyond the page and truly understand the human experiences within each segment in order to connect on a meaningful level.


In the research and consulting world, the most powerful tool we use to build that type of empathetic understanding is qualitative research, which comes in many forms. And, in keeping with Catapult Insight’s “approach agnostic” promise, I’ve helped clients establish empathy for their customers in many ways: ethnographies, focus groups, in-situ, in-homes, shop-alongs, workshops, and the list goes on. But at a high-level I believe there are some moments in a segmentation program when the role of qualitative is undeniably important.

qual segmentation

Foundational

Segmentation is as much art as it is science, and the work done by statisticians to create segments that are meaningfully distinct is no small feat. Our own statistician, Tom Rosholt, is masterful at the process, and I haven’t met more than one other through my career who could meld the math with people’s behavior in a way that translates to the world our clients operate in. This all starts with a foundational base of knowledge before we have a clue about what datapoints the segments might hinge upon. Casting the net wide, in the truest sense, this involves exploring the space where consumers exist to begin getting to know them through conversation and observation.

For many years I worked with Gwen Ishmael who often likened segmentation projects to dating. She said this foundational qual is much like the first date in that you don’t know anything about who you are about to meet, and it’s an important first step in the long process of understanding what makes them tick. For someone like Tom, using this foundational input to build a strong segmentation survey is an invaluable boost to his piece of the puzzle.


Personas

After working closely with clients to collaborate and iterate on the segmentation solution itself, it’s time to dive deeper to discover how to engage with each segment. Post-segmentation qual research has long been used to create personas, which are the personified likenesses of each segment meant to give businesses a tangible reference point of who they are as people. In practice, this brings segments to life by reminding us of the human factors and experiences that make our behaviors somewhat predictable.

Said another way, personas make us think of real people in the world whom we’ve met. Personas help us think through how those real people will interpret the messages they encounter, react to ideas that are presented, and the lens through which they view the world. Think of it as the fourth or fifth date when you really get to know a person on a new level, and now you’re able to reasonably predict how they will react to what you say and do.


Pivotal

One of the most curious things about people is that they grow as the world around them changes and evolves. This is why segmentation work has a shelf-life, but its dynamic nature doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to prolong its usefulness. Typically, a client uses segmentation to target marketing efforts as their business rolls out new solutions. In a traditional sense, this involves inclusion of certain segments in on-going research efforts to test concepts, develop messaging, or determine marketing strategies that will resonate.

Something Catapult Insights likes to do during these on-going research efforts is mix in a few known respondents, often the very people the personas were formed from, to get a read on things through a familiar lens. By seeing how real people who embody and represent each segment react, our clients are able to evolve their understanding of consumers and evolve the persona as our knowledge base grows.


There’s no doubt that factors driving, and often predicting, a person’s actions can be statistically determined by looking at who they are, what they’ve done in the past, and the conditions of their present. But understanding the context of why people think, feel, and act the way do is what elevates a strong segmentation beyond the page and into the real-world where real decisions are made.

 

JUSTIN SUTTON

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

 

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